Webinars

On Thursday, February 11, 2021, the US Disaster Program at Episcopal Relief & Development held space for a conversation about the COVID-19 vaccines and the role of church leaders in spreading truthful information and amplifying the voices of health professionals.

On Thursday, December 10, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development US Disaster Program staff joined in conversation with the Rev. Glenna Huber, the Rev. Ed Gomez, Kathy Wilder and the Rev. Lois Maberry for a ministry check-in. Each guest shared about challenges brought about by COVID-19, complicating their work with unhoused people, undocumented people and other vulnerable groups. Listen in to this candid discussion and learn from faith leaders who share about their own self-care measures.

This summer, Program Officer Lura Steele sat down for a conversation with the Rev. Patty Baker and Dr. Lisa Ozaeta from St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in Snoqualmie, Washington. Patty and Lisa have been working from their small church to fight food insecurity created by COVID-19. To date, the women have provided over a quarter of a million pounds of food to families and individuals, younger and older, who passed by their small church, many having never heard of them before. Listen and learn how they pulled off such a great feat.

On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development Program Officer Tamara Plummer hosted a casual conversation with one of the organization’s Partners in Response and Resilience and renowned public health official Dr. Cathy Slemp, who most recently served as the State Health Officer for West Virginia. During the interview, Cathy touches on topics such as empathy, mask wearing and shares words of wisdom for the Church.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development Program Officer Tamara Plummer hosted a conversation with Molly Carr, Pastor and Executive Chef for Abundant Harvest Kitchen in Houston, Texas. Listen in as Tamara and Molly discuss how COVID-19 has affected the ministry in terms of need, managing volunteers, disaster preparedness and more.

On Friday, June 12, 2020 Episcopal Relief & Development US Disaster Program staff hosted a session to address questions concerning community resilience and racial reconciliation, disaster preparedness, reopening, a potential second wave and much more.

On Friday, April 24, 2020, we explored the magnitude of grief related to the new coronavirus, with a specific focus on caregivers, including healthcare workers and those caring for children, elders or family members along with the Rev. Dr. Ellen Richardson, author of Holy Dying and the Rev. Deacon Mary Alice Jones from the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. Our discussion went beyond normal self-care conversations to explore the theological, spiritual and practical concerns of those who are grieving while caring for others.

On Friday, May 1, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development invited Lariza Garzon, Executive Director for the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in North Carolina and Marisol Delgado, licensed counselor for the Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program in Houston, Texas to engage in a conversation around the inequalities immigrants face during the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen below to the recorded conversation!

On May 15, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development virtually sat down with the Rev. Glenna Huber, rector for the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C., Aaron Scott, organizer for Chaplains on the Harbor in Grays Harbor, Washington and the Rev. Kim Jackson, vicar for the Church of the Common Ground in Atlanta, GA to discuss how their ministries in different regions of the US with homeless people has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen in as they describe how things have changed and what is still the same.

On May 22, 2020, the Rev. Patty Baker, rector for St. Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church in Snoqualmie, Washington and the Venerable Roger Saterstrom, archdeacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee joined us to talk about their on-the-ground experience in disaster response. Listen to the recording and download resources and tools that will help you plan for a potential disaster and respond to the most vulnerable people in your communities.

On March 20, 2020, Episcopal Relief & Development gathered experts to discuss social distancing and quarantine, the life-saving measures that reduce the impacts of COVID-19. Listen, as the Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White and Bishop Chilton Knudsen discuss family/partner violence, substance use and mental health as they relate to the current pandemic.

El viernes 29 de mayo 2020 la Rev. Ana Méndez, directora del Programa REDES en Puerto Rico, el Rev. Ed Gómez, vicario de San Pablo en Houston, TX, y el padre José Rodríguez, rector de la Iglesia Episcopal Jesús de Nazaret en Orlando, FL hablan sobre sus experiencias prácticas en responder a desastres.

On Friday, May 8, 2020, Dorothy Linthicum, Catechist for the “Baptized for Life” initiative at Virginia Theological Seminary and The Rev. Victor J. Thomas, Rector at St. James Episcopal Church, Houston, TX reminded us of how vulnerable and resilient our elder communities are during this pandemic and provided tangible ways that we can help provide support.

On March 27, 2020 Episcopal Relief & Development hosted a conversation between Keith Adams, Executive Director for NJ VOAD and a Partner in Response and Resilience for Episcopal Relief & Development, Kevin Smith from DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, Lesli Remaly-Netter from FEMA Region IV VAL, and Jack Cobb from The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations about utilizing governmental and non-governmental resources to support congregations and other non-profit institutions. Listen below. Check out the SBA Faith-based FAQ sheet.

On April 3, 2020, the Rev. Stacy Stringer, Director for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program and Deacon Elaine Clements, Episcopal Relief & Development Partner in Response and Resilience shared ways individual and collective gifts within the Church can meet the needs created by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

On March 13, 2020, we invited some friends to talk about how COVID-19 was affecting the communities they minister to. Aaron Scott, Chaplain and Organizer for Chaplains on the Harbor in the Grays Harbor, WA area and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Ni, Associate for Chinese Ministry for The Church of Our Savior in the Los Angeles, CA area provided us with a wealth of information and tips.

On Friday April 17, 2020, Suzanne Hollifield, Volunteer Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program and Anthony Suggs, Missioner for Advocacy & Social Justice in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado shared examples of ways churches can help individuals access benefits.