NEWS
Here’s where you’ll find good news stories about how we–as a diocese, as parishes, and as individuals–are drawing people to Jesus and embodying His love for the world by growing our skills as leaders, deepening our faith, and striving for justice.
Church Planting: Community Presence, Connection and Sharing the Good News
Our vision is to be a diocese that draws on the gifts of all God’s people to serve Christ together and live Jesus’ Way of Love. One path we’re exploring to make this vision a vital reality is the development of new faith communities – otherwise known as church planting. In August the Diocese of Washington hired the Rev. Rondesia Jarrett-Schell to lead our efforts in Bowie, Maryland, the first location we identified to begin this deeply hopeful and exciting work.
Food Should Not Be an Either/Or Proposition
For many migrants, food is not a given. That harsh realization during the pandemic was the catalyst for the creation of Food Justice DMV (FJDMV). It began when an immigrant seeking asylum spent money to pay for transportation to an ICE check-in that could have been used for his family’s food.
Vital Signs of Parish Health: Path of Discipleship
In speaking about practices of faith, Bishop Mariann has said, “…the life of faith is never static, there is always a next faithful step.” We are capable of – and called to – growing as Christian disciples by deepening our relationship with God, our neighbors and ourselves. This growth may be referred to as a path of discipleship.
Inspiring and Equipping: Next Faithful Steps for the School for Christian Faith and Leadership
My excitement about being the new director of the School comes out of my own experience as a parish priest over the past 25 years. I understand that the work of the local congregation is hard and multi-faceted. I also know the absolute joy that comes when we manage to meet God’s people where they are.
God’s Promise: A Rainbow of Rebirth at Trinity Mission, Upper Marlboro
On a beautiful, late summer, one of the children at our biweekly Friday evening enrichment program was playing outside our church café with her peers, and she looked up to see a magnificent rainbow spanning the skies over Upper Marlboro. In that moment she pointed and exclaimed: God’s promise! That is what this story is about: God’s promise.
Updates on the Situation in Israel and Palestine
In addition to our diocesan communications about the unfolding situation in Israel and Palestine, we share here information pulled together by the communications team of the Presiding Bishop’s office and other news outlets. We will continue to post updates as they become available.
Using MissionInsite to Grow Parish Vitality
In the Tending Our Soil Thriving Congregation Initiative, one of the tools that congregations have found most useful is called MissionInsite. MissionInsite is a “cloud-based technology platform that bridges the gap between data and decisionable information by answering the ‘where’ and ‘what about’ questions in your [church] and community.” MissionInsite provides data such as population demographics, economic details, sociological insights, and more, to help you better understand your community.
5 Resources for a Meaningful Advent
Advent, the four week period preceding Christmas, is a time for Christians to draw near to God in Christ as they remember his birth and await his second coming. Preparations sometimes include special practices, like time set aside for prayer, reading of scripture, and devotions. As you prepare for Christmas, consider trying an Advent practice that complements your already busy life.
Next Faithful Steps: Episcopal Campus Ministry
The June 2023 article Rooted In Purpose: Reimagining Episcopal Campus Ministry, explored how campus ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington is in a period of flux. Campus ministry no longer rests on the shoulders of an individual college chaplain. Parishes and worshiping communities geographically close to college campuses have sought to fill the gap and minister to their university neighbors.
How Church of the Atonement Seeks to Bless Their Community
Our Parish Vital Signs series continues with this article from Patricia Warr-Marshall, a parishioner at Church of the Atonement, DC, who shares the various ways the parish seeks to bless their community through community engagement, partnerships and direct services – all stemming from a deep and fluid understanding of community needs. The Episcopal Church of the Atonement, located in Ward 7 of Washington, D.C. is an integral part of the Capitol View Community and has been for over 109 years. Sustaining a church for over a century has created a beloved and synergistic relationship with the surrounding community.