In this blog Katie Mears, Director of our US Disaster Preparedness and Response Program, reiterates the importance of disaster preparedness and shares some tips on how to create your...

In my work as Communications Officer for Episcopal Relief & Development, I get to talk to a lot of wonderful people in congregations across the country about the ways they engage with our mission of...

In mid-October, I traveled with Katie Mears, our Program Manager for US Disaster Preparedness and Response, to the town of West Pittston, Pennsylvania.  West Pittston had suffered severe flooding...

We face a difficult and cold weekend here in the Tri-State area. The initial devastation of Hurricane Sandy has been shocking.  Now, however, we are entering a slow-motion disaster as much of...

This guest post is adapted from an article by the Rev. John Major, Rector, and Janine Ungvarsky, FLOODCare Coordinator, of Trinity Episcopal Church (West Pittston, Pennsylvania). Father John is...

At the invitation of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, we visited the area affected by the March 2, 2012 tornados, rated EF-4 (second most destructive). This storm left a swath of death...

This week, a group of Episcopal Church leaders and lay members have been on a study tour in Ghana, West Africa, to visit Episcopal Relief & Development field partners and programs. Some of...

In a great land, prior to an extended clergy retreat, a diocesan disaster manager called together her three regional coordinators and imparted to them her wisdom. She entrusted the three of them with...

“In times like these we all need to keep moving.”  - Mr. PompeeMr. Pompee, age 72, was one of 66 individuals employed in an Episcopal Relief & Development–supported employment project in the urban...

By the time you read this blog post, Advent will be long gone. All of the waiting and preparation is completed: the gifts wrapped and unwrapped, Christmas pageants rehearsed and performed,...

They spoke of losing family members during the long civil war. They shared their experiences of surviving the 2004 tsunami. They articulated their responses to the recent severe flooding. But most of...

This guest post by Anne Ditzler, Senior Program Director at the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF), is reposted with permission from the ECF Vital Practices blog.Two nights ago I arrived home to...

I hope that folks are now used to hearing about disaster preparedness—the billboards, the ads on TV. “Make a kit, have a plan, be informed.” I worry sometimes, though, that we’re forgetting why we do...

In my new position as Assistant Priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal, I was surprised and delighted to find that people found my triathlon hobby charming. I had already signed up for Nation’s, and...

The Rev. Betsy Tesi is Assistant Priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Eugene, Oregon. Formerly based on the East Coast, she was a member of the Diocese of Connecticut disaster response...

     ✓  Watching the news for weather updates?  Check.     ✓  Providing everyone with information on how to safely shelter in place?  Check.     ✓  Updating the phone/e-mail list to facilitate...

When I was a member of St. Matthew’s Parish Life Guild (PLG) in the 1990s, our mission was a concerted effort of outreach. Through our fundraising efforts, we were able to contribute financially...

In the weeks that have passed since the Annual Meeting of the Episcopal Relief & Development Network of volunteers, I have been reflecting on my experience there and as part of this inspiring group....

A certain family of five lived in the land of the rising sun, where there was a big flood.  One member of the family died, leaving the family with just four.  The surviving members were grieved and...

As we near the dawn of the Advent season in the Christian calendar, a parallel season of preparation consumes the Church in Sudan.  On January 9, 2011, the people of South Sudan are set to vote on...