Circle of the Beloved: The Episcopal Service Corps in Minnesota

​What is Circle of the Beloved? and what is the Episcopal Service Corps? 

Circle of the Beloved is a community of young adults who live together in intentional community while spending a year serving in non-profit organizations. Our young adults come from all walks of life and various faith and family backgrounds to spend a year living and serving together. By living together and serving in various non-profits our young adults learn about themselves, the needs of their neighbors, and discern what "next step" they are called to after their year of service. The Episcopal Service Corps is a national young adult service year program affiliated with the Episcopal Church. 

Why come to Minnesota to spend a year living, serving, and learning alongside other young adults? 
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• The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to one of the largest populations of young adults working in the non-profit sector in the United States. 
• Minnesota has the 2nd largest number of Ameri-Corps positions (second only to California) of any U.S. state. 
• We have amazing outdoor sports and activities year round! Minnesotans love being outside in the sun, snow, on the lake, and on the ski slopes. 
• Our music scene and local breweries are some of the best in the country. Check them out here: https://travel.usnews.com/features/7-minneapolis-breweries-to-visit-locals-picks
• Because we have so many young adults who care about serving their communities and love to have fun the Twin Cities are a great place to do a service year with Circle of the Beloved!

Why do we do what we do? 

In addition to all of the things that make Minnesota and the Twin Cities a great place to live for some of their residents , we also have some of the widest standard-of-living disparities between white people and people of color in the whole country. The legacy of systemic racism is particularly acute in housing, education, income, and access to opportunity. As followers of the way of Jesus, we are called to challenge disparities like these by knowing, loving, and serving our neighbors with hearts open to being more fully known by God and to more fully knowing the world that God so loves. 

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Kinship
​Instead of operating from a benefactor paradigm of “us” helping “them,” we acknowledge our innate kinship, where all sides give and receive based on our mutual gifts and needs. 

Rule of Life
​​We will craft a rule of life together that encourages holy listening and prayer, simplicity, a ministry of presence, and active justice-making in our neighborhoods.

​Reconciliation
​We will embark on a journey of racial, socioeconomic, and spiritual reconciliation, grounded in following the way of Jesus.
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