Meet the New East Bay Episcopal Church
Lead by Emily Hansen Curran, this emerging community in the East Bay of California’s Bay Area, is working toward launching a new Episcopal community, which could serve as a healing space for those who have left the evangelical or non-denominational church and who are wondering what could be next. It’s also for those looking for a new expression of the liturgy and ancient traditions of Christianity.
What We Do for Them
Emily’s vision for this new church is a perfect fit for the Launchpad world, she just needed a team to come alongside her and give her space, guidance, and wisdom to help navigate the world of launching new communities.
Our coaching sessions give Emily helpful strategies on building a launch team, writing a mission statement, making a strategic plan, and raising money to make this project sustainable for the long haul. Together, we are a team, providing accountability and a place to celebrate the wins and mourn the losses. We bring a wealth of experience and a deep network from both our successes and failures in launching progressive church spaces around the country.
What They Do for Us
We love working with Emily. Her maturity and thoughtfulness, her curiosity and willingness to collaborate inspires us. This is a great partnership for Launchpad as we develop a collaborative model with inclusive mainline congregations. It’s an opportunity to update and learn from the 18-month coaching model we used to support the launch of Safe Harbor Orange County. Thanks to funding from the Center for Church Innovation, we’re meeting with her twice a month. She’ll join us for our retreats, and we’re connecting her with additional coaches, partners and colleagues who can help inspire and potentially fund her dreams.
What They Do for the World
This project has been years in the making. It first started as a Sunday Night Service, inspired by a similar service model in an Episcopal church in Cincinnati. They’re an example of what we hope to see more often, Episcopalians who desire the goodness of their gospel message and liturgical rhythms expressed in new contexts and collaborations. They’re showing us all what it can look like to reconstruct in collaboration with the best of our traditions. They’re a hopeful reminder that we don’t have to throw everything away, and that we can learn great things from each other.