The eMinistry Network Blog

Back after many transitions!

2007-09-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Finally back into the swing of things after a summer of transitions. In late May I started a new career as a real estate agent here in Spokane, and just a few weeks later my mother died very unexpectedly. I did the funeral in NYC and the committal in Vermont. In early July we moved into a new house. It was, as my siblings say, a "lost summer" -- and eMinistry simply had to be put on hold.

Now we're getting started again with a few classes this fall, beginning in October, and looking ahead to a large number of classes in 2008. We've submitted a grant application for 2008 which would allow us to offer a comprehensive series of teleclasses in the areas of Outreach and Christian Education -- and also to teach a series of classes on how to create your own teleclass program. We'll know more about the grant later this fall, but regardless of its success, we plan to offer a large number of classes in the new year.

If you have topics to suggest in the areas of Outreach ministry and Christian Education -- remembering eMinistry's goal of offering practical, user-friendly classes on tools for ministry -- please post them here or email me at elizabeth@eministrynetwork.org

I'm looking forward to working with our leaders and participants this fall!

Elizabeth

Catching Up

2007-01-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

I guess I've been too busy doing eMinistry over the past three months to blog about it, but a lot of great things have been happening. Classes in November included 2 classes with National Episcopal Health Ministries and 2 with Barbara Crafton on "Forgiveness" -- along with classes on the MDGs, Designing a Confirmation program, and Discernment 101. December was spent taking care of organizational details like our first board meeting and end of year financial and registration statistics. In mid-January we completed and filed the IRS application for tax-exempt status, and our state and federal taxes are due next week. Developing and running a non-profit is certainly an interesting process!

We've got great classes scheduled for the spring -- again our biggest challenge is in getting enough registrations to hold them. Some classes are easily subscribed, others are requiring targeted emails to diocesan committee and commission chairs. I know that 2007's emphasis has to be on promotion. We've proved we can get great leaders and develop terrific classes -- now we need to explore all the avenues for letting people in congregations know about what we offer. I purposely stayed "under the radar" in terms of promotion last year. Now I think we are ready for press releases and maybe some advertising.

The past couple of months I've been working on two project proposals which would fund the development of about 25 classes in two different ministry areas. We'll know more soon about whether these will be funded. Both would significantly raise eMinistry's visibility. And both would provide a focus for developing a comprehensive program of classes in those two ministry areas. Now that we have some real experience in running teleclasses, we're able to better estimate the time and administrative support it takes to make them happen. All of that will impact the type of funding we seek to help us develop into a full-fledged operation over the next three years.

Onward and upward!

Elizabeth

Lots of great news

2006-10-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Things are bursting forth all over -- and it's both incredible exciting and somewhat daunting -- so many avenues for training and support to explore:

I've been having great conversations with interesting people who have responded to the invitation to explore leading a class.

We're looking at ways to provide more classes on outreach ministry -- as the Diocese of Spokane's newly created outreach commission looks at how to connect and support their members in the many outreach projects and activities that are happening here.

I've also had a good conversation about how eMinistry might develop classes supporting diaconal ministry -- both in this diocese and for the wider church.

Other advances:

After working with 20+ leaders to develop their teleclasses, I finally taught one of my own -- last Thursday the first of two sessions on lay preaching -- and I absolutely loved it so much I have scheduled another set of classes for January.

I'm making headway with developing a board -- which frankly has been further down on my list as my main concern has been to get classes up and running. But the anniversary of our incorporation is upon us (November 18th) when all sorts of state and federal things must be filed, and we also are approaching a February deadline for applying for IRS tax-exempt status....so these infrastructure and administrative processes have to move ahead.

We now have the ability to post class listings on faithandwisdom.org -- which allows us another platform for ecumenical publicity. Thanks to Lynne Grifo via Wayne Schwab for the suggestion that we explore becoming a "sponsoring agency" (which allows us to publicize on the faithandwisdom.org website.)

A couple of classes had to be cancelled due to low enrollment, which is always a disappointment-- I'm hoping that as our visibility grows that will happen less and less....

So it's just about getting to be time for another newsletter....

Onward and upward!

