Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

The Rev. Michael Carney is an Episcopal priest who serves with his wife in Whiterocks, Utah, on the Uintah and Ouray Ute Reservation. In this article, he explores how we can express our beliefs in a way that touches those who are struggling—offering a message that makes a real difference in people’s lives. How has following Jesus changed your own life? Who needs to hear your story?

In this brief reflection on John 6:28-29, Canon Annette Buchanan, who served as President of the Union of Black Episcopalians from 2013 to 2019, calls for us to differentiate between the “work of the Church” from “the work of God”. While the work of the Church – from preparing the coffee for coffee hour, to balancing the church’s budget – is central to a faith community’s vitality and shared life, are we as leaders also cultivating our faith in Jesus through prayer and corporate worship? How can we more prayerfully pursue the “work of God” to enhance our work in the Church?

When we help children develop habits of faith from their earliest days, we set them on the road to lifelong discipleship. In this article, parent Melissa Rau invites us to be intentional about grounding our families in faith through the traditions and rituals we celebrate both at church and at home. Whether you are a parent or not, how can you be more intentional and proactive in children’s faith development?

Eduardo Solomón Rivera draws on his memories of growing up in an extended Latino family—loving and being loved by parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and his faith community. “The food, the music, the hugs and the stories from my family and faith community are gifts that I will forever cherish,” he writes, “gifts that have helped to shape and anchor me in my identity, my faith and my vision of community from my cradle to this very day.” From this experience, he outlines seven key principles that facilitate intergenerational discipleship. Which of these resonates with you? To which might you devote more concerted attention, and how?

Building on an article by Steven Tomlinson, this 60-minute webinar helps us examine the role of money in our lives—how, even without our knowing, it can organize our thoughts, perceptions, fears, and aspirations. Explore the kinds of small, intentional changes that can help you improve your money behaviors, practice financial discipleship, and move toward the more loving and liberating God revealed in Christ. What changes might you make to turn from the god of money toward the God of our salvation?

In this 60-minute webinar, Davíd Patiño and Atticus Zavaletta share their experiences as young trans people of faith and the gifts of Trans/Queer leadership. Hear how they form leaders and disciples among the younger and marginalized segments who are often overlooked, and learn ways to invite those on the outside of the faith community to come in. Whom might you be overlooking? How might you welcome them in the fullness of Christ?

When we spend time alone with God and bring our feelings to him, we can both honor the things inside us and open ourselves to seeing them from a different perspective—God’s perspective. As a first step toward more intentional discipleship, devote a few minutes each day attending to what you are feeling, and learn to bring your heart into conversation with God. What do you need to share? What do you need to hear?

In our hectic lives, it is easy to become consumed by busyness. However, taking the time to be still, to meditate on God’s word, and to pray is essential. In these moments of “wasted” time we can gain clarity, find inspiration, and deepen our relationship with God. When you pause, reflect, and simply enjoy being present, how does that inform your faith and discipleship? How will you waste time with God this week?

Adapting the secular wisdom of Marie Kondo, Nelson Mendoza entreats us to undertake a spiritual inventory of our faith practices, using it as an opportunity to explore and bring new life into our relationship with God. Where are the joys and hungers in your spiritual life? What clutter can you dispense with, leaving you with a richer, more joyful and purpose-filled spiritual practice?

Citing the example of Saint Paul, Richelle Thompson reminds us to reach out to others and urge them through personal invitation to learn about mercy and grace, salvation and sanctification, and to let their lives be transformed by the Word of God. How might you respond to God’s presence in your life by sharing it with another? Pick up pen and paper—or keyboard and screen—and compose a letter to a family member, friend, or neighbor bearing honest and earnest witness to the Christian life.

What does it mean to be a disciple in our daily life? What can we do to build and sustain strong and vibrant communities of disciples, bursting with Good News? This issue of ECF Vestry Papers approaches discipleship as a journey, sharing insights, experiments and stories about moving closer to our life of faith as Jesus intended it.

While discipleship can be a deeply personal journey for many of us, our faith communities often play a crucial role in that journey. This issue of ECF Vestry Papers provides articles on the intersection of community and discipleship, sharing how the experience of becoming and being disciples together with others is both powerful and lasting.