Approval of Ethnic Ministries Grant Application
Resolution text
Resolved, That on the recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee for Mission Within the Church, the Executive Council supports and approves the application by the Department of Ethnic Ministries to Trinity Wall Street for a grant to support technological training among Latino/Hispanic parishes.
Explanation
The following draft application has been reviewed and approved by the DFMS Executive Leadership.
Trinity Church Wall Street Discretionary Grant Request
The Covid-19 pandemic and the social distancing policies that have been created in reaction to it have affected Latino/Hispanic parochial ministry and intensified the challenges in communication, community-building, worship, formation and outreach that many of our congregations in the US. In Province IX the situation is even more dire compounded by a large number of Covid-19 related deaths. With 750 total congregations (10% of the total number of Episcopal congregations), Latino/Hispanic Ministries is one of the fastest growing segments of The Episcopal Church, and encompasses congregations based outside the United States, including churches in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Churches in this cohort may have larger percentages of younger members and in the US will often be bilingual or multi-lingual and may be urban or rural.
Prior to the pandemic a few of our congregations were familiar with using digital resources such as Zoom for holding meetings and about half of them had some sort of social media presence such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. However very few used digital platforms, such as Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube or Vimeo for live streaming of worship. So, when the church first experienced lockdown, our leaders and churches were unprepared. Many reached out to our Office to seek assistance and on the fly training in order to get on. Others found their own way. Even, today, many of our congregations continue to struggle or have accepted that what they are doing is the best they can without any further resources or training.
Even as ministries find ways to provide online worship and some prayer groups, little is being done around formation. Christian formation for children and adults is practically non-existent and some public worship is mediocre. Yet worship is still directed to those who are already inside our worshipping communities, with little understanding of how to take advantage and connect with those outside our circle.
The reason this grant is being requested and is urgent is that the pandemic affected Latino communities in the US and Latin America very hard and is still affecting their ministry a great deal. Congregations are affected by high cases of COVID and COVD related deaths, unemployment, anxiety and others which have impacted the clergy’s time to address these pastoral issues. Added to this is a decrease of financial income for the parishes.
This training is aimed at training a cadre of “Digital Communication [technology] Specialists”: who can then train, tutor and assist leaders/congregations to be able to offer better worship experiences; provide much needed faith formation for children and adults as well as connecting on social media beyond their existing network. Some of this training has been done in concert with DFMS Communications (social media and multimedia staff), but there has not been funding or resource for expanding the training and network-building to the level that COVID demands.
The purpose of the program is two-fold:
- Skills development/cadres of “Digital Communication Specialists”: provide further training for a small group of already trained “digital specialists” and identify and train another 15-20 more as “Digital Interns.”
- Provide clergy and lay leaders who are responsible for their online streaming and digital events with training in the use of the technology acquired, including training in digital communications, streaming, videoconferencing, (especially for virtual worship and gatherings), and ministry activities online.
Program Design
The proposed program involves two components to be delivered over 6 months.
In the first component, Latino/Hispanic Ministries will select and provide online training for a cadre of 10 bi-lingual (Spanish/English) or Spanish dominant “Digital Communication Specialists.” They will in turn provide training and mentoring for at least 15 “Digital Interns.” These persons are already versed in basic use of digital technology but need more training focused on developing competency in the areas of live streaming, video editing, sound technology and equipment.
The second component will be training for bishops, clergy and lay leaders across the church provided by the 10 “Digital Communication Specialists” together with the 15 “Digital Interns”. All 25 will serve as mentors to those who participate in the trainings.
Upon completion of the program participants will be required as a final project to develop a formation program or worshipping experience with the skills and knowledge they have gained or refined in the program. To support this effort, trainers will offer a 6-month mentorship to the participants to help them implement these new initiatives.
Outcomes and Evaluation
Outcomes anticipated as a result of the program include:
- 10 trained Digital Communication Specialists:
- At least 15 persons trained as Digital Interns
- At least 10 online training events
Another outcome will be -as a result of the final project- a number of new formation programs or worshipping experiences in the Church.
Evaluation is a key to the success of this program. The Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries has been in contact with many of our constituents both in the US and in Latin America. We already have a good idea of the current needs and have spoken with a number of bishops and clergy regarding this current urgent need for training. We also have learned over the last 15 years the importance of continually evaluating our programs and initiatives. This helps us to learn and improve as we create a better product for the recipients.
For this reason, evaluations would be an integral part of every step along the way. The two phases will be evaluated: The “Digital Communication Specialists”: will evaluate the training that they receive to determine if its adequate and to see if there are still other areas that require further training. Likewise, the “Digital Interns” will evaluate the training that they receive from the “Digital Communication Specialists” as well as the online courses they will take. Finally, the clergy and lay leaders who receive basic training will also be asked to evaluate the training they receive and 3 months later, they will be asked to identify how the training they received has helped them in their parochial ministry.
Projected Expenses
- Stipend for coordinator of project $2,000
- Online courses for Specialists $4,000
- Online courses for Interns $5,000
- Stipends for trainers/mentors $10,000
- Equipment $4,000
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TOTAL REQUEST $25,000