Promise & Praise

One word, each day. 


In a world that likes to rush, Promise & Praise calls us slow down, to reflect on one word each day of the season of Advent. This process offers a special intentionality, a spiritual twist to the common Advent calendar, and a way to countdown to Christmas with a focus on God’s promise in a posture of praise.


These daily reflections are part of a larger initiative called AdventWord, a global community praying and walking together during this holy season. AdventWord invites people to read and respond to a single word each day. These words are drawn from the weekly scripture readings and prayerfully selected as a way to help us ready our hearts and our lives for the coming of the Christ child.


This Advent season, draw nearer to Christ, one word—and one day—at a time.

Michael B. Curry is the presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church. He served parishes in North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland and was the bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina prior to his election as presiding bishop in 2015. Throughout his ministry, Bishop Curry has been active in issues of social justice and reconciliation, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality. He has authored several books and is a sought-after preacher and teacher.


Scott Gunn is the executive director of Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church that inspires disciples and empowers evangelists. An Episcopal priest, Scott travels widely as a speaker, retreat leader, and preacher. He is the author of the bestselling Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs & Practices and The Way of Love: A Practical Guide to Following Jesus. Before his work at Forward Movement, Scott was a parish priest in Rhode Island. He has worked in technology at nonprofits, a media company, and a university. He is also one of George T. Dog's humans.


Lisa Kimball is associate dean of lifelong learning and the

James Maxwell Professor of Lifelong Christian Formation at

Virginia Theological Seminary. She directs Baptized for Life,

an initiative equiping congregations to nurture courageous

Christian vocation in daily life.


Miriam Willard McKenney serves as Forward Movement's development director and is on the Way of Love working group. She was a children's librarian and school media specialist for twenty years before joining Forward Movement's staff. She finds extreme joy in parenting her three girls: Nia, Kaia, and Jaiya, with her husband, David. Miriam loves to evangelize about her love of outdoor fitness, even in extreme temperatures—as there is no bad weather, just incorrect clothing choices.


Hugo Olaiz works for Forward Movement as the associate editor for Latino/Hispanic resources and attends Holy Trinity Church in Oxford, Ohio. Hugo was born in Argentina. In college, he studied classics, linguistics, and translation. He lives in Oxford with his husband, John-Charles Duffy, and a terrier named Percy.


Richelle Thompson serves as managing editor at Forward Movement. A storyteller by trade, she worked as a journalist for several metropolitan newspapers before moving into nonprofit ministry, including a decade as the director of communications for the Diocese of Southern Ohio. She and her husband Jeff Queen have two teenage children, three dogs, a cat, and a horse, and call the bluegrass of Kentucky home.