For Immediate Release November 10, 2010
(New York, NY) – Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI) has launched www.buildfaith.org, an ecumenical online community expressly designed for Christian Educators and faith formation leaders from across the denominational spectrum.
“This is not just another pretty website, though it IS particularly striking from both visual and content standpoints,” said moderator Sharon Ely Pearson, CPI Christian Formation Specialist. “www.buildfaith.org is intended to be an engaging, interactive, and motivating community for sharing knowledge and best practices among clergy, lay professionals, and church volunteers from all denominational perspectives.
The new website “also features a forum for sharing knowledge and best practices, offering practical tools, links, and encouragement,” she continued. “The content is both original and collected from other respected blogs and websites. The site is being updated daily and consistently maintained, ensuring that content is fresh, relevant, objective, and accurate. Our intention is to become nothing less than the premier online community for those involved in faith formation on the local and judicatory level.”
Not only the content, but subscriptions, too, are free on www.buildfaith.org which is critical to most educators who often today find themselves being assigned more to do, but with less budget to work with. Visitors can sample any part of the site they wish at anytime; however, only subscribers will be able to actively contribute opinions and ideas via the new website’s forum.
Daily postings on www.buildfaith.org features original contributions from a number of educators, academics, professionals, and lay leaders from across the church, including:
- Sharon Ely Pearson – moderator, author of The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education, and a recognized expert in holistic lifelong formation
- Paula Hartzell -Resource Center Director for the Interfaith Resource Center located in Wilmington, DE, a member of NOERC, PARC, and LARC as well as active at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington.
- Mary Ann Stewart – former President of the Massachusetts PTA and DRE at Episcopal Parish of the Good Shepherd in Waban, MA.
- John Roberto is the president and founder of LifelongFaith Associates, an organization dedicated to nurturing faith growth for all ages and generations in the parish and at home.
- Liz Perraud – Regional Advisor for The LOGOS Ministry and Christian educator at a Presbyterian church in Columbia, Maryland.
- Carolyn Chilton – CREDO faculty member, past president of NAECED and Director of Evangelism & Stewardship at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA
Complementing the www.buildfaith.org are related links for people to follow via Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds, plus a variety of other links to professional faith-formation resources and organizations.
“Church Publishing is already recognized for its considerable and growing number of online resources for faith formation professionals such as riteformation, Faith and Nature, Weaving God’s Promises and Confirm not Conform,” said Pearson. “Our venture into this exciting new online community is the next logical step.”
Founded in 1918 and headquartered in New York City, CPI is the publisher of official worship materials, books, and music for the Episcopal Church, plus a multi-faceted publisher and supplier to the broader ecumenical marketplace. Publishing imprints include Church Publishing, Morehouse Publishing, and Seabury Books. Additional CPI divisions include Morehouse Church Supplies, a provider of church supplies, ecclesiastical furnishings, and vestments, located in Harrisburg, PA; and Morehouse Education Resources, which produces lectionary-based curriculum, faith formation programs, plus e-publishing resources and services, in Denver, CO.