in Vestry Papers and filtered by Hospitality, Diversity, Small Churches + 2 other(s)
By David Romanik
How do we respond when those who look and speak differently knock on our door? When two Swahili-speaking refugee families from Congo arrived at Church of the Heavenly Rest in Abilene, Texas, in 2013, the community’s first response was to help with their physical needs. In Breaking Down Walls, David Romanik shares the process of discernment and the practical steps that followed as they shifted their focus to bringing God’s purpose for the community to life.
By Edgar Giraldo
El Ministerio de Comunicaciones en la Diócesis Episcopal de Puerto Rico está compuesto por un equipo de creativos que incluye un diseñador gráfico y un diseñador artístico.
By Pickett Wall
In times of fear and uncertainty, the church is our unchanging foundation. In What Happens When Soccer Practice Comes Back? Pickett Wall ponders how we will continue to be community and share our stories when this season of crisis ends.
By Edgar Giraldo
What does church look like when the communications ministry is viewed as an investment and not an expense? In The Heart of Church is Mission, Edgar Giraldo shares ways the Diocese of Puerto Rico uses communications as a way to further mission.
By John Maher
How does discipleship intersect with mission? In Transitioning to a Network of Missional Communities, John Maher shares his personal journey as a vicar, and his work with three missional communities to deepen the discipleship and mission focus of their members.
By Sandra Montes
Este año decidí visitar una iglesia diferente cada domingo y bloguear sobre mis experiencias. Ese esfuerzo duró unos tres meses hasta que, como ocurre a menudo, la vida intervino. Durante ese tiempo aprendí mucho sobre lo que pueden hacer las iglesias para ser acogedoras, amorosas, liberadoras y vivificantes.
By David Rice and Anna Carmichael
What does it look like when a diocese decides to take hospitality seriously? In Taking Church out Into the Community, Bishop David Rice and Anna Carmichael share their experience of focusing on community, outreach and welcome and what it means to begin to see the face of Jesus in “the other.”
By Sandra Montes
What makes a church welcoming to a first-time visitor? In Ten Signs of a Welcoming Congregation, Sandra Montes provides ideas from her travels to various churches across the country, listing qualities she found to be common in parishes that make visitors feel at home and truly welcome. This article is available in English and Spanish.
By Phyllis Jones
Placing mission at the heart of our budgeting can drastically alter the way we use the resources entrusted to us for others. In Mission-based budgeting: A Loving, Liberating, Life-Giving Practice, Phyllis Jones raises some critical questions around the types of mission-focused budgets and changing our mindset to view hospitality as an investment rather than an expense.
By Joshua Rodriguez-Hobbs
How do health and hospitality overlap? In Four Steps to a Public Health Ministry, Joshua Rodriguez-Hobbs lists how parishes can lean on and build up their spiritual gifts by supporting physical healing programs in and through their communities.
