Press On Toward The Goal

Child Friendly Church

2012-01-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Years ago I heard a wonderful talk by the Episcopal Bishop of Rochester (can't remember his name) about prejudice in the Church. The rest of his talk was about what we do with children.

-send them away
-exclude them from most of Christian worship
-don't listen to them

and on and on. He was correct, of course.

This Christmas (2011), we had a great turn out of kids for the Christmas Eve mass because they were participating in a pageant. The level of excitement and interest was obvious. The question is, how could we allow this to continue.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Children attract children. Make our programs more visible.
2. Find creative ways to include children in the Sunday mass. We already have one who has been reading in both English and Spanish. Let's find some others. When do our kids get a chance to be servers? How can we make that possible? There are any number of other things that they can do, in fact, anything that adults do with the possible exception of administering the chalice.

3. There is always the issue of language. Most of our kids attend mass in Spanish, even though some of them have limited abilities in Spanish. What does that say about the use of English in the Spanish mass? That answer might have to wait for a while.

We have already changed the Sunday morning schedule to have Christian Education for all, adults and kids, at 11 am. That allows the children to attend either the 10 am in English or the 12 noon in Spanish. It's not much time, but it allows them to be fully part of what is going on.

What ideas do you have for including children more into the life of the Church?

Press On Toward The Goal: Small Churches and growth

2011-03-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

www.holyroodchurch.com

Small Churches and growth

2011-03-19T17:14:00.001-07:00

Here is an article by Peter Soros that you might find interesting. He is a consultant for churches interested in growing.

rticle 7: Can Small Churches Survive or is Growth Possible?

A growing number of churches could be considered small churches. In my opinion a church with less than 50 attendees at Sunday morning worship would be a small church. Churches with Sunday attendance between 50 and 90 might be considered below average and have a high potential of becoming small or possibly a growing congregation. (Note: Sunday attendance is usually half the total active membership of a church, in most congregations.) From what I have seen about 100 on a Sunday morning could be considered about average. Small churches and some medium sized churches are staffed by a part time clergy person and many have had that practice for years and that is what they expect to be their norm.

After a period of time most of these congregations are just happy to be open, with little hope of a change in their situation. They accept an operational mode of maintaining and survival. Often they remember the past, feeling depressed about the present situation and a rather low expectation that things will change or that the church could once again experience growth. There are usually few or no young families with few children. Members describe the congregation as being made up of mostly older members with some middle age people. Many had a full time priest at one time and because of financial difficulty, called a part time priest. Some relate a full time priest costs to the church having a budget deficit; this can be a very limiting concept association.

When members are asked about young families they state that many members have moved away or just don’t come to church anymore and that the new people in the community are either not interested in church or are attending a large “Mega-Church” or a Catholic church nearby. If they are asked about the school system and whether the schools are full or nearly empty, they almost always respond that the schools are full. Asked if there is any new housing in the community, they respond again that there is some but no one is joining this church or that there is no new housing and therefore all the people who live there have a church home already are not looking for one. They may disregard that even if there is no new housing, there are still people moving into the existing housing when others move away.

The leadership of a small congregation may operate as an extended family. Some of the members have been the same leadership positions for a long period of time, and often the only way a new person moves into a position is when someone dies or is no longer able to fulfill that role. Areas of responsibility that in many churches would be managed by a committee in small churches may be managed by one person who by default has control over that responsibility and is used to managing the area in a set and comfortable method. Often times when a new member or another person tries to assist, they learn quickly to just assist, not to try to provide new ideas. Often after a short time the assisting person begins to pull back or lose interest. There are situations that someone who offers assistance may not wish to provide any leadership, but would rather just perform a task following direction. Few new leaders are developed and some members with a desire to be helpful as a leader may leave for another church where they feel their time and talent may be better utilized. This has also happened in some medium sized churches.

Since most people are not attending a church to be involved in conflict, to have any feeling of “ill will” or distress they may just not bother to express their ideas or push for any change. They just come on Sunday mornings and attend some events of the church to show support, but little else. Others just move on to another congregation.

