The Organizing for Mission (OFM) project is a joint endeavor with The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (E4GR), and the Episcopal Church Foundation.
The Organizing for Mission project in the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, which was announced to the diocese on July 15, 2010, is the first fruit of Bishop Jim Waggoner’s sabbatical work to re-vision the primary identity and purpose of ‘the diocese’ — asking not just what we do and how we do it? but, more fundamentally, why do we do what we do?
We recognize that, like any relationship, our relationship together in the Diocese of Spokane requires regular renewal and hard work. To that end, Bishop Waggoner imagines the Organizing for Mission project to be a shared endeavor in which our relationships with one another are verified and deployed on behalf of a hungry and hurting world — recognizing that we can do far more together than we could ever do apart.
The OFM Story
As the Lenten campaign approaches, we will be featuring weekly stories and videos about all aspects of OFM. You can read the stories, as they are available, at the following links:
What is OFM?
The Living Story
Sharing the Stories, Part 1
Putting a Face on Hunger
Editorial: The Stories that Make a Difference
The Congregations, Part 1
The Congregations, Part 2
El Hogar, Filling Bellies and Feeding Minds
Sharing the Stories, Part 2
Empowering People to Take Leadership
More coming soon…
The Goal
To engage Episcopalians in the Diocese of Spokane in a 2011 Lenten mission initiative to address the real human need of hunger, by committing 0.7% of their income to local and global hunger ministries.
The Means
- Members of the OFM planning team will solicit 6-10 congregations to participate in the 2011 Lenten initiative.
- Participating congregations commit to recruit and send teams of five to a January 2011 mission organizing training.
- Participating congregations will be recognized and prayed for at our October 2010 diocesan convention.
- Members of the OFM planning team will coach congregational teams through planning and implementation.
The Ends
- Participating congregations will increase the strength and number of effective lay leaders.
- All pledges are divided 50/50 between a local hunger initiative of the congregation’s choosing and one global hunger initiative through Episcopal Relief & Development chosen by the OFM planning team — El Hogar Ministries in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
- Lay and clergy leaders from across the diocese will benefit from networking and sharing in this hard work together.
- We will see that, indeed, we truly can do more together than we could ever do apart.
Get connected!
To find out more about the Organizing for Mission project, please contact the Rev. Paul Lebens-Englund at 509.263.7793 or paull@spokanediocese.org.
You can also follow us on Facebook at ‘Organizing for Mission — DioSpokane.’