Elizabeth

Finishing up a great week

2006-09-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

An incredibly rich and busy week --

Revamped the payment process to streamline the registration form -- I think it will be much easier for people to navigate through. Lots of technical snafus to work through, but it came out pretty well. I've added a question on the order form, "Are you lay or clergy?" as I want to gather that piece of data to see who on the whole we're appealing to. Went back through the previous 100 registrations to fill in the blanks there -- so far about a third more lay people than clergy have signed up for a class.

Also revamped our fee policies. After having two people drop out of a class 30 minutes before class time, bringing us from 4 participants to 2 plus the leader and eMinistry associate, I am kind of glad that the free registration/beta-test period is coming to an end. We've given over 100 registrations free and have benefited a lot from the whole process. Now it's time to start charging a moderate fee and seeing how that impacts registration. Our fee policy is simple and clear, and it allows us to pay the leader the stipend we've committed to, even if participants drop out at the last minute. I'm hoping that paying something for a class will discourage drop-outs....but we'll see.

3 great teleclasses -- on "What Is Your Spirituality?" with Alan Akridge, "Ten Best Practices for Vestries" with Jim Adams, and "Narrative Budgeting" with Mike Stephenson. We learned a lot -- that with each of the first two classes, there was enough content for a two-session class instead of the one we scheduled, and we're revamping both of those into two-session classes for later this fall. In both of them participants felt the pace was packed (rushed) and we need to allow more time for the very interesting people who show up for these classes to connect with each other.

The third class on Narrative Budgeting proved we really do need to make the leap into web-seminars for certain class topics. Mike did a terrific job moving people from worksheet to worksheet in MSExcel, and the class got top grades in feedback, but it would have been much easier to take people through the forms online......so that's underway in terms of choosing a provider we can afford....

Lots of wonderful connections with 4 new potential leaders, 3 of whom are already scheduled to teach a class this fall -- and each of them have other great leader ideas to suggest....

Onward and upward!

Elizabeth

Catching up

2006-09-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged for a while as I've just been so busy doing the day-to-day stuff of building eMinistry. Thousands of emails and administrative details, which I actually enjoy -- and then the great pleasure of intial contacts with potential leaders. There are so neat people out there! So many possibilities to explore....

I'm thrilled that the National Episcopal Health Ministries board has decided to work with eMinistry to offer an introductory teleclass on "Health Ministry in the Small Church" in November -- that will be super for them and great additional experience and publicity for us.

Also, we've got 11 different people from 11 different dioceses signed up for Lallie Lloyd's class on the Millennium Development Goals in October -- and are starting to get registrations for the second session in November.

AND we are getting our first paid registrations! Wowee! I have agonized over what to charge, and what people will be willing to pay, over the past weeks. Have finally settled on $10 a class hour for the present. We'll still offer a lot of first-time classes for free or at a reduced rate....But to be able to at least begin to cover the cost of the leader's stipend is terrific! I've been told by a lot of people that we're charging way too little, but I still think that because very few people in the Church have experienced a teleclass -- let alone heard of it -- a lower charge is the way to go in this start-up phase.

As I wrote in the last post, we've had the disappointment of low registrations for some classes, so we've had to cancel and reschedule them till later in the fall. The leaders have been understanding and gracious. But a second issue is also that people register but then don't show up for the class. I think part of that is due to our offering classes for free during this beta-test period, and perhaps our beginning to charge a fee now for most classes will increase people's commitment to participate. But at this point, no shows are a really problem -- every person's presence really matters! If you've got 12 to class, it doesn't matter as much if a couple don't attend -- but when you've got 4 registered and 2 don't show up, it makes for a much less vibrant class. I know this is basically a problem of publicity and promotion -- the more widely we're known, the more people will see what we're offering and will want to register.

Got to get back to work,

onward and upward!

Elizabeth

Promoting eMinistry

2006-09-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

A busy week -- working hard on contacting potential class leaders, getting 4 new classes scheduled and listed on the website for October! Some I've been working on for quite some time, and some just developed very quickly -- which is so neat. I'm looking forward to the Leaders Introductory Teleclass next Wednesday which is set up to talk with people about eMinistry and what becoming a leader involves.

