Buildings and Grounds
By Charis Bhagianathan
The act of reimagining is a bold one. It holds in it a dream to transform, to grow and to be new. It is a process where we strive not just to continue to be relevant, but to inspire and effect good change in our communities a…
By Episcopal Church Foundation
I’m the new warden of St. William’s in the Woods. The Deep Woods.
By Bill Livingston
“Resiliency” by Bill Livingston helps congregations consider the potential impact of a devastating disaster, looking beyond the immediate physical needs and issues related to long term recovery, to the church’s unique role of…
By Michael Sniffen
The sense of powerlessness that sets in following a crisis can be paralyzing. At St. Luke and St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, the fire not only caused significant damage, having been ruled arson, it also threatened …
By Cam Miller
We are "dating" a Presbyterian congregation that may one-day co-habitat with us in our buildings.
By Tommy Dillon
What do you do when a once-vibrant ministry that defined a parish's commitment to social ministry outlives the needs of the surrounding community and the resources of the parish to sustain it?
By Dan Austin
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but it was raining at St. Tiffany’s-in-the-Fields. Inside.
By Jeanie Sablatura and Terry Nathan
In today’s world of decreasing church attendance, changing parish demographics, and difficult economic times, it is essential that all of us optimize the stewardship of the resources with which we are blessed.
By Judy Hoover
St. Edward the Confessor in suburban Minneapolis burned to the ground last April after a young man threw gasoline-filled bottles at the structure late on a stormy night. We asked the rector to share tips with our readers on c…
By Eliza Linley
Episcopalians have moved beyond the era when, as the old joke went, evangelism meant unlocking the door on Sunday mornings. But how often does force of habit make us blind to our worship environment – without regard to design…
By Christopher L. Webber
Rightly, the Episcopal Church is attempting to emphasize mission and noting that we often focus our efforts on maintenance. As a vestry member, you are familiar with the problem. Here are some suggestions.
By Sarah Peveler
Last year, I asked five clergy –- evangelical and mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Jewish -– to record a short meditation from their own tradition that answered the question, Why should we spend money on ou…
By Episcopal Church Foundation
Vestry Papers asked wardens from the Consortium of Endowed Parishes their thoughts in planning for long-term maintenance of parish buildings.
By Deborah Johansen Harris and Frances A. Hills as told to Nancy Davidge
Grace Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts rose from two congregations that started their visioning and planning process in two very different places. For one, a wall fell down in the church; for the other…
By Leonard Freeman
How do your boilers work? Where do you go to turn on, or down, or whatever, the air conditioners?
By Malcolm Young
A storm spinning thousands of miles over the Pacific Ocean drives ahead of it warm but powerful southerly winds and dark, foreboding skies.
By Annabelle Radcliffe-Trenner
Serving on a buildings and grounds committee is probably one of the most thankless tasks you will ever be asked to do for your church.
By Jeff W. Fisher
Do we really believe in resurrection? That is the question that the people of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Waco, Texas, asked themselves after closing St. Alban’s Memorial School, an Episcopal school that had served the ch…
By Timothy Goldman
Gardens have always been places to meet God and God’s people.
By Fletcher Harper
More and more people believe that protecting Creation is a religious value.