Traveling the Way of Love, Episode 1: Bless – A visit to the Bishop Walker School in Washington, DC is available on The Episcopal Church website and on The Episcopal Church Facebook page.

Hosted by Chris Sikkema, the Office of Communication’s manager for special projects, this new video series shares stories of the way people across The Episcopal Church practice the Way of Love, with each episode highlighting one of the seven Way of Love practices: turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, and rest. This first episode focuses on Bless.

“We decided to start the new show at the Bishop Walker School in Washington, D.C.,” said Sikkema. “We’d been told by folks in the region that we’d really get to see blessing in action; what Jesus meant when he called us to give, forgive, teach and heal in his name.”

The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys was founded by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 2006 as a response to the serious educational challenges facing African American boys in the low-income communities east of the Anacostia River. Bishop Walker believed in education as the doorway to opportunity and that Christians have a responsibility to raise up people to use their God-given gifts. This school, founded to share blessings with the young boys of Ward 8, has found itself blessed in turn by its students and community.

“As you watch this first episode of Traveling the Way of Love, how do you see all of the people in this video blessing their communities?” asks Sikkema. “Think about all the ways God is calling you to bless others – your family, your friends, your community. How will you and your congregation bless the world on your Way of Love?”

To facilitate the use of this video by individuals or small groups for discernment and reflection, an Episode Guide, reflection, and other resources are provided here.

Six additional episodes are planned for 2019; watch for them in March, May, July, September, October and November. Each episode is built around one of the seven practices central to The Way of Love: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest.

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Episodes are closed-captioned.

This episode was produced by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.