Pastoral Care to Refugees in the Arab World

Thursday, October 4, 2018

by Dr. Caroline Caroson, Seminarian, The University of the South I received a UTO grant in January 2018 for my proposal “Pastoral Care to Refugees in the Arab World” and for work in the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. This was a terrific...

St. Luke’s Seeking and Serving Christ

Thursday, October 4, 2018

by Lisa Lee, Co-chair of the Mission and Outreach Committee, and the Rev. Bryan Owens, Rector, St. Luke’s, Baton Rouge This year the parish church of St. Luke in Baton Rouge is responding to God’s call to more regularly and intentionally reach out into the community...

St. Alban’s Legacy Campaign: Open Doors. Every Day. For Everybody

Thursday, October 4, 2018

by the Rev. Drew Rollins, Chaplain, St. Alban’s Chapel, Baton Rouge St. Alban’s Chapel is a mission-driven ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana that provides a place of refuge, hospitality, and worship for the students, faculty, staff, and wider...

Why Reinvent the Wheel?

Thursday, October 4, 2018

by the Rev. Rob Courtney, Rector, St. Paul’s, New Orleans   “We need to have our own ministry.” I heard these words a lot in the wake of closing our St. Paul’s Homecoming Center in 2015. The Homecoming Center was the ministry our church formed in response...

Will You Respect the Dignity of Every Human Being?

Thursday, October 4, 2018

I get looped in from time to time on topics that seem over the top. For example, I was copied on a long string of emails regarding the placement of the flag in the nave of a church. The writers of these emails had various stances on the flag, whether it should be in...

Forward Day By Day – October 4, 2018

Thursday, October 4, 2018

For the ancient Israelites, expressing love for God is the top priority of their personal and public lives. The laws, including those about offerings and sacrifices, form the basis for expressing love for God. But the Israelites begin to worship other gods while...

Forward Day By Day – October 3, 2018

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

As in our own context, tax collectors in ancient Judea get no respect. Seen as traitors, tax collectors in Jesus’ context—especially those who are Jews—are working for the Romans. Their communities feel that they are collaborating with the Roman occupation. The...

Forward Day By Day – October 2, 2018

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

As I write this reflection, our nation is roiled and riven by contentious debate over certain Civil War-era statues in public parks and government offices. Some feel the statues should be destroyed and consigned to the scrap heaps of history. Others would like to see...

Forward Day By Day – October 1, 2018

Monday, October 1, 2018

Paul has just told the elders in Ephesus that he is “captive to the spirit” and has no idea what will happen to him once he arrives in Jerusalem. Further, Paul said that he does not value his own life: He only wants to testify to the good news of God in Christ. I...

Forward Day By Day – September 30, 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2018

In college, I heard about people joining Christian accountability groups. I later found out that some of these groups were really friends self-reporting their sinful behaviors—swearing, drinking, sex and lustful thoughts—but without an accountability or expectation of...