Forward Today: The balm we need

Dear friends in Christ,

Before I started serving at Forward Movement, I didn’t really understand the power of Forward Day by Day. When I was a parish priest, I always made sure we had our copies out in the narthex on time, because I knew that parishioners loved reading
Forward Day by Day. But it wasn’t my cup of tea, and I never really dug deeper.

That all changed when I started traveling around the church as part of my work at Forward Movement. Everywhere I go, people tell me their Forward Day by Day stories. A marriage saved. A vocation discovered. An addiction overcome. A new church found. Hope persisting. The peace of that passes all understanding. The stories are amazing.

Of course, the source of the power of Forward Day by Day is the living and true God. As our research through RenewalWorks reminds us, people who have habits of daily prayer and regular scripture engagement are more likely to have a rich and growing spiritual life in Jesus Christ. And that’s just what Forward Day by Day helps people do.

Forward Day by Day August-October cover image

During the pandemic, I wasn’t sure what would happen with Forward Day by Day subscriptions. To be honest, I was worried that lots of churches would cancel. That worried me partly because of what it might mean for Forward Movement’s ministry, but even more so for the people who rely on this daily dose of inspiration.

I’m happy to say that very few churches have canceled their orders. In fact, some churches have increased their orders because they’re using Forward Day by Day as a tangible point of contact with parishioners, whether they deliver copies to people’s homes or have parishioners stop by the church and (safely!) pick them up.

If your church isn’t using Forward Day by Day to inspire daily discipleship, you can get a bulk subscription (or increase you current one to include more people). If you or someone you know loves getting a paper copy of Forward Day by Day but can’t get it from church, you can get your very own individual subscription, and we’ll mail it to your house. The new issue starts in  August, so if you order right away, we can get your started with that issue.

You don’t have to pay for Forward Day by Day, of course. You can listen to our podcast or read it online. There are lots of other ways to access this powerful dose of daily inspiration.

During this time of strife and stress, spending time each day with scripture and in prayer can be just the balm we need.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

Click here to subscribe to Forward Today for weekly inspiration in your inbox.

Image: The August-October issue of Forward Day by Day is arriving in homes this month. The cover features a stained glass image of Absalom Jones, the first African-American person ordained an Episcopal priest.