May 2022
Beyond the Pews
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Bridges to the Future: Addressing the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Faith Communities
By ECF Staff
What are the long-term effects of Covid-19 on faith communities and how are we tackling them? In Bridges to the Future: Addressing the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Faith Communities, ECF staff, in collaboration with Diocesan teams, share “new ministry models to ensure the sustainability and vitality of these communities over the long-term.”
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Church By The Pond
By Nancy Jacobs
In Church By The Pond, Nancy Jacobs describes how the people of Christ Church Cathedral realized their dream of bringing church to the park, a dream that was strengthened through the pandemic as the community continued to gather united in prayer.
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Church by the Pond – Iglesia Junto a la Laguna
By Nancy Jacobs
Este feligresia practica su ministerio en Bushnell Park para la gente de Hartford, Connecticut.
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Church Without Walls
By Janet Waggoner
How do congregations who lose their buildings and possessions refocus on what truly makes “church”? In Church Without Walls, Janet Waggoner shares the story of the Episcopal Church in North Texas, where its people have not just continued doing God’s work in the face of material loss, but have poured even more into their communities, never failing in love and faithfulness.
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Editor's Letter June 2022
By Charis Bhagianathan
In parking lots and picnic grounds. By rivers and along the mountainside. On TikTok and the Metaverse. Church is happening all around us, and we are discovering new spaces in which to praise, to pray and to build Christ’s community. In this issue, hear from people doing profound and deeply inspiring work in non-traditional church settings, creating meaningful relationships through powerful ministry.
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Editor's Letter May 2022
By Charis Bhagianathan
Editor's letter for Vestry Papers issue May 2022 Beyond the Pews.
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How the Pandemic Cured my ASA Obsession
By Alissa Newton
Can ASA give us an accurate indication of a parish’s health? In How the Pandemic Cured my ASA Obsession, Alissa Newton talks about her fixation with attendance and numbers, and how the pandemic forced her to reframe ‘metrics’ in a new light.
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La vocación en un mundo inseguro
By Diana Wheeler
Los Companions of Dorothy the Worker [Compañeros de Dorothy Trabajadora] han trabajado en pro de las personas más marginadas de la comunidad LGBTQ+. Muchos de los compañeros son personas que fueron heridas por la Iglesia institucional, rechazadas en ocasiones por congregaciones que decían ser “abiertas y afirmativas”. Unos son activistas queer de muchos años que recibieron formación en seminarios para ejercer un ministerio en diferentes denominaciones.
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The Third Place
By Jon Davis
What is our modern day understanding of the mission of the church? In The Third Place, Jon Davis tells us about spaces where people gather outside of home and work, to witness and experience redemption, reconciliation and repentance, making these sacred communal places also ‘thin places’, where the Holy Spirit can be felt working in and through us.
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The Ultimate ‘Online’ Church
By Sean Steele
What are the benefits and challenges of building an online community in a virtual world? Could this be a significant space the Church occupies in the future? In The Ultimate ‘Online’ Church vlog, Sean Steele introduces Web3 Abbey, perhaps the first ever Anglican liturgy inside of the Metaverse.
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TikTok and Real Ministry
By Ben Maddison
Leaving your comfort zone and trying new things is always a learning experience. Sometimes it’s also incredibly fun. In TikTok and Real Ministry, Ben Maddison describes his foray into TikTok which started out as a way to make people laugh and has now become a powerful source of real ministry.
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Vocation in an Unsafe World
By Diana Wheeler
In Vocation in an Unsafe World, Diana Wheeler tells us about the Companions of Dorothy the Worker, an ecumenical Christian community that brings radical hospitality to the queer community, modeling Christ’s unfailing and constant love to the most marginalized among us. This article is available in English and Spanish.