So far today -- by 1:30 PST -- we've had 59 visitors to the website (!!!!) which is great -- but only 2 registrations -- I don't know if it's because they're not interested in what we're offering OR because the time/date we're offering something doesn't work for them. I'm not sure how we might get that feedback....maybe an informal poll on the website? Need to think about that.

A disappointing piece of news is we had to cancel the first offering of "Planning Your Final Celebration" -- lots of interest expressed in it by people but only one registration -- so we rescheduled it till later in October. I'm disappointed because the content looks terrific, and I am so eager for the learnings we get from holding each class -- and I hate disappointing the leader who gets all geared up for the class but then finds there's not enough people to hold it. It all gets down to getting the word out to the person in the pew, and I am wrestling with how to do that better.

Some ideas:

contact the communications officer of a diocese which has an eMinistry leader teaching an upcoming class -- write a specially focussed "press release" kind of announcement to help them publicize that particular class in their own diocese

ask leaders for names of people/places their class might be publicized (alumni magazines from colleges or seminaries; professional contacts/colleagues

go through diocesan websites to find the contact person who would be interested in a specific class -- I've shied away from this because it is so incredibly labor-intensive....but it would get the news to a different level than diocesan staff or clergy

find people who've taken an eMinistry class who are willing to be an "eMinistry rep" for their diocese -- they'd receive weekly updates about newly-scheduled classes; they would know WHO in their diocese might be interested in learning about a particular class.

I don't naturally think in a martketing-type way, although I am certainly learning to! I wonder who is out there who might be a good person to coach me on how to promote eMinistry?

Onward and upward,

Elizabeth

Back in the Saddle

2006-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Back after 3 weeks on vacation in Northeastern Vermont! It was wonderful to be with my family and friends in the place where I've gone all my life (a few too many social events though -- 14 in a 20 day vacation!) -- and I made some good connections for eMinistry while I was up there. Now it's good to be home in Spokane and back into my regular life and routine....

Now I'm working on getting more classes scheduled for the fall. There are so many incredible ministries and leaders out there to talk with about developing a class. What I had not expected when this all began a year ago (September 5th is the anniversary of eMinistry's creation!) was how labor-intensive the process of class/leader development can be. I'm hoping that the Leader Introductory Teleclass I'm giving on September 6 will be the first of many that will make it easier for potential leaders to connect with me -- instead of my being the one to make that first approach. I've also made all the resources a leader needs to develop a class accessible on the website, though right now only through me. This eliminates sending attachments in bits and pieces as our working relationship develops.

The other suggestion a leader made was to offer leaders free registration to a class as long as there's room. I think that's a terrific idea. Giving some additional perks beyond the minimal $30 stipend would be great. Any additional suggestions would be welcome!

I need to work on getting the board in place. Had a great meeting before I left for Vermont with a potential treasurer/board member here in Spokane, who also has long-term connections with other helpful people here. His enthusiasm for the concept and goals of eMinistry was so wonderful and affirming! It will be great to have a larger team to work with.

Anyway, am getting the September newsletter ready to go out tomorrow, and adding more parish email addresses to my mailing list (working on some of the central dioceses...)

Onward and upward!

Elizabeth

Wowee!!

2006-07-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Today has been a terrific day for scheduling classes -- 2 new 2-session classes scheduled for September, and a repeat of Wayne Schwab's class in October PLUS getting his 4-session more in-depth follow-up class on member mission scheduled for November.

I love the fact that September is almost completely scheduled Monday through Thursday evenings -- 8 classes scheduled, and 4 of those are two-session classes, so a total of 12 class sessions so far that month.

And we're getting such an interesting mix of classes -- from Greg Syler's class on the Bible for people who work with youth, to Roger Robillard's class on end-of-life decisions and planning for your funeral. What is so neat is to give these people who have done or are doing in-person workshops on these topics a platform for sharing their expertise all across the church.

After months of plugging away, it feels like the snowball is beginning to roll, and I am just delighted!

Thanks, Lord!

Elizabeth

Great class last night!

2006-07-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well we had another class last night -- Wayne Schwab's class on how each area of our life (work, family, community, etc.) can be seen as a mission field -- the place where God is already active and invites us to act to bring more love and justice into the world. We had 8 participants from 5 dioceses, not counting Wayne and me, and I thought it went wonderfully! The part that was overwhelming to me, when I wasn't focusing on the teleclass process itself, was how incredibly rich and amazing the ministry lives of the participants are -- each doing a huge amount, in their corner of the world, to bring God's love and justice into greater reality.

It was great to know that we have a second session coming next Monday...it gives the luxury of having time to get to know each other a tiny bit. We decided at the very last minute (last Friday) to send out a pre-class survey to participants and ask what they wanted from this class experience.....kind of late to get it out, didn't get most of the responses back until Monday and yesterday (the day of the class) so it wasn't all that helpful for this particular class. But I think the idea of a pre-class survey/set of questions is good, and we're going to implement that process in a variety of ways for the upcoming classes.

The other thing Wayne did -- and this is changing my previous thoughts about anonymity -- is that he called on people by name, and everyone participated, and so you got a much better sense of who was on the call... We also sent out a list of peoples' names and locations (no email addresses) after the class, so that we could know each other a little more. I'm thinking that people generally want to feel a sense of connection, and this is one way to foster it in a multi-session class.

Where possible, I am trying to work with leaders to create at least a two-session class. It's not necessary for some topics, where imparting information is the key thing and the class is mainly lecture (vs highly interactive) but it does give more time to cover material, to answer questions, to create connections....

The other thing I've been considering is: offering each class for free the first time around. We learn tons from the actual class process, I learn more about the content, and I can then work with leaders to refine it to fit the teleclass medium more effectively.... People can take the free class as a beta-test, and then we can offer it for a fee. We now have 31 of the 100 free registrations taken....so I expect that by the end of September or October we will be up to the 100 mark.... If we go ahead with the three-diocese pilot project, we'll offer those classes for a fee.

peace,

Elizabeth

Tons of learnings from last night's class!

2006-07-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hey -- lots of stuff in this post -- PLEASE comment and let me know what you think?

So we had the parish-based campus ministry class last night! We had 8 people from 4 dioceses, not including our two class leaders and me. I think it went pretty well in terms of people's comfort level and contributions, and I thought the leaders were great -- they had energy, ease and good group leadership skills, and they have a passion for their ministry that came across wonderfully.

That's what I thought -- don't know about the rest of the folks! We've gotten feedback from only two participants so far -- both had positive and negative things to say. They both rated the overall experience, content and discussion as helpful to them.

One person wished we had a toll-free system, as the long distance charge was difficult. I wish we could, but it's just way beyond what's possible now. Not sure how that would work also, as we use multiple conference call lines... But we can revisit this suggestion down the line when we are bigger and have some income coming in!

Last night's class also reaffirmed what we learned in the first test class in March -- that an hour goes by so incredibly fast!! You can cover a lot of material, or you can build connections between people, but you probably can't do both equally well! One person's feedback was that the process of our self-introductions last night took a lot of time (about 20 minutes) for a one-hour class. I think that's true. In a two- or three-session class, it would be just fine. I loved how we got a sense of who was on the call, but it did put some pressure on getting through the content and allowing time for discussion. So that was a good way to learn something helpful for the classes that follow.

IDEA: What if we sent out a list of participants (on the morning of the class) to everyone registered for the call? Name, location, diocese and possibly parish (but not email address) -- that way everyone would have an idea of who the other people are before the class started. We'd have to make it clear on the registration form what information we would share.... As I wrote in an earlier post, it's an added administrative step that could be difficult later on, with more classes scheduled, but I can worry about that when we get to that!

Connecting people is an important part of what we want to do, but giving value from sufficient content is also key. We are going to have to work on this balance between content and connection with every class we offer. Probably not something perfectly solvable, but an endless balancing act.

Another learning from last night: The vast range of participants' backgrounds (some just beginning campus ministry and others further along, more informed and involved) means the class content was probably of varying benefit to them.

The only way I know to get at this one is: since we can't create a class that is perfect for everyone, we have to create such crystal clear descriptions of who the class content is aimed at/geared for that potential participants can self-select themselves (or select themselves OUT of) classes at the initial stage of registration.

What I am going to do is go over the class listings for classes we've got coming up in September and make sure that they are absolutely clear about whether it's an introductory class, a "survey" kind of class, or a more advanced level class.

So -- tons of thoughts about the class specifically and the eMinistry teleclass process more generally. My biggest concern right now is "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." We've got to give participants good value from Day 1, or they'll probably not look at us again. And yet this beta-test period is the time when we are offering classes for free so people can take them without much risk beyond the cost of a long-distance call -- and so we can learn what we need to in order to produce the best possible classes in this medium. And we're not creating a static "product" that can just be refined until it's ready for release -- every class is a new product, a new creation with different participants of different backgrounds and different needs....

But I LOVE this whole process. I love the new thing we're doing -- and I love seeing how we can more and more bring the reality of our offerings closer and closer to the ideal. Thanks to everyone who's taking part in this new venture!

peace and grace,

Elizabeth

Next week's class

2006-07-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is so great! Six people have signed up for the parish-based campus ministry a week from today -- from 3 different dioceses. Since one of eMinistry's goals is to create connections across diocesan borders, I'm really excited that we'll have people from such different places "gathering together" for this topic!

Which makes me wonder -- how anonymous will people want to be? In my past two years of experience with teleclasses in the coaching world, I know that some people are more comfortable just sitting back and listening, and never introduce themselves....while others check-in at the beginning of the class and talk often. Would it help for people to have a sense of who's on the call? How can we do that without making those who want anonymity feel self-conscious about it?

I could see asking people at registration whether it's okay to share their name/location on a list of participants....but that could become a nightmare administratively as we offer more and more classes...

Elizabeth

A possible project

2006-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

So what do you think about the following project? Could you see this working in your diocese?

I'm working on a proposal to work with 3 dioceses on a pilot project. One of these dioceses did a Ministry Fair this spring, and at least 13 of their 30 workshops would make great teleclasses. (The others were panel discussions or involved visual or active components that would be hard to do via the teleclass format.) I don't yet know how many people in the diocese were able to attend on that one day, but the cost was $25 for 3 workshops and lunch, plus gas, plus some people stayed over the night before.

My proposal is that I would work with those leaders to turn their workshops into classes. They've already done most of the hard work to create a one-hour workshop -- so it feels like a no-brainer to say "wouldn't you like your work to have impact beyond the people who were able to attend that one session on that one day?" The project would offer these classes 2-3 times each over a 5 month period beginning in September, plus I would try to develop additional class offerings from the other two participating dioceses -- and we would offer the classes to the 3 dioceses at a slightly reduced rate, as well as to the wider Church.

A project like this would be so helpful -- it would enable these dioceses to offer something concrete, from their experienced ministry leaders, to help and support people throughout the Church as well as their own members. I am just convinced that way too often in our Church we work only within our diocesan borders -- each diocese putting on its own workshops for its own people. We have GOT to spread the wealth! There's no reason why a lot of what is presented can't be made available to benefit people far beyond the local diocese, who might never otherwise have the chance to get access to such a workshop or presentation....

From eMinistry's viewpoint, the project would show that the eMinistry model can work, that people will (I hope!) participate and benefit from it, and would be a microcosm of what eMinistry could eventually offer. It would enable us to increase our class offerings (a terrific thing) and would be a key piece in getting things going enough to justify applying for a larger grant. I would LOVE to work with these leaders -- their workshops look wonderful, and absolutely geared to the needs and concerns of lay people. So that's what I'm working on today. I would have to apply for a grant from a local foundation to make it work financially, as I'd be asking only 2 of the 3 dioceses to contribute a very moderate amount of funding. But if the 3 bishops will get behind this, that will help immensely as I seek a grant elsewhere....

hopefully,

Elizabeth

Leaping ahead

2006-06-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and yesterday I did the June newsletter -- and sent it out yesterday to diocesan communicators in 89 dioceses, 40 Lutheran synods, and the congregations of our neighboring western dioceses of Idaho, Montana, Olympia, Utah, Oregon, Eastern Oregon and Wyoming (about 286 congregations). Almost all of these email addresses I've gathered by going through websites (diocesan and synod). This doesn't count the 300+ names on my mailing list, or the diocese of Spokane....so I have some more emails to send out today.

It's exciting because I've put on the website a list of the classes that are in development but not yet scheduled, and people can send an email indicating interest and asking to be notified when the class is scheduled -- and I've already gotten 5 people responding re a variety of classes -- which means I can go back to the leaders of those classes and say, yes! we're getting interest! This is very heartening.

Onward and onward!

Elizabeth

What it costs to "do business"

2006-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I received an email from one of my leaders yesterday, who wrote: "As for payment, if you can work for free, so can I." I appreciate that generosity of spirit so much! -- especially in these months of start-up -- and yet...

As I wrote in an earlier post, I feel committed to pay leaders as promised. From the very beginning, I approached them with the understanding that they would get paid for their class leadership -- a small amount, to be sure, but at least something. Putting together a class, as well as learning the mechanics of leading a class via teleconference, takes time and effort on their part. I'm profoundly grateful for their willingness to lend their time and effort to this new ministry.

The second reason is that we need to know "what it costs to do business." I've done most of my ministry in small congregations where generous parishioners donate a huge amount of supplies which never shows up on the budget -- so that we literally have no idea what it is truly costing to keep the doors open. If eMinistry is to prove it is a viable model which can "work" -- can keep its own doors open -- we need to know what it actually costs to do it without relying on the generosity of the people who make it happen....

On the other hand, the other side of me recognizes we're trying to get something started that's very new in the Church, and if leaders want to help get it going out of the goodness of their hearts, maybe I should just accept that gift gratefully and gracefully....in the spirit in which it is offered.

And since the only way to get this going big enough is to get it going big enough, perhaps the model for future funding/income needn't apply in this critical stage of getting going....??

Can't tell if this is a devil/angel-on-my-shoulders kind of argument or not! Feedback would be, as ever, welcome.....

Elizabeth

Going with a Beta-Test

2006-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

After talking with a couple of leaders today and thinking it over, I decided to do a beta-test period and invite people to register for an eMinistry class for free. Rather than do it by time (ie, 3 months), I think it will be a good start to offer free registration for the first 100 people who register. We can always extend that number if it seems like a good thing to do.

I also spent a large time today going through some diocesan websites and manually logging email addresses for their parishes. It's an incredibly labor-intensive process but I've concluded that it's essential to getting the word out about our classes. My initial reliance on diocesan communicators to publicize our offerings has its limits -- many have forwarded them on within their dioceses and I am very grateful to them! But I know that even if they try to help publicize us, the news may never reach the people in the congregations. So this week I will send out the beta-test announcement not only via diocesan communicators but to the parish email addresses I'm gathering.

I've been kind of stymied for a couple of days -- not wanting to plunge ahead with more class development/contacting potential leaders when I can't be sure that anyone would register! I hope the beta-test process will at least increase the number of people who want to try a class....

I appreciate the leaders who've offered to teach for free. But even though what we can pay right now is so minimal ($30 a class hour), I feel very strongly they need to be paid even if we have no income right now. I think I will put a "contribution button" on the website so if people are over-flowing with gratitude after they take a free class they can send us a contribution if they want to help support this ministry. But I won't expect it!

bye for now,

Elizabeth

Request for Feedback!

2006-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

I could really use some feedback about a quandary we're facing (which I admit is one I never expected!): We're getting 10 to 20 people a day now visiting the eMinistry website, but no registrations for our upcoming classes.

It could be that the 5 classes we have scheduled are just ones that don't have a broad appeal, and we simply need to get the other ones in development ready to go.

Or, it could be that this is a brand new medium for the Church (if not for business) and people may be reluctant to try a teleclass for the first time if they've never experienced it before.

Or, it could be that the $14 cost per class is too high (though I got lots of feedback at General Convention that this was a moderate and, as one person said, "honest" fee.)

This is so frustrating because I firmly believe that once people get to experience this mode of learning and connecting, they'll recognize what a terrific thing it is. And it's frustrating because I've got class leaders ready and eager to teach -- but no learners.... And I don't want to lose the good leaders we've got by constantly rescheduling their class to a later and later date...

