Call to Action
In July 2015, Bishop C. Andrew Doyle invited churches to join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in completing their individual church profiles on Episcopal Relief and Development’s nationwide asset map for The Episcopal Church.
EHF partnered with the Diocese to spread the word about the map and we’re excited about the responses we’ve received from churches throughout the Diocese. A coordinated effort to reach out to churches using Facebook, Dialog ads, email blasts, personal emails and phone calls yielded submissions and updates from 114 of 153 churches.
We’re thankful for all the churches that have participated so far. The launch and population of the map could not have been successful without your support and cooperation.
Now that the Asset Map is sufficiently populated, we invite you to explore the map to discover what churches are doing in your area, across the Diocese, and throughout the nation.
Check out a few examples below of up-to-date profiles that indicate what churches in Texas are doing:
How to Use the Map!
The Asset Map highlights the assets and strengths in a community, suggests potential relationships and partnerships, and supports greater action for transformational change in a community. With this tool, users can search the map to connect with local services and ministries, gather advice on how to start programs in their church, and partner with other churches and organizations with similar ideas.
Learn about some health-related examples:
Community Gardens
For example, if your congregation wants to start a community garden, you can click “Community Gardens” and a map will be generated identifying all participating congregations that have a community garden. Below are a few examples that appeared on the map:
These churches have a community garden, but are located in different regions and provide various services through their garden, such as community food bank contributions, garden education for youth, or volunteer opportunities. Also, as you will see with St. Michael’s, Austin, their congregation partners with other churches and organizations to address hunger in Austin.
Mentorships and School Partnerships
If your church is looking for ways to provide mentorship opportunities or partner with area schools, you would find these churches on the map:
Both churches support outreach ministries that partner with schools to provide tutoring and mentorship. Although the partnerships are different, contacting either one of these churches would help your church better understand how to build relationships with schools in your neighborhood or how to partner with organizations like Kid’s Hope USA and reVision Houston.
Though each profile may not currently reflect all of the outreach activities, ministries, or assets offered by a congregation, we will continue to work with churches to deepen the content of the database and keep it current.
If your church has not yet submitted its information, please feel free to add changes to your profile. You can find instructions on how to update your page here. For any questions or technical assistance with entry on the asset map, please email mtoles@episcopalhealth.org.
Click on the asset map below to get started:
Click below to watch a “how-to” video about the Asset Map
