in Vital Posts and filtered by Hospitality, Conflict, Pastoral Care
By Lauren Kay
Lauren Kay examines personal authenticity and the Church from a LBGTQ+ lens and finds the Church lacking in hospitality. She draws strength from the recovery community and feels that people often find more acceptance, love and welcome there than they do at Church.
By Charles Graves
Millennials have grown used to portrayals as phone-connected, disbelieving, libertine, avocado toast-eaters. Such statements are usually followed by hand-wringing pleas for more young people in the pews. As a group, we crave a church that is “Loving, Liberating and Life-Giving”. We believe in justice because we are Christians and because of our Episcopal faith. We need the Church to meet us on...
By Lisa G. Fischbeck
Truth be told, it’s possible to participate in the Sunday morning exchange of greetings and coffee hour fellowship, even the occasional potluck suppers, without ever going deep enough into a conversation with someone to know if they are struggling to give care to a family member or have declined into dementia themselves.
By Greg Syler
In this hyper-digital, connected-but-disconnected day and age, the church that finds a way to connect people to people so that everyone has someone to walk with them and represent Christ will not only be counter-cultural but blessed by God.
By Alan Bentrup
How do you, and your congregation, practice loving those different than you?
By Sarah Townsend Leach
I had just attended my first service with a six-week old baby, and I would see things with new eyes from now on in every church I visited thereafter.
By Richelle Thompson
When I store the decorations for another year, I’m always faced with a dilemma: What should I do with the Christmas cards? It’s the one time of year that folks send a snail mail card, and even if most have a simple signature, they are still a tangible connection to a longtime friend, a faraway relative, neighbors, and fellow parishioners.
By Linda Buskirk
Maybe the liturgical year should include a Romans 16 Day, on which we celebrate what we appreciate about each other.
By Anna Olson
Three months into St. Mary’s commitment to the Safe Parking project, I have a few observations.
By Linda Buskirk
As our awareness of physical barriers increases, let us also consider whether our language and behavior send messages of, “You are truly welcome.”