Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 76th General Convention direct the Center for Evangelism and Congregational Life to create a comprehensive toolkit to support and inspire congregations and dioceses to engage in culturally-appropriate evangelism and mission with groups under-represented by the church including, but not limited to, people of color, immigrants and refugees, youth and young adults, gay and lesbian people, people living in poverty, people with disabilities and those who do not attend church; and be it further

Resolved, That the toolkit might include video/DVD, an online resource center and a downloadable resource pack (in Spanish and English, with subtitles in other languages). The content could include the following: videos of church leaders' compelling stories about evangelism and mission in emerging, multicultural contexts; tools and resources for change-planning, identifying a community's demographic make-up, and training to prepare congregations to engage in cross-cultural evangelism and mission. Such training might include, but not be limited to, anti-racism, welcoming poor people, gay and lesbian people, youth and young adults, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities and those new to/returning to church; and be it further

Resolved, That the toolkit be presented to the House of Bishops and the Executive Council in their first meetings in 2011.

EXPLANATION

As The Episcopal Church seeks to engage God's mission in our communities today, congregations and dioceses must pursue evangelism and mission that honors their unique communities, particularly considering diversities of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, generation, education, physical ability, citizenship and church membership, or lack thereof.

Some evangelism and mission resources have been developed for some under-represented groups, and it is time to draw them together. This toolkit would gather and present a comprehensive set of resources to support congregations and dioceses as they identify and engage under-represented/under-served groups in their community.

It is expected that the Center for Evangelism and Congregation Life will spearhead this effort in cooperation with other offices, including but not limited to Ministries with Young Adults, Campus Ministries, Social and Economic Justice.