Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

July 2023

Reimagining Assets

Critical Missions: Stabilizing and Supporting Small Congregations
By Lee Curtis
In Critical Missions: Stabilizing and Supporting Small Congregations, Lee Curtis tells the story of the Diocese of Rio Grande and their work with ECF and the Lilly Endowment “Bridges to the Future” grant, which enabled them to ask challenging questions and explore solutions that invigorate ministry, halt chain reactions, and move to a place of sustainable thriving.
Editor's Letter August 2023
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 and the world. In this second issue on Reimagining Assets (find the first issue here), we hear from leaders who are deep in the work of reimagining our church, from a place of abundance, from a place of sustainability and from a place of justice and love.
Editor's Letter July 2023
By Haley Bankey
In this edition of Vestry Papers, you will find five stories from around the church about reimagining assets, be they physical structures or human resources, the land we steward or the culture in which we belong. As you read, imagine how you might walk alongside the Holy Spirit to embrace bold reimagination in your own community.
From Dwindling Congregation to Dynamic Resource
By Wyndeth Davis
When obligation and exhaustion replace hope-filled and spirit-led ministry, communities can struggle to see all that God has given them. In From Dwindling Congregation to Dynamic Resource, Wyndeth Davis from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan shares how the willingness to try radical change is turning one small congregation into a dynamic community resource that fulfils its Gospel mission.
From One Small Seed: The Story of Plainsong Farm
By Nurya Love Parish
In From One Small Seed: The Story of Plainsong Farm, the Rev. Nurya Love Parish writes about turning her small family farm into a thriving, self-sustaining, Episcopal ministry dedicated to creation care and agri-ministry.
Leveraging Your Congregation’s Physical Assets
By Ken Howard
Once there was a time when church buildings were considered indispensable fixtures for their surrounding community. Now, many of our buildings are empty most days of the week and people on the street pass by without a second glance. Ken Howard, in Leveraging your congregation’s physical assets, inspires us to reclaim the physical assets of our faith communities as essential hubs for a vibrant, local life.
Los Dones de Dios para el Pueblo de Dios
By Alex Montes-Vela
In The Gifts of God for the People of God, Alex Montes-Vela draws on his childhood memories, and on words that we all have spoken innumerable times, to explore the concept of abundance in our lives, communities and faith. In Spanish.
Managing Assets to be Stewards of Humanity
By Sandra Montes
How can the church make a difference in creating just economic systems? In Managing Assets to be Stewards of Humanity, Sandra Montes leads a conversation with Steven Lee, Bishop Matthew Heyd and Miguel Escobar as they discuss our moral imperative as Christians to help liberate those in economic bondage, particularly in the context of credit unions.
Positioning Local Faith Communities in a Post-Pandemic World
By Bonnie Perry and Anthony Estes
In this conversation, Bishop Bonnie Perry from the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and the Rev. Anthony Estes, of the Detroit Church Partnership, encourage us instead to explore the powerful what-ifs of where we find ourselves here and now.
Re-imaginando los bienes: la perspectiva Navajo
By Gerlene (GJ) Gordy
La idea principal de los bienes de la comunidad es conservar la cultura para las generaciones futuras en lugar de maximizar su uso con fines de lucro.
Reimagining Assets: A Navajo Perspective
By Gerlene (GJ) Gordy
While Western culture often equates assets with things one can own and that have monetary value, in Reimagining Assets GJ Gordy shares a Navajo perspective, reminding us that culture, relationships and intergenerational wisdom are also essential community assets.
Serving Congregations Sustainably
By Cathie Caimano
What could sustainable part-time ministry look like? In Serving Congregations Sustainably, Cathie Caimano describes the fundamentals of how small changes to an established model can be life-giving, transformative and hopeful.
The Gifts of God for the People of God
By Alex Montes-Vela
In The Gifts of God for the People of God, Alex Montes-Vela draws on his childhood memories, and on words that we all have spoken innumerable times, to explore the concept of abundance in our lives, communities and faith. This article is available in English and Spanish.