Dear Friends,

2006 has been a wonderful year for the Episcopal Church Foundation and I want to thank all of you, particularly our supporters and partners, for sharing in our ministries.  Together we can enable all Episcopalians to fulfill their mission of doing the work of the Gospel.

2007 promises more challenges and opportunities for all of us, and I want to take this opportunity to give a preview of some of our plans:

• This month we announced a call for applications to the newly recreated ECF Fellowship Partners Program.  We will now be able to award both academic and transformational ministry fellowships and are very excited about the potential of this program for empowering people at the grassroots, congregational level for mission and ministry.  The deadline for applications is March 15, 2007 and the Fellowships will be announced in April, 2007.  Click here for more information.

• In the January/February issue of our award winning Vestry Papers we will be unveiling a new, four color and expanded redesign.  We are pleased to announce that the Church Pension Group has partnered with us to sponsor our inaugural issue and that we are able to send a copy to every Episcopal congregation in the United States.  If you are interested in learning more about Vestry Papers or in subscribing, please click here.

• ECF’s Giving Services program will continue its work to help Episcopal congregations and institutions in their capital campaign, planned giving, annual giving, endowment management and general fundraising efforts.  ECF brings a uniquely qualified approach to this work because we understand Church and our staff have been engaged in these ministries for more than twenty years.  To learn more, please click here.

I wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy new year.

Faithfully,

Donald V. Romanik, President