The role of the priest may become that of a chaplain or sacramentalist. Since their time is limited just performing the basic duties of Worship, Funerals, an occasional Baptism or Wedding, visiting the sick and shut-in and some pastoral care can use up the limited time agreed to. The lay leadership is left to deal with the building, finances and most of the general administration. As long as the priest pretty much leaves things the way they are, and stays pastoral, the status quo seems to maintain. What may not be helpful is when a part-time priest gives more than they agreed to give in time and the result is that the congregation has too high an expectation of that they can receive with few paid hours. The next priest may “pay the price” of an unrealistic expectation.

Many of the main members of the church usually give well in Stewardship on average, but feel that there can be no increase in Stewardship because people are giving as much as they can already. This also limits the resources available. Some churches have “stored some rainy day funds” or have some small endowment that supplements the church’s budget.

When a possibility of Growth Happens

Sometimes an opportunity of growth arises. With many clergy who have now retired early (30 and out) and some clergy who have secular or weekday church related work available who have experience in a growing church come to a “small church” and see possibilities for growth and development. They wish to be more than the chaplain or sacramentalist clergy role and begin to exercise their role as Priest in Charge or Vicar. Many clergy with this type of ability usually work with the lay leadership to explore the possibilities for growth and highlight the signs of growth and “resurrection” that may already be happening or are just “outside the door”. Also sometimes new lay members join who have had experience in being part of a growing church in the past and they bring new energy to a church.

Getting the Leadership to see a Vision of Growth

Pointing out signs of growth and potential of growth needs to be preached and highlighted in announcements. What may begin to happen is that the interest of some members of the congregation who have been “low keyed” may begin to have more interest and take on some new leadership roles. Something is finally happening. Some leaders may appreciate the signs of hope and possibilities that are happening and may be open to change the way they manage the church. There may be some leaders who are not open to change and see any change or change in roles as a criticism of their work over the year or taking an unwise risk in an already vulnerable situation. Usually there is a mix of reactions that need to be worked through. At the same time some changes that may result in growth and development need to begin to show what the possibilities are and in order to support those that are interested in growth to see some signs of growth. There needs to be a balance of energy in investing some time in showing that growth is possible and working though the uneasiness of some members to change and take some reasonable risks.

Learning the Who is in the Community

The first step in church growth is to determine who is out there in the community (the community may be defined in a regional area rather than just a neighborhood or a local town) who may be interested in joining a church and what would they be looking for in a church. This may be a difficult process for some of the members who are presently members because they may have joined the congregation years ago and are not aware with what people today are looking for in a church. Demographic information can be really helpful. Are there new age groups, new ethnic, new racial groups, single people, and couples without children who may be a possibility for growth?

Programming for Growth

An example of a group for growth potential in many communities is young families. Young families are usually seeking churches with good church schools and youth programs. They are looking for churches that can support their spiritual life and enable them to have a sense of community. In small churches, especially those with few young families, the need to invest in a church school plan can seem a waste of time; they see so few children now. I have seen a congregation start a church school with four children and now a few years later there are twenty five children registered in the church school. For different demographic groups there may be different church ministries that will serve their needs.

Attracting Potential Visitors

Marketing the church is so important. Some people are uncomfortable with the word marketing. Another way of saying it is to “let people know what great things are happening inside the Church” Developing or redesigning a web page in most congregations is important to bring a greater awareness of what is happening at the church, what ministries are being offered, and what the church offers young families needs to be told to the outside community. Twenty year ago most people found their new church from ads in the Telephone Directory, now it tends to be Web Sites. Articles on the church in the local papers on events such as “Blessing of the Animals”, children’s events, Church School registration, Outreach opportunities are all helpful. Church signage may need to be reassessed. Can someone read the sign driving at the speed limit on the road in front of the church? Is the sign too cluttered with information on it so that the service times are not easily read? The most important information on the sign is the hours of services, not so much of on what particular details of the service, or even the name of the clergy. Often the name of the church is so large there is no room for the service times to be large enough to be seen. You should be able to drive by at the speed limit and quickly notice what time the services are held on Sundays. An “Episcopal Welcome You” sign can handle the rest.

