Top (from left): The Rev. Tom Brackett • The Rev. Michael Michie • The Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner • The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers • The Rev. Zack Nyein • Bishop George Sumner, Jr. • The Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers Bottom (from left): The Rev. Canon Frank Logue • The Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer • The Rev. Jane Gerdsen • Erendira Jimenez-Pike • The Rev. Canon Jesús Reyes • The Rev. Alex Montes Vela • The Rev. David Perkins Not pictured: The Rev. Canon Tanya Wallace, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings |
Adapted from the Office of Public Affairs
The General Convention Advisory Group on Church Planting has announced a series of initiatives.
The advisory group was established through Resolution D005 of the 78th General Convention in July, which called for creating “a church-wide network for planting congregations, training and recruiting planters; and establishing new congregations each triennium” (see full text).
The advisory group is working closely with Latino Ministries to support and develop new Spanish-speaking and bilingual congregations. The group has been charged with distributing further funding for Missional Enterprise Zones.
“We are building a new community,” said the Rev. Zack Nyein, a member of the advisory group. “We are developing a community of church planters and those interested in the work of church planting.”
Information on the Church Planting initiative is here.
The advisory group has announced a design contest for a new logo to depict church planting for the Episcopal Church.
“We invite artists and dreamers from throughout the Episcopal Church to participate in the visioning process,” Erendira Jimenez-Pike said. “A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the most inspiring title and logo for a renewed church planting movement across the church.”
Submission instructions and image specifics are here. Deadline is May 1. For more information, contact churchplantingcontest@episcopalchurch.org.
Members of the Advisory Group and their dioceses are:
- The Rev. Jane Gerdsen, chairwoman, Southern Ohio
- The Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer, Newark
- Erendira Jimenez-Pike, Kentucky
- The Rev. Michael Michie, Dallas
- The Rev. Alex Montes Vela, Texas
- The Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers, Alabama
- The Rev. Zachary Nyein, East Tennessee
- The Rev. David Perkins, Lexington
- The Rev. Canon Jesús Reyes, El Camino Real
- Bishop George Sumner, Jr., Dallas
- The Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner, Fort Worth
- The Rev. Canon Frank Logue of Georgia and the Rev. Canon Tanya Wallace of Western Massachusetts are liaisons from Executive Council
- Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, are ex officio members
- The Rev. Tom Brackett, staff liaison
- The Rev. Stephanie Spellers, staff consultant
