Since 1987, the Episcopal Preaching Foundation (EPF) has been providing seminarians an opportunity to build their preaching skills while generating excitement for their calling to share God’s word from a pulpit on a weekly basis.
Brittany Sparrow Savage and Jody Carroll attended the 2022 Preaching Excellence Program (PEP), held during the week of May 30 – June 3, at the Roslyn Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the week at Roslyn, attendees presented one of their own sermons and received preaching instruction and coaching from noted homiletic scholars and experienced preachers.
“This five-day event enriched and encouraged our personal and spiritual development as preachers … [we] trust it will have a lasting and positive effect on our preaching!”
Small group work sessions twice a day cultivated new relationships with other seminarians and invigorated the preaching skills of the participants. During the daily plenary sessions, speakers addressed the various difficulties of preaching in our current polarized and difficult climate, presented various sermon writing styles and structures, and provided the opportunity to hear from experienced preachers about their “worst” sermon and what they learned from it.
The sense of community built through morning and evening prayer is a highlight of the week while the serenity of the Roslyn Retreat Center encourages attendees to step away from the busyness of their lives and listen for God’s voice. Brittany and Jody comment: “This five-day event enriched and encouraged our personal and spiritual development as preachers, while offering us the opportunity to hear diverse and relevant voices from the pulpit. The experience broadened our own awareness of our responsibility to share God’s Word and gave us the tools to do so, effectively. We are so grateful for the opportunity to participate and trust it will have a lasting and positive effect on our preaching!”
EPF also offers Diocesan Preaching Conferences, weekend intensive courses for Deacons, and PEP-II, a week-long residential conference designed to reinvigorate and refine the preaching techniques of parish clergy. For additional information, visit Episcopal Preaching Foundation.