Stewardship Tip May 2008

Technology in the parish

How do you use technology in your parish? Chances are, your parish census information is held in an electronic database of some sort. Probably, if you have more than one, your parish computers are networked and the parish staff can be reached by e-mail and/or voicemail. But how else is technology being used – and where else could it be used? An annual expenditure of just a couple of dollars per student can turn the phone on your principal’s desk into an effective emergency alert system at your parish school. And an LCD projector used in the religious education program plus a lap top computer and a white wall becomes a way to project the words to the songs at the teen Mass. Are there other things that don’t require a lot of money that could make a big difference? Perhaps a “technology audit” is the first step – or consultation with other parishes in the deanery to see what they’re doing and how. A parish near ours has a “television ministry” which records the Mass each Sunday and delivers it to a local TV outlet. But they also use that technology “in house” to bring the Holy Thursday foot-washing into focus for the folks in the back pews and to let everyone see the baptisms at the Easter Vigil “up close and personal.” Could those resources be shared? Made available to a wider audience? It would be good stewardship.

Sometimes we are daunted and limited by our ignorance; we let our fear of new technology – or of its cost – keep us from exploring new ways to share the Good News! But there are lots of computer-savvy people out there willing to share their time and talent if they’re asked – and some of the most creative and able volunteers are probably in your Confirmation classes or youth ministry. Tech-savvy teenagers can create a youth-friendly website – or link to an existing parish website. And maybe make it interactive, too! Imagine registering for religious education classes on-line! Web-design advice – and free or very low cost web space – is often available from your parish database software company, just by calling and asking. (Actually, your parish is already on the web at www.parishesonline.org – check it out and/or link it to your current website, if you have one.)

Does the parish own a digital camera? Someone taking pictures at parish events means good quality graphics for the parish bulletin, and eye-catching posters made from “blow-ups” of those pictures are good publicity for up-coming parish events. A year’s worth of those pictures, artfully assembled, can become a powerful PowerPoint presentation for the annual stewardship renewal – and a video loop for coffee and donuts on Follow-up Sunday! That DVD (and an inexpensive DVD player) can be sent with pastoral care ministers to “bring the parish” to the sick and homebound – or be used to introduce newcomers to ministry opportunities at a “Welcome” event.

And one final technology tip… Beware of well-meaning parishioners trying to help by “donating “obsolete computer equipment to the parish or the school. There are exceptions, of course, but it’s usually best to help them find an environmentally appropriate place to discard those old monitors and keyboards and printers, instead. (And proper disposal of electronic components is good stewardship, too.) It’s easier to make silk purses out of sows’ ears than to create new parish technology from obsolete parts!