Eight congregations in the Spokane Diocese received hands-on leadership training at the OFM Training Seminar in January

One of the great things about the Spokane Diocese is the wide variety of gifts, talents, and abilities each congregation contributes to their communities and the diocese. Each of the eight congregations taking part in the Spokane Diocese’s newest initiative, Organizing for Mission (OFM) brings its unique character to their involvement in the program. As Lent begins, and OFM teams kick off their fundraising campaigns, we speak to Tracey Waring, OFM Communications Coordinator, about what makes each congregation special.

• All Saint’s Church, Richland, Washington
“They are actively involved in outreach in their community,” says Waring. She says that a diverse local community, and leadership ability in the congregation caught the eyes of the OFM diocesan team. “We knew they would have a heart for OFM,” she says.

• Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Spokane Valley, Washington
“Even though they currently have an interim priest,” Waring says, “they continued a very strong outreach to their community.” Waring says that OFM was a great opportunity to build up leadership skills within their congregation — one of the overarching goals of OFM training. “What we hope is that OFM can identify potential new leaders within every congregation,” she says.

• St. Luke’s Church, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Waring says that St. Luke’s, highly active in their community with hunger and homelessness relief, is using OFM as a unique opportunity to reflect on their outreach ministries and see what can be done differently. “Their involvement with OFM is not only how they can be active in their community, but, how can they do it better than before?”

• St. Andrew’s Church, Spokane, Washington
“I’m a little biased to St. Andrews!” says Waring, who worships there regularly. Waring says that through OFM, St. Andrews is coming face to face with the victims of poverty, and that drives home the point: “We are all, in poverty or not, somebody to God.” Waring says that once someone can put a human face on poverty, “It will make someone ask, do I have a couple hours a week to devote to serving a meal to someone who is hungry? To devote to spending time with them?”

Come back soon for Part 2! You can learn more about OFM by visiting the OFM page.