Job Listing: Short-term Program Developer

Name of Organization – St. Philip’s and St. Paul’s Episcopal Churches, Richmond, VA

Closes – Until filled

Job Title – Short-Term Program Developer for Walking with the Enslaved Program

Compensation – The independent contractor will be hired on a fixed-term contract for a term of up to six months. Total project cost is $26,000, which includes a salary of $25,000 and $1,000 for expenses. Any unused expense funds will be distributed to the contractor as a salary supplement at the end of the project.

Type – Fixed-term six-month contract

Apply –  Submit the following materials: (1) letter of interest that describes prior experiences, skills, and interest in this project; (2) a resume/CV; (3) a writing sample of no more than 1,500 words; (4) and list of three references that attest to professional abilities and involvement with similar projects.

Deadline: For optimal consideration, submit materials by 5 p.m., January 15, 2025 to personnel@stpaulsrva.org.

Summary –  Aware of Richmond’s scarred and unhealed history, Walking with the Enslaved: The Church’s Role in Slavery seeks to promote racial healing and repair in individuals, the Church, and society by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through experiencing an intentionally selected series of historical sites, Walking with the Enslaved guides participants on a journey through Richmond’s racial past. Inspired by the Richmond Trail of Enslaved Africans, this faith-based experiential program focuses on sharing the history of Richmond’s prominent role in the Domestic Slave Trade alongside its eventual status as the Capitol of the Confederacy and promoter of the Lost Cause narrative. This is to deepen our collective understanding of the creation of the construct of race as a tool of oppression in the Church and society.

Our two primary goals for developing and offering this program include: (1) to explore the Church’s role and complicity in the system of enslavement and the Church’s obligation for racial repair; and, (2) to illuminate the truth about Richmond’s racial history to inspire personal truth-telling for the sake of inner and spiritual transformation. Through implementing these goals, we hope to begin and deepen a process of racial healing for participants from the persistent denial, cluelessness, materialism, shame, complacency, and prejudice that may work alone or in concert to prevent awareness, growth, and actions to dismantle racial injustice. It is our aspiration that this inner work will equip and empower participants to enact social and racial justice within the Church and our wider communities.

St. Philip’s and St. Paul’s Episcopal Churches have entered into an intentional partnership to collaborate on the development and implementation of Walking with the Enslaved. St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1861, is a historically African American church located in Northside Richmond and is a witnessing faith-based community where all peoples are welcome. St. Paul’s, founded in 1845, is a historically White congregation located in downtown Richmond that was complicit in racial oppression for decades, known as the “Cathedral of the Confederacy,” where both Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis worshipped during the Civil War. Today, St. Paul’s is a multigenerational, LGBTQ+ affirming congregation committed to racial justice, serving as a spiritual center for downtown. St. Philip’s and St. Paul’s have formed a Steering Committee to lead and guide the development of the Walking with the Enslaved Program.

Responsibilities – The contractor, working with and under the direction of the Walking with the Enslaved Steering Committee, will identify and organize core curriculum and pilgrimage/retreat options. This person will be responsible for facilitating a process with the Steering Committee to create and synthesize the following deliverables:

• identification of specific target audiences, at least two primary and two secondary;

• new, updated, and revised current curriculum model, adapted for target audiences, including scripts,

routes/maps, historical information, reflection and spiritual activities, modes of delivery, and options

for continued engagement with participants;

• build on and refine logistical plan, including personnel requirements, projected cost scenarios, and

potential funding sources;

• identification of potential partners for participation and/or implementation; and,

• development of initial marketing/communications plan.

In support of these activities, the contractor will also coordinate and participate in pilot pilgrim walks to evaluate and refine the program. This includes but is not limited to evaluating outcomes based on feedback from participants, partners, and target audiences.

Deliverables include monthly progress reports and a detailed, comprehensive final documentand

presentation that describes the program’s intended target audiences, updated and revised current curriculum

model, detailed logistical plan, program partners, and an initial marketing and communications plan.

Qualifications:

• Facilitation, organizational, and strategic planning skills for program development

• Curriculum design experience

• Effective oral and written communication skills

• Group process and coordination experience with diverse and multicultural communities

• Deep and broad appreciation for and understanding of Richmond’s history

• Physically located in Richmond

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent certifications and/or experience

• Basic competency in computing skills including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint