We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! The Office of Government Relations anticipates a busy year ahead with expansive legislative and policy priorities, our church’s own General Convention, and upcoming midterm elections later in the year.

In preparation, we want to open 2018 with a message about opportunities for you to get more involved not only with policy advocacy, but in other areas of the church as well, as we move forward in the Jesus movement.

Get engaged… with policy advocacy and the Episcopal Public Policy Network.

We are excited to be rolling out new resources and opportunities for you to get educated, equipped, and engaged in the ministry of policy advocacy.

First, stay tuned for our upcoming curriculum on Civil Discourse being released as a series during Lent. We’re crafting a five-week curriculum to guide you in discussions about politics, policy, and legislation, all while strengthening our relationships with one another. Later in the year, we’ll release even more in-depth educational tools on other aspects of advocacy.

Second, throughout the year we will be expanding our outreach around the church through additional presentations on policy advocacy and the issues that matter to you-be in touch for more information about presentation possibilities and other ways to get involved beyond the action alerts! This includes the Lansing Lee Conference at Kanuga on “Civil Discourse in America”-register here now!

Finally, if you are going to General Convention, stop by our booth in the exhibit hall to meet our staff and learn more about our work-we’ll be in the same space with Episcopal Migration Ministries. We’re also partnering with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture for our booth and side-events to raise awareness around solitary confinement, a critical criminal justice issue.

Get engaged… with other amazing ministries of The Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church has a broad array of opportunities for education and engagement that aim to help us live out the Jesus Movement in our lives, extending loving, liberating and live-giving ministry to those in need. Here are just a few ways you can get more involved, including some amazing initiatives facilitated by the Presiding Bishop’s staff.

Jubilee and Domestic Poverty Ministries

Join in community with the Episcopal Church’s Jubilee and Domestic Poverty ministries. Individuals or groups are invited to this community of “ministry and joint discipleship in Christ with poor and oppressed people.” Sign up here to join our mailing list.

Episcopal Migration Ministries

Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), the refugee resettlement and welcome ministry of The Episcopal Church, offers refugees safety, hope, and a welcoming place to start over. Learn how you can join in the ministry of welcome; sign up for EMM’s e-newsletter by entering your email at the bottom of their home page. Support EMM’s ministry financially at this critical time with a tax-deductible gift.

Young Adult Service Corps

YASC is a ministry for young adults, between the ages of 21 and 30, interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the Anglican Communion. YASC brings young adults into the life of the Communion and into the daily work of a local community. At the same time, it brings the gifts and resources of the church into the lives of young adults as they explore their own faith journeys. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 12TH

Episcopal Volunteers in Mission

Open to Episcopalians ages 30+, Episcopal Volunteers in Mission invites you to build relationships, share your gifts and skills, listen to and learn from partners around the world, and be open to the personal transformation that comes from meeting God in new ways. Missionaries are lay and ordained, young and old. They serve as teachers, accountants, doctors, administrators, theologians, agriculturalists, chaplains, and much more.

Episcopal Relief and Development

Episcopal Relief and Development is an international relief and development agency and a compassionate response to human suffering on behalf of The Episcopal Church. Our work to heal a hurting world is guided by the principles of compassion, dignity and generosity. They have a plethora of news updates you can subscribe to here. You can also donate to support the work of Episcopal Relief & Development here.

Office of Development

The Office of Development of the Episcopal Church identifies, cultivates and solicits prospective donors to support the ministry of The Episcopal Church. The vision of the Office of Development is a Church whose ministries and programs are fully funded and growing. To learn more, visit their webpage.

United Thank Offering

The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal, daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion. Sign up for their newsletter to receive more updates.

There’s more…

Visit the Ministries page of the church website to explore other offices of the church and opportunities for engagement.