The Process of helping a Visitor become a Member

Church Growth is a two step process. The first step is to attract visitors on a Sunday morning, the second step is to help the visitor over a few weeks (they may not come every Sunday) develop a relationship with the congregation’s members. It is important to have a couple of people assigned to greet visitors, assist them in meeting other members who they may have some commonality with such as near the same age group and when possible to follow up on the new people. In many churches the congregation relies on the priest to meet, greet, and build a relationship with the visitor. This seldom is enough; lay members are needed to assist the priest by greeting the visitor at the door and then meeting with them briefly after the service. Do not assume that they know where the coffee hour is held, escort them. A good idea to remember is that “Every new member was once a visitor, depending on their experience as a visitor will determine whether they become a member.”

Link to video: Sunday morning music practice

2011-03-19T16:44:00.001-07:00

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ERO_i-NxvHsPJe8QImeExrWTvo4k50_y71yB3f5HUFA?feat=directlink

Patience by Erik Page | Earth Shots

2010-12-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

Patience by Erik Page | Earth Shots

Energy Audit at Holyrood

2010-12-14T13:59:00.001-08:00

The Church recently had an audit of fuel use and here is the link to the report:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bw5oGCw7ZU3KYzA0NmZlN2MtNTZjYy00M2RmLWFhYjktYzBjNzAzYWI4NmVk&hl=en&authkey=CO7wpe4J

Proposal to Hispanic Commission December 2010

2010-12-14T11:42:00.001-08:00

Holyrood Church/Iglesia de Santa Cruz
715 W. 179th street
New York, NY 10033

Proposal for Hispanic Commission
6 December 2010

Background:

Washington Heights is one of New York City’s most vibrant neighborhoods. With approximately 200,000 people, 71% of whom are Latinos, it is clearly one of the largest concentrations of Hispanics in the Diocese of New York

Holyrood Church/La Santa Cruz has a motto used since the 1970’s: One congregation, two languages. With Sunday masses in English (10 am) and Spanish (12 noon), the Vestry and committees function in both languages.

Over the past forty years, there have been times of a flourishing relationship between English and Spanish speaking people, and the Spanish language work prospered. . It must also be said there have been times of significant conflict between the two languages and cultures. Recent developments suggest a change is in the air.

Recent Redevelopments

The church has continued several ministries to the community that are well established and supported by the church’s budget as well as Episcopal Charities: The FoodFest (a Friday night free dinner, especially for the needy – average attendance 30-60 (at least half are Hispanics), and the 5-week Summer Camp (average attendance 20 children, half of whom are Hispanic.)

In 2010, the congregation has launched several important new activities, almost all having an effect on ministry to Spanish-speaking people. Here are some highlights:

Washington Heights Choir School at Holyrood started in September 2010 using the curriculum and structure of the Royal School of Church Music. The after-school program, five days a week, has 10 students enrolled, 9 of whom are Hispanic. Plans for next year include adding an additional ten students. Five people from the church and the community volunteer to supplement the paid staff.

Open Door Ministry. Latinos at Santa Cruz formed a men’s group, which in turn started opening the church every weekday afternoon. Eight volunteers work on this.

The Coro at 12 has been revived with practice Thursday afternoons before the Santa Misa and singing on Sundays at the 12 noon Santa Misa. Eight people participate in this.

A new style of music and instruments has been introduced at the 12 noon Misa, now using keyboard with rhythm, live drums, tambourine, etc. giving the music at the mass a new flavor.

English classes were started in February and have had four six week sessions. Students number around 20, with four volunteers from the community (non-members).

Adult education started in January, 2010, and is held every Sunday at 1pm, with topics ranging from bible study, methods of prayer, introduction to the Episcopal Church and other topics of interest. Usually 20 adults attend.

Youth Club and Kids Club. Two educational programs for children have been revitalized and there are now 15 students enrolled. 12 are Hispanic.

A Basketball Team was formed in October, as a part of efforts from Intercession (155th Street) to form an Episcopal League for Northern Manhattan for kids 9-13 years old. Those expressing interest both as players and as coaches are Latinos.

A new adult organization has been formed in October (yet to be named) among Hispanic members that have a committee of officers. The group is interested primarily in outreach,.

Hispanics have initiated several social events: a dance, a picnic and a trip to Coney Island.

