Friday, May 27, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;...
Thursday, May 26, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] “It is not enough that we love God. It is not enough that we love one another. We must also love the world for whom Christ died.” George Bernard Shaw once wrote: “If some enterprising clergyman with a cure for souls in...
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] Festival season is gearing up, and hopefully congregations are spending some serious creative time thinking about how to make the most of these evangelism opportunities. St. James Episcopal Church in Piqua, Ohio, has...
Monday, May 23, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
Last week, the National Hurricane Center, during National Hurricane Preparedness Week, ran a series of informative articles that went into great detail on how to protect your home and to keep yourself and your family safe before, during, and after a hurricane. You...
Monday, May 23, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.”(Acts 2: 14) It must have...
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
The National Hurricane Center talks about hurricanes and things to do reduce risk and safeguard life. May 15-21 is Hurricane Preparedness Week. Click each graphic to learn more and read the associated blog post on Inside the Eye, the official blog of the National...
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] Our by-laws stipulate that one of the officers of the vestry is a person called ‘registrar.’ This person records minutes of vestry meetings and makes them available to the group. “[S]hall keep or cause to be kept true...
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] In the May Vital Practices Digest, we offer 5 resources for clergy transition in congregations, with the 5th a resource to help in developing year-round stewardship in your congregation. Please share this digest with...
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] The conversation about building a parking lot began before I was born. And while I’m not ready for the pasture, I, sadly, no longer qualify as spring chicken. Welcome to church time, which runs apace with glaciers. I...
Monday, May 16, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] Imagine yourself in these scenarios: It’s about 15 minutes before your Sunday morning service and an acolyte hasn’t shown up. What do you do? The end of the year is nearing and there’s a small budget shortfall. What’s...
Monday, May 16, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
June 1 is the official start of hurricane season. Are you prepared? There are three key points of any preparedness program: Make a plan – Know what are you going to do when a disaster strikes. Be informed – How are you going to receive information...
Friday, May 13, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] Here’s what Sunday reality looks like on the ground where I am: increasingly unpredictable. Our English services — representing the legacy congregation of our historic parish — are getting smaller by the...
Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] One of the most oft-cited reasons for hiring a campaign consultant is the desire of a parish campaign team to test the feasibility of raising the dollars needed for the projects being proposed. It’s a great reason! The...
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
[Episcopal Church Foundation – Vital Posts] Her response was plaintive and clear: I think the bishop would be mad at you if the kids weren’t there, if the whole family didn’t come to dinner. I had asked my 14-year-old if she wanted to stay home (or go out with...
Monday, May 9, 2016 | Resources for Ministry
What is resilience? If we turn to the dictionary, resilience is defined as: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed,...
