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February 3, 2020 News

February 2020 Vestry Papers: Transformational Vestries

Dear friends,

As individuals, we sometimes seek out transformation at different points in our lives, or perhaps an experience thrusts it upon us, whether we’re ready or not. But what does transforming as a team look like? What happens when a willing group starts on path of discovery, learning together and sharing the joy and burden of vestry service? In this issue, we focus on how vestries in their very structure allow for meaningful and joyful transformation.

Can working together with others deepen one’s understanding of self? In Part of One Body, Mary Barber narrates her personal experience as a property warden and shares how it started her on a transformational path to seminary. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What does it mean to be the gatekeepers of God’s house? In The Sons of Korah, Nicole Foster examines striking parallels between vestry service and the fearless protectors of God’s temple in 1 Chronicles.

How can we be more intentionally transformational? In A Path of Transformation, Lou Blanchard uses Otto Scharmer’s book Theory U to explain the process of moving through four emotional “fields” to a spiritual place of transformation.

ECF recently launched a new publication – the Finance Resource Guide. In The Finance Resource Your Vestry Needs, Nicole Seiferth breaks down what the book offers and shares why this is a must-have publication for every transformational vestry.

Would you like to become an ECF Fellow? Open to lay and ordained Episcopalians, our Fellowship Partners Program supports emerging scholars and ministry leaders throughout the Church. The deadline for applications is March 16, 2020. Learn more about the program and how to apply here.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices

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