Episco-Pols

This ⁠podcast⁠ from the church’s Office of Government Relations aims to help educate, equip, and inspire Episcopalians to weave public policy advocacy into their personal lives and church communities.  In Season 4, Episode 6, policy advisor Troy Collazo talks with host Alan Yarborough about ways to support proposed legislation that offers a pathway to citizenship for DACA (Deferred Action for Chil...

This ⁠podcast⁠ from the church’s Office of Government Relations aims to help educate, equip, and inspire Episcopalians to weave public policy advocacy into their personal lives and church communities.  In Season 4, Episode 5, policy advisor Susie Faria talks with host Alan Yarborough about the ecological and cultural importance of the Arctic Refuge, how wildlife and Indigenous rights are threatene...

This podcast from the church’s Office of Government Relations aims to help educate, equip, and inspire Episcopalians to weave public policy advocacy into their personal lives and church communities. In Season 4, Episode 4, policy advisor Susie Faria talks with host Alan Yarborough about the human and environmental impacts of nuclear exposure and testing and how the church advocates for disarmament...

This podcast from the church’s Office of Government Relations aims to help educate, equip, and inspire Episcopalians to weave public policy advocacy into their personal lives and church communities. In Season 4, Episode 3, policy advisor Troy Collazo talks with host Alan Yarborough about the current state of immigration detention in the U.S. and how public support has shifted since the 2024 electi...

This podcast from The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations aims to help educate, equip, and inspire Episcopalians to weave public policy advocacy into their personal lives and church communities. New episodes come out each Monday. Listen to the podcast and find shownotes and resources here, or watch the video on YouTube here. Relevant Links Action alert direct link: https://www.voterv...

Join host Alan Yarborough, director of government relations and global partnerships for The Episcopal Church, for Season 4 discussions about recent “action alerts” from the Episcopal Public Policy Network. This episode, featuring policy advisor Lindsey Delks, looks at the rise in homelessness; how housing intersects with health care, food access, and education; what Episcopal parishes are doing to...

This episode of Episco-Pols features two guest speakers in conversation about the role of secretaries of state and how voters can get trusted information about the upcoming election. The Rev. Canon C.K. Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond The Episcopal Church, interviews the current president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the Honorable Scott S...

Getting Ready to Vote Early!  Tune in to hear from Bryce Bennett, executive director of Vote Early Day, about how this organization and the civic holiday it represents can help you in your personal efforts to vote and in boosting your church’s impact on voting in your area. Vote Early Day is October 29th, a moment to celebrate opportunities to cast our votes early, taking advantage where we can of...

Episcopal churches can not only motivate people to vote through individual outreach, but they can also play integral roles in the processes that make our election happen. A parish serving as a polling site can be a critical way to help make voting more accessible. Serving as a polling site is also a helpful way to have a visible impact in our communities. While particularities will vary by state a...

Our guest speaker is Armani Eady, a national organizer from the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, where she is a part of the non-partisan coalition, Election Protection. Ms. Eady speaks about Election Protection’s crucial role in the 2024 U.S. election. You will learn how you can collaborate to ensure confidence in the electoral process, including year-rou...

The 2024 U.S. election season is well underway, as is our Episcopal election engagement, yet much remains to be done and much will unfold in the coming months. In our first installment for season 3 of Episco-pols, we set the stage for what it means to vote and vote faithfully. Rebecca and Alan explore aspects of election engagement, emerging concerns for this year, how Episcopalians can get involv...

In this special episode, we’re in conversation with Tom Hart, President of the ONE Campaign and former Director of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations. We discuss the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the role of the faith community in the success of this program, and the urgent need for reauthorization. He will share his insights on the program and share...

Episcopal Election Activators is a volunteer program leading the church’s voter engagement efforts around the U.S.! Tune in to this episode to learn more about them, what’s expected if you sign up, and details for joining. Voter engagement is not just about making sure Episcopalians vote - it's also a matter of the church serving our broader community in helping facilitate participation in our ele...

Did you know The Episcopal Church is part of the third largest Christian body in the world—the Anglican Communion—and that we have a lot of policy positions on foreign policy matters? Join Patricia Kisare, our legislative representative for international policy, in a review from the broad to the regional in our U.S. foreign policy engagement.  The Office of Government Relations aims to represent t...

As we mark the Season of Creation and the feast of St. Francis, we sat down for a discussion with Susie Faria, our policy analyst for environmental advocacy. She leads us in a review from the broad to the specific in our engagement to protect the environment at the scale needed to address today’s challenges; our discussion includes the importance of environmental justice that addresses the concern...

In this first in a series of episodes this season, we are again joined by Lindsey Warburton to talk about the resolutions of The Episcopal Church that pertain to immigration, migration, and refugees. Yes, we are actively engaged in advocating for legislation and policy change in the U.S. government today, but what forms the basis for our positions in that process? Join to learn more about what the...

Two years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, much remains to be done to provide permanent safety and security for our Afghan allies, refugees, and their families both in the United States and abroad. Despite large-scale efforts on behalf of resettlement agencies, faith communities, and others to welcome this community, Afghans in the United States lack a path to permanent residency and Af...

Not an episode about the A word and the E word! Yes, advocacy AND evangelism in the same space, but don’t let that scare you. Jerusalem Greer from the Office of Evangelism and Discipleship joins us to explore the concept of evangelism (as The Episcopal Church approaches it) and how advocacy folds into that part of carrying out our faith. We talk about story sharing, making biscuits, Good News Gard...

We get a lot of questions from Episcopalians (and want more! Send your questions our way to eppn@episcopalchurch.org), so we thought it would be helpful to do a brief FAQ episode covering just a few of these. Check out this episode to hear what folks often ask us about and how we respond.  The Office of Government Relations aims to represent the policy priorities of The Episcopal Church to the U.S...

Opportunities for advocacy abound far beyond Congress if you just know where to look. Join Lindsey Warburton, our immigration and refugee policy advisor, as she talks about the basics of rules and regulations, how they matter in the immigration space, and why this is an important area to engage in as an advocate.  The Office of Government Relations aims to represent the policy priorities of The Ep...

Effective advocacy means taking a long-view approach to structural change and problem solving in our community. It also centers relationship building with government officials for the sake of bringing our personal and church gifts to the table to address issues in our communities and around the world. The Faith and Citizenship Guide is a resource from the Office of Government Relations that can he...

Following the Biden Administration’s 2022 Africa Summit, just the second in history, there is a renewed focus on U.S. foreign policy in Africa. During this episode, a recording of a recent webinar, we explore the history of U.S. government engagement in Africa and reflect on ways to strengthen U.S.-Africa relations. Please join our international policy advisor, Patricia Kisare, and The Episcopal C...

This week, Alan Yarborough interviews Office of Government Relations (OGR) policy advisor Rushad Thomas about the Farm Bill. They discuss our federal food assistance programs, ways to make the programs better, and potential threats to the programs from Capitol Hill. Alan asks Rushad why The Episcopal Church cares so much about feeding the hungry, and Rushad bids OGR farewell as he prepares to tran...

In our first episode of Episco-pols, we begin with the basics—who we are, what we represent, and how you can get involved. If you’ve just recently learned of our office, please consider this an invitation for you to get involved. If you’ve been a part of the EPPN for some time, even as a “green postcard person,” we hope this episode provides perspective you weren’t aware of, and perspective you ca...