Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Since 1964, ECF has supported scholars and ministry leaders across the Episcopal Church through its Fellowship Partners Program. We recently reached out to our Fellows to ask them to share tools and resources that they have either been developing or that have inspired their recent work. Below are a few of those tools from three of our Fellows.

Practical On-Demand Training for Online Teaching & Facilitation

A lot of ministry leaders have been asked to plan online and hybrid learning and formation experiences without any training in how to do so. Increasingly, it looks like this kind of work will be an important part of faith communities' new normal. That's why my colleagues and I at Learning Forte created Design+Deliver: Foundations, an on-demand course introducing foundational concepts and practices that have been shown to result in effective learning experiences.

– The Rev. Kyle Oliver, 2016 ECF Fellow

Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World by Serene Jones

In this book, Jones explores how individual and collective trauma affect one's capacity to remember, to act and to love with grace. In this time of massive collective trauma and division, Jones' redemptive theology of grace is the foundation for maintaining a hopeful perspective in the midst of the violence of this world.

The Cure for Sorrowand Circles of Grace, both by Jan Richardson

Jan Richardson's blessing-poems are a literal balm to my weary and wondering soul. She speaks to the truth of things and the hard parts and the miracles and recognizes the blessings that emerge in all things. Highly recommend, both for liturgical and personal use.

– The Rev. Cate Anthony, 2021 ECF Fellow

Transforming Churches and Communities: Cooperative Developments in a World of Growing Inequality. A Tool-Kit for Faithful Action!

Can Churches and Faith Communities Be a Part of Creating a New Economy? A team of pastors, theologians and religion scholars, community activists and labor organizers, non-profit leaders and cooperative developers came together to answer this question with a resounding yes! With the support of the Louisville Institute, this Collaborative Inquiry Team developed an online tool-kit to support faith leaders and their congregations on their journey toward implementing cooperative economics in their communities. Working for a more just economy is not an optional charity project – it is at the heart of our Christian tradition and many other faith traditions. But even faith itself can be distorted as the hallmarks of our current economic system find their way into our faith communities and theology. There are biblical traditions that counter these distortions and point us toward a cooperative, bottom-up alternative. This toolkit provides interactive resources, connecting our biblical faith traditions with practical applications and concrete examples from ministry and community contexts for engaging and contributing to a more just and cooperative economy that works for all. Check it out!

If you have any questions, feel free to send a message to Francisco García, ECF Fellow and member of the Collaborative Inquiry Team that created this tool-kit.

– The Rev. Francisco Garcia, 2019 ECF Fellow

Resources:

• The Art of Organizing, by Francisco Garcia, Vestry Papers, March 2020
• Ministry in a Global Pandemic, an ECF Vital Practices webinar presented by Joshua Rodriguez-Hobbs, June 11, 2020
• Seven Ways to Nourish Your Spirit and Soul by Rebecca Roberts, Vestry Papers, November 2020
• Q&A with the Rev. Kyle Oliver on Digital Ministry, an ECF Vital Practices webinar presented by Kyle Oliver, October 12, 2017