Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

March 2020

Beyond the Red Doors

Be A Blessing for Young Families
By Timothy Carr
How can we equip our churches to serve families and young people in our communities? What can we do to support them? In Be A Blessing for Young Families, Timothy Carr answers these questions and shares practical ideas for supporting families and young people in your community.
Credit Unions for Economic Justice
By Jennifer Miramontes
Faith-based credit unions exist to serve disadvantaged individuals in a community; their members believe that investing within their communities is important. In Credit Unions and Economic Justice, Jennifer Miramontes shares the work of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union and its role in creating economic justice.
Editor's Letter April 2020
By Charis Bhagianathan
In this issue we bring you ideas for community beyond the red doors. While we understand that some cannot be implemented in our current context, we wanted to lift up examples that bring hope and inspiration for brighter days ahead.
Editor's Letter March 2020
By Charis Bhagianathan
In this issue we bring you stories of faith in action, of love and generosity and the gift of witnessing God in everyone around us. Have we asked – what is beyond the red doors?
Neighbor to Neighbor
By Margaret Tjimos Goldberg, Bobbi Eggers and Sue Bodson
In 1975, a group of compassionate individuals gathered in the basement of Christ Episcopal Church and started something that would change their town. In Neighbor to Neighbor, Margaret Tjimos Goldberg, Bobbi Eggers and Sue Bodson explain the history of the incredible Neighbor to Neighbor organization and how it supports their town of Greenwich.
Sacred Stories and Listening
By Alli Gannett, Karin Hamilton and Jane Hale
Are we still tangled in very specific, traditional ways to “do church”? In the podcast Sacred Stories and Listening, Alli Gannett and Karin Hamilton chat with Jane Hale, who explores three neighboring towns in Connecticut, listening to people’s stories and hearing God speak through them.
Somos SMM
By Karen Peña
Santa María Magdalena en Manor, Texas, es una comunidad multicultural y multigeneracional que está siendo transformada por la generosidad de Dios.
Surfing and Spirituality
By Scott Claassen
Can we encounter God in the ocean? In Surfing and Spirituality, Scott Claassen introduces us to a weekly surfing ministry program he runs as part of the Episcopal campus ministry at UCSB and the many ways surfing enriches spiritual practice.
The Art of Organizing
By Francisco Garcia
In The Art of Organizing, Francisco Garcia explains the importance of community organizing in the Jesus Movement, some roadblocks we may encounter along the way, and what we can do to begin organizing a movement that reaches beyond the confines of our institutional structures.
We are SMM
By Karen Peña
St. Mary Magdalene in Manor, Texas, is a church that is bursting with new ideas to be Christ’s hands and feet for those around them. In We are SMM, Karen Peña narrates the experience of this inclusive, diverse church family and describes the projects they’ve enthusiastically taken on to serve their community. This article is available in English and Spanish.
What could being church look like, post COVID-19?
By Chantal McKinney
As Church, what opportunities can we find in this pandemic? In What Could Being Church Look Like, Post Covid-19, Chantal McKinney tells us that this is the exact time to lean into the very shift our churches are experiencing and to become more intentional about shining a light outside our church buildings. This article is available in English and Spanish.
¿Cómo lucirá ser iglesia después del COVID-19?
By Chantal McKinney
Empezamos nuestra comunidad de fe afuera, generando relaciones con gente en sus porches, en los jardines enfrente de sus casas y en sus barrios y tiendas.