Telling Our Story: May 2020 Vestry Papers
Dear Friends,
As our time indoors has increased exponentially over the past few weeks, so has both our need and ability for communication. We’re doing more Zoom calls, picking up the phone much more often and many of us are expressing ourselves in other ways as well – writing, painting, singing, even baking!
The desire to communicate, to reach out, to share our story and hear those of others has never been greater. What is your story and how are you telling it? What does telling our story mean for us as church, even now, when church looks so different? In this issue, we highlight examples of telling our story as church – a church that is evolving, expressing and inspiring every day.
How are icons different from images? In Icons: One Thousand Painted Prayers, Jemonde Taylor delves into the world of spiritual iconography and explains how powerfully expressive icons can be in revealing the divine to us and in us.
What does church look like when the communications ministry is viewed as an investment and not an expense? In The Heart of Church is Mission, Edgar Giraldo shares ways the Diocese of Puerto Rico uses communications as a way to further mission. This article is available in English and Spanish.
As we meet more and more in digital spaces, how are we expressing ourselves on social media? In Be Weird, Be True, David Peters encourages us to embrace the vulnerable, weird and joyful parts of our personality as we share our story with the world.
In times of fear and uncertainty, the church is our unchanging foundation. In What Happens When Soccer Practice Comes Back? Pickett Wall ponders how we will continue to be community and share our stories when this season of crisis ends.
ECF continues to provide helpful resources during this challenging time. Click here for curated COVID-19 resources on prayer, worship, online giving, finance and much more. We are also producing several webinars on topics such as Servant Leadership in a Time of Crisis, Dangerous Shortcuts – Keeping Church Finances on a Safe Path and Future-Focusing Your Church Finances.
As we begin to plan more resources for the coming days, we want to hear from you about what your needs are and how we can help. To guide ECF’s strategic direction going forward, please help us by participating in this short survey.
If you need a specific resource or have a question or concern, please send us an email. We are here to support you. The Vital Practices team continues to hold you all in prayer.
Stay well.
Faithfully,
Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP