January 10, 2005

Designed to help increase local church hospitality and evangelism in preparation for back-to-school national television advertising, new teaching resources for use in Lent or Eastertide 2005 have been mailed to all congregations in the Episcopal Church.

Titled "Groundwork: Digging Deep for Change and Growth," the resources are also available on-line at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/groundwork/.

The materials precede the scheduled March 2005 preview of new TV ads designed to reach "Generation X" viewers (often defined as those born between 1962 and 1981) who are unaffiliated with any church. The ads are being developed through the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication pursuant to $750,000 allocated for this purpose by General Convention in 2003. For a free consultation regarding this advertising, congregations are invited to contact the Episcopal Media Center in Atlanta, telephone: 800.229.3788, after reviewing their Groundwork packets.

Aimed to achieve membership growth, the 2005 Lenten study resources emphasize complete analysis of congregational systems at work in local ministry, the Rev. Dr. James B. Lemler, director of mission for the Episcopal Church, said in a recent interview.

" 'Groundwork' is an educational offering for Lent 2005 that joins together reflection on the study and proclamation of the Lenten Sunday Scripture cycle and learning about evangelism, congregational invitation, and mission in the present changing context," Lemler said.

Three printed packets have been mailed to each congregation, with a cover letter from Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold requesting that one packet be forwarded to the congregation's lead educator, another to its lead communicator, and the third to the vestry or bishop's committee.

Component pieces in the packet include:

. The Groundwork "Guide for Lenten Study and Action (Year A)," written by Lemler and the Rev. Charles Fulton, the Episcopal Church's director of congregational development;

. "Communication and Advertising: A Guide for Congregations," by the Rev. Canon Louis C. Schueddig, president of the Episcopal Media Center, and Canon Robert Williams, the Episcopal Church's acting director of communication;

. "Welcoming the Visitor: A Guide for Congregations," by the late Susy Miller, well-known consultant to congregations and the wider Episcopal Church;

. "Competence in Cross-Cultural Ministry: A Guide for Congregations," by the Rev. Patricia McCaughan of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and Williams;

. "Ministry with Young Adults and 'Next Generations,'" two guides by Thomas Chu, the Episcopal Church's program director for Ministries with Young People;

. "Vestry Planning for Evangelism: the Groundwork of Leadership," by Lemler and Fulton.

Links to resources provided in Spanish by the Rev. Isaias Rodriguez of Atlanta and the Rev. Daniel Caballero, the Episcopal Church's missioner for Hispanic ministry, will also be provided within the next 10 days on-line at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/groundwork/.

Groundwork, said Lemler, "is part of the goal of personal and congregational transformation that is at the heart of the Episcopal Church's mission and of the National Advertising Collaborative that has been launched." The 'Groundwork' learning resources are being developed to be used for study on Sundays, in mid-week Lenten programs, and for leadership/vestry retreats. "Its frameworks will assist Episcopalians to consider their own faith stories, how the local congregation invites people (especially young adults), ways of learning about their own context, and the meaning of baptismal identity."

"It is hoped that 'Groundwork' - and its components developed in English and Spanish - will be a foundational step for congregations in their mission of invitation and evangelism and will provide links to resources for these important ministries."

Lemler said the "Groundwork" resources will also provide a thematic complement to the Episcopal Church's new on-line visitors' center, http://www.comeandgrow.org/, and to additional related communication initiatives.

Episcopal News Service
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