Episode 4: Gideon Tsang on taking risks, failing and starting again
In this episode of “Can These Bones,” co-host Laura Everett talks with Gideon Tsang, pastor and teacher at Vox Veniae in Austin, Texas, about the challenges of a new church plant.
Missions & Evangelism
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The Rev. Jes Kast leads worship at A Taste of Heaven at West End Collegiate Church. Photos by Whitney Kidder
Soup kitchen-turned-worship service, A Taste of Heaven is a model of ministry 'with' rather than 'to'
On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a church-run soup kitchen has become ‘A Taste of Heaven,’ with its own innovative worship service and a celebratory meal. It’s what outreach can be when the church listens to those it is trying to reach.
Crucifer Marva Davenport is one of many St. Cyprian's members who tutor in the church's after-school literacy program. Photo courtesy of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church
Caleb Tabor: Church-nonprofit partnership proves a godsend for struggling outreach ministry
A priest and his congregation reached out to the community to help save their popular after-school literacy program.
The Rev. Canon Robert Two Bulls at All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos by Matt Blewett/Matte B Photography
First Nations Kitchen serves ancestral foods to the Native American community
Instead of serving cheap, easy food in its community kitchen, All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission in Minneapolis honors its guests with dignified dinner service and fresh, organic traditional dishes such as buffalo, wild rice and elk.
The Flint water crisis began about three years ago, and it will be years more before all public water lines are replaced. iStock / Linda Parton
Nathan Kirkpatrick: Sustaining attention after a crisis, when fatigue sets in
Christian leaders must press their communities to address needs long after a health emergency, a natural disaster, a mass shooting -- even when others have moved on, writes a managing director at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Signs representing the number of opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts last year were displayed at the "No Shame, Erasing the Stigma" rally on the Town Common in Wrentham, Massachusetts, in October. The rally, organized by Trinity Episcopal Church in Wrentham, was held to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic. Photos by Daniel Holmes
A small rural church is bringing together people affected by the opioid epidemic
The congregation organized a campaign to distribute signs with #2069 -- representing the number of opioid deaths in Massachusetts last year. This simple strategy has had a powerful impact on people struggling with the epidemic.
Illustration by Claire Doyle Ragin
Matt Overton: Should your social enterprise be for-profit, nonprofit or a hybrid?
A pastor who runs two social enterprises shares his experience on the pros and cons of different models and the tensions inherent in this form of ministry.
The Revs. Zac Koons (center) and David Peters lead veterans in prayer at an Episcopal Veterans Fellowship healing service. Photos by Brian Diggs
Ministry helps struggling veterans heal from the wounds of war
Drawing on ancient religious practices and the latest research on “moral injury,” the Episcopal Veterans Fellowship is building a community of healing and reconciliation for military veterans.
Ezra Brewster emerges out of the baptismal waters at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He is flanked by his father, Jed, on the left, and the Rev. Matthew Robbins-Ghormley, right. Photo by Rachel Boisen
How serving its community transformed a dwindling church
Through a modest tutoring program, a congregation discovered its calling in mission to the community. And then it started to grow.
Five religions are officially recognized in China, including the traditional religions of Taoism and Buddhism. Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson: The return of religion in China
All but destroyed during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, religious life -- including Christianity -- is once again on the rise in China, says the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘The Souls of China.’