At ECM It's a Ministry of the Hearth
[Although the above short video includes the history of ECM and its building from the perspective of our recently completed and successful capital improvement campaign - making some of it out of date - it also contains descriptions of our activities and mission. A new video is in the works.]
An ECM “hearth” is where community is experienced, conversations are encouraged, and reflections on society and the earth are shared.
Hearths at ECM include: listening to the call for justice, nurturing compassion as integral to our vocation as people of faith, and being open to one’s sense of spirituality that acknowledges the mystery in our lives.
We hope that in viewing the video, you will gain an understanding of what we do. ECM has a ministry grounded in the Christian faith. We are open to all, regardless of where they are on life’s journey, whether they identify themselves as a person of a particular faith tradition or not.
In summary, ECM affirms a statement of purpose influenced by an international network of ministries. It is as follows:
- Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us;
- Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable (including but not limited to): believers and agnostics, conventional Christians and questioning sceptics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, those of all races and cultures, those of all classes and abilities, those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope;
- Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in the dogmatic certainty --more value in the questioning than in the absolutes;
- Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another for the work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God's creations, and bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.
  
 What is "Fair Trade?"Watch the new video created by ECM Leadership Team member Amy Gairns about Fair Trade and ECM. Learn more about Fair Trade here.
Successful Completion of Capital Campaign brings ECM happiness and excitement! From Teresa Zaffiro, ECM Development Coordinator We are excited and immensely happy to announce that we have successfully completed our $832,000 Ministry of the Hearth Capital Campaign. We just recently received the check for our $119,000 capping grant from the Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, OK, which finished out our two year campaign. We know that the success of this campaign is due to the generosity of a myriad of individuals, groups, congregations and foundations. Without their support, this successful campaign would not have been a reality. The success of the campaign can also be attributed to the many individuals associated with ECM that gave their time and energy to work on the campaign in one capacity or another. Our campaign was coordinated by a Steering Committee that was co-led by John Wilson and Sara Dean, with consultation by Judy Keller, staff member at Jeffery Bryne and Associates, Inc. In February, ECM hired me as part time development coordinator, and I provided assistance in the last few months of the campaign. Our campus Minister, Thad Holcombe, who will be very humble about this, has given countless hours and endless energy to this campaign. We also have an all-volunteer Board, led by Board President Bob Minor, who gave their time and support to the entirety of this campaign. Everyone at the ECM has been a part of this campaign in one way or another. With the funds raised we are able to complete critical building improvement projects for this building that is on the Local, State and National Register of Historic Places. More importantly, however, we are able to better prepare the building for use by hundreds of new students and a variety of community and ministry programs this fall. The ECM is a special place; it is an important place to many students and community members alike. I am happy to know that the success of this campaign means that the ECM is able to continue to be a place where people gather around a hearth open to all - to discuss, learn and grow. We are overjoyed to have completed this campaign that has been such a long process, and are grateful to everyone that has been a part of it! We look forward to a productive and happy fall full of old and new friends, renewed energy in programming, exploration of faith, critical dialogue and community building. Check out our link to the article that the Lawrence Journal World wrote about us! |
ECM Peace and Justice Panel: "The Arc of Justice:
The Incarceration (and Exoneration) of Darryl Hunt"  Darryl Hunt was twice convicted of a 1984 murder he didn't commit. Although DNA testing proved his innocence, he was imprisoned for another decade before he was exonerated. On September 13, 2011 at ECM, Ecumenical Campus Ministries and the KU School of Journalism sponsored a screening of the documentary "The Trials of Darryl Hunt," and an in-depth discussion on race, justice, and the forces that helped shape Hunt's release with Darryl Hunt, Imam Khalid Griggs (founding member of the Darryl Hunt Defense fund) and Phoebe Zerwick (investigative journalist).
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