October - 2017

Innovation for the Future Church

A Table in the Wilderness

The institutional church sometimes falls into the trap of viewing the world dualistically. We see the sacred as being limited to the geographical, religious, and cultural bounds of the local faith community and we see the outside world as a godless wilderness. This inward focus is antithetical to mission and makes it difficult for people on the outside to understand what the church is doing and why we are doing it. I believe that God calls the church to live in the world diff

Caring for Souls by Curating Sacred Space

Caring for Souls by Curating Sacred Space

It was my first week of seminary when I heard that peculiar word “curate,” while listening to a group of students chat about their futures. Standing there, I learned that the noun “curate” is a traditional title for a parish priest, and comes from the Latin word cura, which means care. It signifies that the priest is invested with the care of souls. Ordained for 5 years, this definition rings truer now than it did on that burnt patch of July Texas grass in 2012. Yet, it is n

Cuidando de las almas mediante la cura de un espacio sagrado

Cuidando de las almas mediante la cura de un espacio sagrado

Era la primera semana de seminario cuando escuché la curiosa palabra "curar", mientras escuchaba a un grupo de estudiantes platicar de sus futuros. Estando allí aprendí que el sustantivo "cura" es un nombramiento tradicional para el párroco de una iglesia, y viene de la palabra en Latín cura, que significa cuidar. Esto implica que el padre se involucra en el cuidado de las almas. Ya con un ordenamiento de 5 años, esta definición ahora resuena con aún más veracidad de lo que s

The Austin SoCo Community

The Austin SoCo Community

The idea for the SoCo Episcopal Community started in 2014 in response to a question; “What kind of faith community would be attractive to people who live in the neighborhoods around South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas?” I started having individual meetings with a lot of neighborhood folks and started asking that question over and over again. At the end of every 30-minute meeting, I always asked, “who else should I be talking with?” What I found out was that only 3 of th

La Comunicad SoCo de Austin

La Comunicad SoCo de Austin

La idea de la Comunicad Episcopal SoCo tuvo sus inicios en el 2014 como respuesta a una pregunta; ¿Qué tipo de comunidad de fe sería atractiva para la gente que vive en los vecindarios aledaños a South Congress Av. en Austin, Texas? Comencé a tener reuniones individuales con bastantes miembros de la comunidad y empecé a hacerme la pregunta una y otra vez. Al cabo de cada reunión de 30 minutos, siempre me preguntaba, ¿con quién más deberé estar hablando? Lo que encontré fue q

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