News Detail

This issue's theme is Welcoming Newcomers.  Featured articles include:

From icy roads to full membership, by Peggy Barnes, new vestry member at Christ Church, Dayton, OH.

Amp up your hospitality, by Kathy Copas, Coordinator for Communication and Evangelism for the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.

Living hospitality, by the Rev. Judith Doran, rector at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dayton, OH.

¡Hola!  A warm welcome in Spanish, by the Rev. Daniel Vélez Rivera, ECF Fellow and priest at St. Peter's/San Pedro Episcopal Church, Salem, MA.

This issue of Vestry Papers also suggests resources for welcoming newcomers including:

• Church Toolbox:  A free resource for the wider church sponsored by the Diocese of Virginia Commission on Congregational Development.
• Episcopal Congregations Overview:  Findings from the 2008 Faith Communities Today Survey:  A congregational research report from the Evangelism and Congregational Life Center, DFMS, by C. Kirk Hadaway.
• Latino/Hispanic Ministry of the Episcopal Church:  Working to form hospitable communities of faith that nourish, strengthen, and develop disciples of Christ in the Anglican tradition.  Feel free to email the Rev. Canon Anthony Guillén, Program Officer for Latino/Hispanic Ministries of the Episcopal Church.
• The Episcopal Church's Strategic Vision for Reaching Latinos/Hispanics:  A plan for effective evangelistic and pastoral ministries for the Episcopal Church and Latinos/Hispanics.
• Bonus Article:  Newcomers from far and wide, by Elizabeth Grover, membership coordinator at the Church of the Redeemer, Cincinnati, OH

If you are not yet a subscriber to Vestry Papers, you can learn more here.