Money Counters. Two teams of Spanish-speaking members have been trained and now count the Sunday offering in addition to the teams already in place..

A weekly Sunday newsletter as well as an email newsletter are printed in Spanish.
All of these new activities, all supported by the church’s budget, have generated a new sense of enthusiasm and some cross-fertilization, attracting new people into the community of the Church. The web site has material in Spanish.

Our proposal calls for strengthening these activities and initiating new ones.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION AS REQUESTED BY THE INSTRUCTIONS

1. What is the purpose of this ministry? Holyrood/Santa Cruz has traditionally not made a distinction between programs for English speakers and Spanish speakers. This proposal calls for several new programs as well as building up programs begun in the past 12 months and there is one primary purpose of the proposal for this grant: build up the Spanish-speaking congregation and serve the huge Latino community of Washington Heights.

2. How long has this ministry existed? Holyrood/Santa Cruz has had worship, social services, social events, and other groups and activities for the Hispanic population for well over forty years.

3. Whom does this ministry serve and how does it serve them? The primary population is the estimated 40% of the neighborhood that is unchurched, and the secondary population is the Latino members of the congregation equipping them to reach the larger group. Latino adults will be served through the English Classes, leadership development, pastoral care,and opportunities for dynamic worship. Children will be served through partial scholarships for Hispanic kids for tuition to the after school program,and through the development of a strong Basketball team. Both adults and children will be served by an aggressive advertising program.

A basic component of this proposal is outreach to a five block radius of the church at W179th Street. A systematic attempt will be made to reach every building, and every apartment within that area to:
-identify any needs of the families
-inform people of the services and activities offered by Holyrood/Santa Cruz
-invite people to step forward, discover their own ministries, and exercise those ministries through an affiliation with Holyrood/Santa Cruz
-invite unaffiliated people to join Holyrood/Santa Cruz as new members

Strong lay leaders will be the key to this program, people who have been trained and authorized by the church to do this outreach work. Therefore, leadership training is an essential component of the proposal.

It is invisioned that the same person will do the work listed below as Teacher of the Escuela de Lideres and as coordinator of the outreach program (and as the assisting priest listed in the Vestry’s budget for 2011).

4. On average, how many people are served by this ministry per week? Worship 50, Choir School 10, Spanish choir 7,Adult English classes presently serve 20 and in the future an additional 25, Adult Education in Spanish 24, and in the future, pastoral groups in the community120, Choir School- an additional 5 children, basketball team an additional 10 for a total weekly of 291.

5. For what specific purpose in the ministry is funding being requested?
a. Escuela de Lideres (Leadership School)
Teacher 3,000
Materials 500
Total 3,500
b. Basketball Team
Towards uniforms 100
c. Outreach Coordinator for block by block outreach (an assisting priest) 3,000
d. Music: two congas 500
e. Choir School partial scholarships 2,000
f. English classes, materials 300
g. Fliers, posters, ads, mailings 1,200

6. What other sources of funding support this ministry?
a. The Vestry has voted for the first time to include $3000 towards an assisting priest who will work in block by block community development (5.c above)
b. The Vestry includes in the 2011 budget $200 for a conga. (5.d listed above)
c. The parish supports the Choir school through a generous grant from the Hanks Family (5.e above)
d. The parish supports communication and advertisements efforts through its regular budget
e. [Note that Holyrood receives funds from Episcopal Charities to supplement the congregation’s support of the Friday night free community dinner called FoodFest, and the five-week summer camp for children.]

7. Other information that might be helpful: please see above.

Holyrood and the Arts

2010-07-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

There are several proposals floating around Holyrood this summer, both having to do with the arts. One is to establish a choir school for kids, and the other is to form Music At Holyrood.

The first proposal is to have a choir school for kids in grammar school. It would be after noraml school hours and include recreation, snacks, tutoring on school subjects, and most of all, music. . . specifically choral church music. (There is an exploratory meeting Sunday, 24 July 2010 at 1pm)

The second proposal is to welcome music groups to claim Holyrood as their home. Already, the church has made this offer to the Cornerstone Choral and they have accepted being "Artists in Residence." We will have to explore exactly what that means, but clearly in starts by saying that we share a common goal of making music in this wonderful space.