So my question is: What do you think it is? What would make you reluctant to sign up for a class? Is it the topics we've got offered -- or the $14 fee -- or the medium itself?

And secondly: Should we do an extended beta-test period (say, for the next 3 months) and offer our classes for free? Our goal would be to get people to experience the teleclass format and give us more feedback about what works, what doesn't work, and what are the most popular topics/areas. I'm committed to paying the leaders as promised, so this would get just get chalked up to more start-up costs....

I'd surely welcome any comments, feedback or answers you might have -- and what you think about an extended beta-test period as a possible solution.... Many thanks!!

bye for now,

Elizabeth

Back from General Convention

2006-06-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well I had a terrific 10 days at General Convention! The whole experience was so different as an "unofficial exhibitor" than as a deputy 6 years ago in Denver -- as I was so much more detached from the day-to-day legislative business. But I got to enjoy the daily Eucharists and some of the hearings, along with the incredible experience of hearing the news announced of our new Presiding Bishop! I had not expected to be so moved by the news of Katharine Jefferts Schori's election -- moved to tears. It reminds me of what people are feeling when they still say to me how moving it is to see a woman (me) standing at the altar. It's easy for me to forget the power of the symbolic -- to say, "oh it's just me, Elizabeth...." and forget about what the symbol means....

Because having a booth cost $1300 (way beyond eMinistry's budget) I shared part of the booth space of booth #1 -- making me an "unofficial exhibitor" with the lovely Animal Welfare people, Sue, Karen and Rebecca. They have such good hearts -- and were so welcoming to me, and I couldn't have been there without their help. It was interesting to see passers-by look up at the booth banner and watch their faces respond with either interest or "those PETA activists!" (which couldn't be further from the truth.) I was grateful they let this carniverous eMinistry person stand next to them for 10 days, and I learned a lot about their ministry.

Sharing a booth was not ideal, because people DO look up to see the banner and either stayed or walked by on the basis of "animal welfare," not eMinistry. About 65 people signed up for the eMinistry mailing list, though -- representing 45 dioceses! So our ability to get news of eMinistry to people in congregations will be that much greater. I discussed with a couple of other ministry training organizations the possibility of sharing a larger booth with them in 3 years in Los Angeles...

I spent a huge amount of time visiting with other organizations in other booths -- and made some terrific connections, both in terms of potential topic for classes and in listening to/learning about the needs of these ministries. When we do a class on a topic related to their ministry, the possibility for publicity about the class through their network will be really helpful. I have a lot of following up to do!

It was so wonderful to meet up again with people from so many past parts of my life: my working at General Convention in the early 80's, seminary at VTS, my colleagues in the dioceses of Vermont and Kentucky, and now Spokane. Sort of pulls one's life back into a cohesive whole.... I loved just about every minute of GC 2006, AND I'm grateful I didn't have to vote on the very tough issues of the Church and could focus simply on being there and building eMinistry, AND I'm happy to be home again and back at work!

bye for now,

Elizabeth

New Beginnings

2006-06-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the eMinistry blog!

We're seeing about 8 visitors a day to the website now! Would love to know your responses to the website, the classes we're offering, the concept of this direct delivery system for ministry expertise.

As eMinistry has been developing over the past nine months, I've been scouring diocesan websites to identify interesting ministries out there. I see so much replication -- every diocese running its own stewardship workshops, wardens & treasurers conferences, ministry fairs. There is such great work being done out there to provide quality training for ministry -- and it's given just for the local few who can attend on the one day or weekend. It seems such a waste of energy, enthusiasm and expertise!

We all have common concerns and issues. So many of them could be addressed in an eMinistry class that crosses diocesan borders, brings people together across the Church, allows local leaders to have a much wider, stronger impact. I keep envisioning the hundreds of different classes, groups, conversations that eMinistry could provide or initiate -- all of which could help people in congregations throughout the country be more effective in their ministries....

Please tell me what you think! Leave a comment about the eMinistry website, what we're offering, questions or suggestions you have. It would be so great to know what your impressions are, and your thoughts on the effectiveness of distance-learning for the members of the Church. Let's talk!

peace & grace,

Elizabeth