Province VIII Plans Lay Ministry Videos
Episcopal News Service. March 22, 1984 [84062]
SAN FRANCISCO (DPS, Mar. 22) -- The Episcopal Church's Province of the Pacific has announced the development of "Epicenter", an innovative video approach to lay ministry education.
Plans approved at last summer's Provincial Council meeting call for a series of five 30-minute programs to be produced by Tri Video Television of Nevada. They are designed to be viewed in living room dialogue settings in the homes of church members and will be available primarily in the same VHS or Beta videocassette format used for home video movies. Distribution will be through diocesan offices directly to local churches.
Effective personal lay ministry will be the topic of the series. Each program will focus on the personal life and commitment of three individuals whose ministry makes a difference in the community. Though each segment will be a complete story within the program, on-screen hosts will relate all three segments, so that the entire program will deal with a type of ministry, a specific project, or a particular place seen through the lives of the people involved.
While intended as an education in ministry resource for small parish groups, the tapes will also be available in a professional format for use on cable and broadcast television, etc.
Partial funding for the project comes from a $15,000 Venture in Mission grant approved in January by the Diocese of San Joaquin. The total projected expense is $90,000, and additional funding is being sought. Production on the first program is scheduled to begin in June, with a screening to be held at the Provincial Synod in September.
Editorial supervision for the programs will come from the executive producer and production committee appointed by the province. Programs will be produced and directed by the Rev. Jon Paul Davidson, who directed both the 1982 General Convention t.v. report, "We Gather Together" and the 1981 San Diego House of Bishops' program "Your Leaders Are Listening".
This is the first time a province of the Episcopal Church has produced a t.v. series with particular emphasis on response to the needs and concerns of its own constituency. The Province of the Pacific includes Episcopal churches in the Western states, Alaska, Hawaii, Taiwan, and the Philippines.