Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

This article acknowledges the spiritual and emotional weight of the modern news cycle while reminding us of the power of prayer: weeping with those who weep, mourning with those who mourn, and remembering that Jesus is with us at every step.

This Holy Week reflection assures us that even in the darkest moments and the shadow places of our lives, we will find Christ and through him, hope. No matter where or when we end up at rock bottom, God is with us there.

Often, spirituality is misused to suppress genuine emotions, hindering our ability to support those in need. This discussion explores a spirituality that embraces the whole heart – joy and rage alike – equipping us to support those grieving in our communities with compassion and justice.

You might not think of a dinner club as part of pastoral care, but with a little forethought, it can be just that: a chance to deepen relationships and expand the circle of people with whom you can be vulnerable so that in times of need those connections are already in place.

Here’s an idea for some informal pastoral care, using the Christmas cards that people have sent as both a prayer prompt and an opportunity for connection throughout the year.

Pastoral care—loosely defined as “people visiting people”—depends not just on ordained clergy but also on members of the laity. This article outlines two important considerations for putting together an effective pastoral care team.

Ready to take your pastoral care team to another level? Check out these four best practices for setting up an effective system to track visits and share information, ensuring that no one is overlooked.

This essay challenges the assumption that online connections are somehow not valid, asking us to think about how churches might use social media to build community and share God’s hope to a world in desperate need.

This article suggests that churches take the opportunity to help the terminally ill and their loved ones prepare for death by blessing the process of dying—gathering for prayers, remembrances, and sharing before the end.

If your church doesn’t yet have one, consider creating a planning resource that families can use to begin thinking about their loved one’s funeral. Here are ten things you might want to include to make planning easier.

Pastoral care doesn’t end after a funeral: We also need to acknowledge people’s losses at seasons of celebration. A Blue Christmas service is just one way of doing that and provides a model that you might craft for use at other times of the year.

Fr. Sandy wrote the following letter in response to the accidental death of a college student in his congregation. It's message may resonate with those facing the challenging task of communicating with their congregations in times of tragedy.