Sarah Nolan is Director and Lay Chaplain of The Abundant Table, an Episcopal ministry in Ventura County, CA, focused on creating sustainable relationships with land and community rooted in personal and communal faith traditions. “This project represents my commitment to be an active agent, supporting the greater development of land based ministry and responsible Christian formation,” remarked Sarah. The Abundant Table nurtures a house church, a campus ministry, a community supported agriculture program, farm to faith transformational journeys, and farm to school educational opportunities.
Sarah hopes to foster support for individuals and congregations engaged in, or interested in engaging in, land based ministry by creating a network of similar ministries within the Episcopal Church and other faith communities; developing practical curriculum to support congregations and communities; creating a list of resources; and identifying ways for local congregations and community organizations to support existing opportunities or to develop their own. This will range from access to Bible/book study material, multi-media, and conferences, to information on starting an internship, supporting the development of a local garden, or initiating a small congregation based micro-enterprise.
In September 2013, as part of her Fellowship, Sarah led an ECF Webinar entitled "Homegrown Communion: Faith, Land and Neighbor."
Kyle Pedersen is Deacon for New Haven, CT, and Director of the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation. Kyle’s project, The Seven, is a part-time, non-residential program for young adults (18-30 years old) that he launched in 2011 with the Association for Episcopal Deacons. This spiritual and educational exploration program engages participants in hands-on work and reflection in their communities, while helping them discern their own vocations in mentored relationships with Episcopal deacons.
Kyle observes, “We know that young adults are exploring and experimenting with a variety of commitments (relationships, education, work, faith) while learning and acquiring new skills, abilities and insights. They may observe more fluid or permeable boundaries between different groups, different social and political expressions, and different religious or cultural practices. They may be filled with a spirit that gives them a unique agility when it comes to engaging the intermediary and interpretive space between the world and the church.”
Kyle was ordained a deacon at age 37. Now at 46 he feels more like the prodigal father than the son. “I want to give away new models of hands on, integrated theological education and vocational discernment that will equip young women and men for leadership in the church and the world. And I want to be there to welcome them as authentic, engaged and humble leaders in whatever vocations or careers they pursue.”
The Rev. Will Scott is an Episcopal priest with over a decade of experience working in multicultural and interfaith contexts on both coasts. In 2007 as Associate Pastor at Grace Cathedral, Will co-founded Dinner with Grace a collaborative ministry of the cathedral, Episcopal Community Services, and residents of the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Will’s leadership at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church from 2009-2012 inspired greater neighborhood engagement, youth and arts programming, water conservation, energy efficiency, and numerous collaborative partnerships. Since 2014, Will has served as Program Director for California Interfaith Power & Light, a statewide network of more than 650 congregations committed to addressing climate change as a moral issue. He is a graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and holds a M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. He became an Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow in 2012.
In January 2013, as part of his Fellowship, Will led a two-part ECF webinar entitled "Becoming Local," part 1 and part 2.
Joseph Wolyniak is a doctoral candidate in theology at the University of Oxford, where he is writing his dissertation on the thought, legacy, and ongoing relevance of Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) to discussions at the nexus of science, technology, ethics, and faith.
Joseph is an aspirant for ordination to the priesthood in the Diocese of North Carolina, and novice in the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis (Province of the Americas). He is also co-founding missioner of the Community of the Franciscan Way (Raleigh-Durham, NC), an emergent Episcopal Christian Community in the Catholic Worker tradition. “Through my academic research, involvement with academic and ecclesial organizations, and emergent missional efforts, I hope – in 'word and deed’ – to encourage and nourish the church’s faithful engagement with science and technology,” he noted.
Joseph is currently a consultant to the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee for Science, Technology, and Faith and hopes to begin a triennial term with the committee following the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. With the Rev. Dr. Andrew Davison (Westcott House, University of Cambridge), he is currently editing two forthcoming collections that seek to strengthen the bond between academic theology and parish ministry.
In June 2014, as part of his Fellowship, Joseph led an ECF webinar entitled "Engaging Science, Technology & Faith."