June 2017 Vestry Papers: Evangelism and Discipleship
Dear Friends,
What does it mean to be a disciple in our daily life? What can we do to begin to build and sustain strong and vibrant communities of disciples, bursting with Good News? The June issue approaches discipleship as a journey, sharing insights, experiments and stories about moving closer to our life of faith as Jesus intended it.
“Episcopalians seem hungry to be led into deeper discipleship.” In Discipleship in the Episcopal Church Today, Jay Sidebotham shares the mission of RenewalWorks in fostering a spirit of discipleship in our communities, and the role of leaders – both lay and clergy – in building more meaningful discipleship.
What does financial discipleship mean to you? Do you struggle to align Jesus’ economic vision with the dominant culture’s greed and anxiety over money? In Testing Mammon: Learning Financial Discipleship, Steven Tomlinson says it’s worth asking “If money were my god, how would I know?” and suggests small, intentional changes to improve our money behaviors, while learning to practice financial discipleship.
In November last year, Forward Movement partnered with the Presiding Bishop’s office to offer Evangelism Matters – a first of its kind conference about sharing the Good News of God in Christ. In Evangelism Matters, but Can We Do It?, Scott Gunn shares the experience and highlights his selection of practical resources and learnings that came out of the event.
Practicing discipleship often means meeting others in difficult places of pain and need. In Farm Workers Ministry – Discipleship in Action, we hear from Juan Carabaña about an invisible and insecure community in this country that provides us with a wonderful opportunity to listen, learn and serve. This article is available in both English and Spanish.
Do you serve as part-time clergy of a small Episcopal congregation? We’d like to hear from you! ECF is hosting an online group discussion to listen to the critical challenges that part-time clergy of small congregations face in the areas of strategic planning, leadership, and financial resources. ECF program staff wish to learn what the greatest areas of need are, what types of resources would be most helpful, and what are existing sources of support for part-time clergy of small congregations. To register and join the conversation, please click here.
To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.
Faithfully,
Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices