of adult formation and youth ministries at St.
Paul’s, Richmond; and Susan Buchanan, rector
of St.Thomas’, Richmond.The group grew to
include other clergy and lay contributors, as
well as diocesan staff.
Since no individual parish had enough
moms to create a strong group, it became
clear that an inter-parish group, based in The
Episcopal Church but open to any members of
the community, would be the most effective.
The absence of one church “home” created
challenges, as there wasn’t a single source of
fiscal and administrative support or childcare.
So the steering committee had to get creative
and reach out to a variety of sources. The
Diocese served as the hub of EPIC’s finances,
facilitating the compensation of qualified
childcare workers, who were recruited from
a number of church nurseries within and
outside the Diocese.
Funding came from registration fees
paid by EPIC members, from the Diocese
and from local churches, including St.
Paul’s, St. Stephen’s and St. John’s, all in
Richmond. While logistics occasionally got
complicated, this diocesan approach created
an opportunity for parishes across the
Richmond area to contribute to the spiritual
growth of local moms.
Burt,Workman and Robertson planned
crafts, contacted speakers, got the word out
and recruited childcare workers.The group
bega