The purpose of this blog post is to offer a Great Big “Thank You!” to the Dioceses, Diocesan Beta Coordinators, and Congregational Beta Users, whose assistance was invaluable in shaping MapDash for Faith Communities into the great missional tool it has become.

We gratefully acknowledge the five Episcopal Dioceses that agreed to be beta test sites for the Congregational Version of MapDash for Faith Communities, and the diocesan staffers who help coordinate the beta sites in their dioceses: Diocese of Maryland (Canon Scott Slater), Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast (Canon Kammy Young), Diocese of Georgia (“Loose” Canon Frank Logue), Diocese of Oklahoma (Susan Brown Snook), and Diocese of Pennsylvania (Canon Kirk Berlenbach and his team). Scroll down for a list of participating congregations by dioceses.

We offer special thanks to Diocese of Maryland, which with Bishop Eugene Sutton’s support took part not only in prototyping, alpha-testing, and beta-testing the Congregational Version, but also worked closely with us in developing the Executive (Diocesan Level) diagnostic map layers for Congregational Vitality, Congregational Sustainability, and Missional Opportunity. Canon Slater’s assistance in gaining us wide access to the congregations and leaders of Patapsco Valley Region was invaluable

Special thanks also go to Canon Young of Central Gulf Coast, who put many hours into reviewing and providing constructive feedback the Beta User Guide, worked with Bishop Russell Kendrick to bring me in to pilot test our training at their annual Discipleship Day, and worked with Canon Frank Logue of Georgia to develop a regional grant to train diocesan staff in Central Gulf Coast and Georgia to use MapDash for evangelism planning. And a special shout-out to Canon Kirk Berlenbach and his team for going the extra mile (literally) to help us identify and stamp out bugs.

Finally, our giving of thanks would not be complete without recognizing the role played by the Episcopal Church, specifically that of the Rev. Tom Brackett, member Presiding Bishop’s Staff and Manager for Church Planting and Mission Development, who support and encouragement helped us stay faithful, focused, and forward moving through the year and a half developmental journey. Tom, you are a saint!

Blessings and thanks to everyone!
Ken+
The Rev. Ken Howard
Executive director of FaithX
Co-creator of MapDash for Faith Communities

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