Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2014 Issue | Page 18

Growing Intentionally

in Community
Emily Cherry
In 2013, the Diocese of Virginia entered
into partnership with one of the fastest
growing and most vibrant programs
in the Episcopal Church. Just six years
ago, the Episcopal Service Corps hosted
six sites across the United States.
Today, that number has grown to over
25 programs – and one of them is right
here in our own Diocese.

So just what is the Episcopal
Service Corps? It’s a national network
geared toward equipping young adults
through service, community building
and spiritual formation – and the various
programs that make up that network
can look pretty different. At the
Abundant Table Farm Project in Ventura
County, Calif., for example, interns focus
on the disconnect between land, food
and table. Through the Society of St.
John the Evangelist Internship Program
in Cambridge, Mass., young men and
women learn about the rhythm of the
monastic life. The common thread that
ties the different offerings together is a
focus on community, social justice and
faith formation. Most programs are
residential, and provide the participants
with a modest stipend and housing.

In Virginia, the form that the
Episcopal Service Corps program
has taken is a model that has gained
traction throughout the United States
in recent years: intentional community.
Grace-on-the-Hill is a residential
program offered through St.
Andrew’s, Richmond, in partnership
with the Diocese of Virginia. Grace-onthe-Hill “invites young adults in their
twenties to engage their Christian
faith through a 10-month period of
service, vocational discernment and
leadership formation.”

A large part of the experience
is community: living in in [