Congratulating the 2021 Evangelism Grant Recipient
At its January 2021 virtual meeting, the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church awarded $33,800 in Evangelism Grant funding to twelve Episcopal communities.
“These grant awards span across the Episcopal Church, from the Convocation of Anglican Churches in Europe to the Diocese of Hawaii, from ministry with first responders and firefighters in Kentucky to New York City street evangelism,” said the Rev. Devon Anderson, chair of the Executive Council Episcopal Evangelism Committee. “Even in this liminal time of pandemic and isolation, the church is going beyond simply surviving to connecting, and is reaching out beyond itself. The grant projects are exciting and truly inspired.”
The Episcopal Evangelism Grants program, designed to fund local and regional evangelism efforts, began in 2017 as a result of the 2015 General Convention’s increased investment in evangelism galvanized by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Grants provide up to $2,000 for an individual congregation and up to $8,000 for multi-church, diocesan and regional collaborations.
Initiatives funded by the evangelism grant program include a Kentucky project to reach out to local firefighters, a Massachusetts effort to provide fresh local food to area food pantries that serve people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, a “wild church” effort in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and online churches across the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.
If you are interested in current grant opportunities including Creation Care, Beloved Community, and United Thank Offering, visit: episcopalchurch.org/grants-and-scholarships/
Good News Gardens 2021
Now is the time! Just as we are prepping the soil and cleaning off our tools, so too are we readying our hearts and spirits during Lent, preparing for a new year of planting, praying, and proclaiming the Good News of God’s great love through agriculture and food. Make sure to check out what’s new with Good News Garden this year and sign-up to join the movement.
Share
“The gospel is a story of meals, opening in a garden and ending at a feast.” – Kendall Vanderslice
If you would like to download a shareable image of this quote, please click here.
Meet
The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church would like to officially welcome Brian Sellers-Petersen to their Evangelism and Creation Care teams as the Good News Gardens Consultant for The Episcopal Church! Brian (whom many of you know) is the author of Harvesting Abundance: Local Initiatives of Food and Faith, and currently serves as agrarian missioner for the Diocese of Olympia and senior advisor to the Society for the Increase of the Ministry. He is also a member of the General Convention Task Force on Creation Care and Environmental Racism.
Most of Brian’s career has been with international relief and development organizations, including 18 years with Episcopal Relief & Development. He lives in Roslyn, Washington, in the Diocese of Spokane, and is a member of the Church of the Resurrection. We are grateful for the passion, wisdom, and connections that he brings to GNG and our team and we cannot wait to see how he shepherds all kinds of growth! If you would like to know more about Good News Gardens or Brian’s role, email him by clicking here.
Read
This is God’s Table by Anna Woofenden
As so many of us continue to think and talk about what our faith communities will look like “after,” this book by Anna Woofenden (a member of one of the new grantee projects) gives us a glimpse into the beauty and challenges of “church beyond the walls.”
Upcoming Evangelism Events
Evangelism Matters 2021
The Discipline of Hope – an Episcopal Evangelism Audio Conference dropping Eastertide 2021
Additional Resources
The Good News of Lament
Neighborhood Prayer Walks
Embracing Evangelism Digital Series
Tell Me Something Good
Building an Intentional Small Group Ministry
This was originally shared in The Episcopal Church’s March Evangelism Newsletter. We invite you to subscribe to The Episcopal Church’s monthly newsletter to receive prayers, resources, news about upcoming events, and more. View past issues of the newsletter and join the mailing list here.