Why should the church be involved so much in music? Here are some thoughts:

-we need to open our doors to the community and Washington Heights has a lively arts community
-the Church has often been a supporter of the arts.
-and in the case of the Choir School, there is a direct connection between this project and building up the church.

What do you think?

Last Trip For Awhile

2010-02-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day in El Salvador where I have been visiting for the past two weeks: one week to help lead continuing education for the clergy (a position I am now finishing up) and then this past week for a board meeting of Cristosal, an organization that raises funds for the Anglican Church in El Salvador.

Since starting at Holyrood mid-December, there have been many 'interruptions: Charles Rainford's death shocked us all, there was Christmas, the trip to Guatemala, and now El Salvador. starting, Tuesday, I will feel like I am really here. And ready to get down to business.

Hello from Guatemala

2010-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

These two weeks here have become a cumstomary thing for June and me. It includes for me this time, one week in Antigua, a wonderful little town full of Spanish schools, where we both study Spanish every morning for four hours, and then this week, my being in Guatemala City teaching at the regional seminary of the Episcopal Church.

All goes well, but as usual, it will be good to get home.

Some Goals For 2010

2009-12-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

As we look towards the new year, here are some goals to aim towards. They are taken from a document that was attached to the contract between the Church and Fr. Hagen and sent on to the Bishop.

New Directions

In our conversations, Vestry, Wardens and candidate for Priest-in-Charge, it has become clear that now is the opportunity for Holyrood/Santa Cruz to launch an aggressive outreach to Washington Heights, one of the most vital neighborhoods in New York City.
New Directions include starting new ministries and strengthening existing ones. The following includes programs that will begin almost immediately, and others that will begin after research.
Strengthen Existing Ministries for Outreach
1. Summer Camp. Begin January 2010 recruiting young people for this program.
2. Greeters/Ushers, Sunday music, preaching - - all existing programs to be strengthened with a conscious effort to make them new-comer friendly.
3. Friday Food Fest
4. Cursillo
New Ministries:
By the end of February 2010, the candidate will have in place two Sunday adult education (adult forum) programs, one in English, the other in Spanish, offering well publicised topics of interest to both parishioners and people in the community.
By the end of March 2010, the candidate will have in place a Street Presence Ministry where on average of an hour a week the candidate will spend time engaging people on the streets (stores, etc.) especially about new programs at the church.
By the end of March 2010, the candidate will have in place a Sacramental educational/motivational program inviting unaffiliated people in the community to receive Baptism, First Communion (instruction about the Eucharist), and Confirmation/Reception. This will include an educational program for children, and adults.
By the end of March 2010, the candidate will have in place an Open Door Program, where the doors of the church will be opened at least 5 hours a week, besides Sunday mornings, and office hours clearly posted. As a part of this program, there will be a complete evaluation of signage, including the placement of appropriate well-lit signs in the front of the church about church programs.
By April 2010. The candidate will have taken responsibility for expanding the web site.
By April 2010. The candidate will produce a proposal for two new ministries, depending on the needs of the neighborhood and avoiding duplication of other neighborhood programs, especially Alianza Dominicana housed at the church. Two areas of investigation will be the church offering conversational English (and Spanish?) and an Arts at Holyrood program including concerts, photo and art exhibits, and dance.
By end of April 2010. HolyWIN (Holyrood Welcoming and Incorporating New Members Program). 1) After establishing a ten year base, institute monthly tracking of Sunday, week-day attendance, pledge and plate on a weekly basis, to be reported to the Vestry regularly. 2) a) Establish a database tracking system for members, shut-ins, birthdays, etc. b) as well as a new member program tracking the process of incorporation into the life of the Church, from visitor and potential member to full , active member. This program implies the production of printed materials: welcome packet, forms, flyers publicizing programs, YouTube video, etc. This implies a program of systematic visits with priest and potential members. c) Establish a Friends of Holyrood Program, for those unlikely to become members but who want some affiliation with the church especially in helping with new ministries.
June 2010. Priest and Vestry will evaluate the effectiveness of the above program and make adjustments.