Spiritual Wellbeing: November 2020 Vestry Papers
Dear Friends,
With the holidays around the corner, the pandemic still unfolding and divisive tensions around election results, I just want to ask – how are you? If you feel exhausted, stressed out and overwhelmed, please know that you are not alone. This has been a very difficult year, to say the least. I’d like to remind us all to look after ourselves, particularly as we go into traditional times for family gatherings that will look very different this year. In this issue, we bring you ways to prioritize your mental and spiritual health, sharing ideas from our community that can help heal and sustain us and our loved ones in this unusual time.
How can we hold the Christ light for those in despair? In Holding the Christ Light in the Darkness of Sorrow, Pam Piedfort and Jennifer Sassin describe the ways Benedictine practices and the work of Community of Hope help us to be present for ourselves and others in difficult times like these.
Many among us are comfortable caring for others, but find it challenging to prioritize ourselves, and in particular, our spiritual health. In Self-care in a Pandemic, Sandra Montes asks a group young people, her friends and family, to share how they’re practicing self-care during this time and what they are doing to stay motivated and healthy. This article is available in English and Spanish.
How weary do you feel in this moment? This week? This year? In God of Our Weary Years: 2020, Nicole Foster shares passages from scripture that help us remember that God never fails us, even in the hardest of times.
What are some simple and practical ways we can look after ourselves during the holidays this year? In Ten Ideas to See You Through the Season, Miriam McKenney, with the help of her daughters, lists ideas that will lift you up this season.
The much-anticipated Community of Hope International webinar, “Dealing with Loss and Grief in the Midst of a Pandemic,” is in sight. Produced in collaboration with the Episcopal Church Foundation, the webinar features Rebecca Roesch, LICSW and Resilient Scholars Project Director at The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing; Rev. Laura Masterson, Associate Rector for Outreach & Welcome at Christ Church Cathedral; and the Rev. Dr. Lynn Ronaldi, Rector, Pohick Episcopal Church, all three COHI chaplains and distinguished professionals. They will discuss the challenges we will face in the 2020 holiday season and possible interventions through science, faith, and Benedictine Spirituality. Register here.
To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.
Faithfully,
Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP