Coming Home

Stories of Grace and Return

The Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida is collecting stories from across our 78 churches for a five-year multimedia project. Stories like:

— A woman in her seventies who, despite a lifetime in church, only began to understand why Jesus mattered less than a year before she died.

— A man who'd been a sometime-attendee for years, then was baptized along with his three children at his church's Fish Fry.

— A teenager who walked into Alpha curious, experienced the radical love of Jesus there, and now leads other students.

Twenty-five of these stories will become short documentary-style videos, magazine features, and resources for churches across the diocese over the next five years. If a story like this — yours or that of someone you know — comes to mind, we'd love to hear it!

Whose story is this?

Whose story is this?*

It's my own storyI want to share what happened to me.Best for: People who left a church and came home, or who walked into an Episcopal church for the first time and stayed.

I'm sharing someone else's storyI know a story worth telling — about a parishioner, a friend, or a family member.Best for: Clergy, lay leaders, family, or friends. We won't reach out to anyone without your introduction first.

Are you here from one of our churches?

The Coming Home project collects stories from people connected to the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida — so we ask everyone this up front. We'll get to your story in just a moment.

Are you currently attending or have you recently started visiting an Episcopal church?*

Yes

No, but I want to share a story anyway

Not yet, but I'm thinking about visiting

Email*

We'll use this only to follow up about your story.

Tell us about the story

A short sketch is fine. We'll learn the texture in a longer conversation later — first with you, and (with your introduction) with the subject themselves.

Subject's first name*

Just a first name is enough for now.

Which Episcopal church do they attend?*

What kind of "coming home" story is this?*

They left a church and came home to an Episcopal church

They came to an Episcopal church for the first time

It's complicated (or I'm not sure of the shape)

Something else

In a few sentences, what do you know about their story?*

What happened, what changed, what made it stand out to you. A paragraph or two is plenty.

Why do you think their story matters?*

Honest answer — what is it about their story that you think would speak to someone else?

Thanks for reaching out.

The Coming Home project collects stories from people connected to the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida — so this particular form isn't the right place for your story right now. But the door is open.

If you'd like to find an Episcopal church near you, our church locator is at cfdiocese.org/our-churches.

And if you'd like to share thoughts on the project itself, we'd be glad to hear from you at editorial@cfdiocese.org.

Which best describes your story?

Coming Home stories follow a few main shapes. Pick the one closest to yours — it just helps us ask the right questions next. If yours doesn't quite fit, "It's complicated" is a real option.

Which best describes your story?*

I left a church and came home to an Episcopal churchI was part of a church earlier in my life, drifted away or walked away, and eventually found my way to an Episcopal church.

I came to an Episcopal church for the first timeChurch wasn't really part of my life before this — and then I walked into an Episcopal one and stayed.

It's complicatedI left the Episcopal Church and came back to it. I drifted in and out without fully leaving. My return came through a life event, not a faith decision. Something like that.

Something elseMy story isn't really about coming home to or finding a church.

About you and the introduction

A few last things. We want to know how to reach you and how to handle the introduction to the person whose story you're sharing.

First name*

Last name*

Email*

Phone (optional)

Optional. Helpful if scheduling a call ends up being easier than email.

Your connection to them*

Your church (if not the same as theirs)

Skip if it's the same church as the subject.

Have you spoken with this person about being contacted by the diocese?*

Whatever the answer, it just helps us know how to handle the next step. We won't reach out to them without your sign-off.

Yes — they're open to it

No — I haven't mentioned it yet

Not sure

Is the subject still living?*

Yes

No

Thanks for being willing to share.

The Coming Home project is specifically about stories of return to church or first-time arrival in an Episcopal church — so the form ahead is built around those shapes.

If your story doesn't quite fit and you'd still like to share it with the diocese, please write us directly at editorial@cfdiocese.org. Some stories find their way into the Central Florida Episcopalian magazine, church toolkits, or other diocesan resources.

A quick understanding before we go further

The questions ahead help us understand the shape of your story — what happened, what changed, what it's like now. They're not a test. Don't worry about getting every detail right; if your story is selected for a video, we'll set up a longer conversation to dig into the texture.

Two things to know:

1. We may contact you. Once we have your story, someone from the diocesan communications team may reach out to learn more or schedule a longer conversation.

2. We won't share your story without your permission. Anything you write here is for our internal review only. If we'd like to feature your story publicly — in a video, magazine, or other format — we'll come back to you with a separate written agreement first. You're not signing anything by submitting this form.

Agreement*

I understand and want to continue.

The beginning of your story

A few questions about where you came from. Take your time — full sentences are great, but bullets are fine too.

Briefly, in your own words, what kind of story is this?*

Just a sentence or two. The next questions try to follow the shape of your story — this helps us read your answers in context.

What was the faith of your childhood?*

Whatever it was — Catholic, evangelical, no religion at all, vaguely spiritual, complicated. Whatever shaped your earliest sense of church or faith.

What led to leaving?*

An event, a slow drift, an intellectual shift, a hurt, a life change — whatever it was. There's no wrong answer.

What did the years away from church look like?*

Some people fill the space with something else — work, family, therapy, AA, a different kind of seeking. Others don't fill it at all. What was your time away like?

What was your relationship to faith or spirituality growing up?*

Maybe none. Maybe vaguely spiritual. Maybe actively secular. Maybe parents who left a church before you were born. Whatever shaped your earliest sense of all this.

Was there ever a sense of something missing? (optional)

Not everyone has this. If you did, how did you describe it to yourself at the time?

How did you think about religious people during that time? (optional)

Honest answers welcome — curious, suspicious, indifferent, embarrassed for them, jealous of them. Whatever was true.

What changed

The middle of the story — what shifted, what almost stopped you, and how you found this particular church.

What drew you back?*

A death, a marriage, a friend, a longing, an article, a song — something turned the key. What was it for you?

What did you have to reckon with to come back?*

Coming back almost always costs something — admitting you were wrong, embarrassment, theological wrestling, friend-group changes, family conversations. What did it cost you?

How did you find this Episcopal church?*

A friend invited you, you walked in for a wedding, you searched online — there's always a story here. Tell us the small one inside the big one.

What made you consider church for the first time?*

Curiosity, a life event, a person, a media moment, a long quiet pull — whatever moved you to consider walking in.

What almost stopped you?*

Old assumptions about religious people. Embarrassment with secular friends. "I'm not the kind of person who..." Whatever the barrier was, name it.

What made you stay after the first visit?*

Something in that first hour either invited you back or didn't. What did?

Where you are now

The last few questions about your story — your life with the church today and what makes the Episcopal Church specifically the place you landed.

What does life with the church look like now?*

How often you go, what you do there, what's changed in how you live, how you relate to family or friends, what's hard, what's good.

Why the Episcopal Church specifically?*

Compared to other churches you've known about or considered — what is it about this stream of Christianity that feels right for you? Honest answers help us tell the truer story.

How can we reach you?

Just the basics so we can follow up.

First name*

Last name*

Phone (optional)

Optional. We'll only use this to coordinate an interview if your story is selected.

Which Episcopal church do you attend?*