TALLAHASSEE — When the Rev. Barbara Awoniyi arrived at Calvary United Methodist Church here, she found a church in the heart of a developing community where one of the residents’ greatest needs is real-world skills to help them get better jobs.

She also knew that any program begun by the church to meet that need would have to be led by the church’s laity in order to have a lasting impact on the community. "The only way this kind of program can be effective is if the members own it," she said.

With those two goals in mind, Awoniyi started applying for grants last year to fund a church-based computer training program at Calvary.

"Technology is really the area that people need to have more familiarity and be more involved in," she said. "The people could be more upwardly mobile if they had computer skills. Our church is creating a niche through the area of computer technology."

When the church received a $2,250 grant from the Conference’s Church and Society ministry team and Peace With Justice Sunday funds last fall to help start a computer lab, members became "excited and a little uncomfortable" about the church’s new ministry, Awoniyi said. "They didn’t know what was involved in starting this new ministry."

Two teams of volunteers emerged from the congregation to lead the effort. A group of people with computer expertise became the Implementation Team, which is responsible for carrying out the ministry. Joe King, whose wife, Pam, is the team’s president, is building a computer server that will link the computers together in a network. Others on the team help secure equipment or software or teach the classes.

The second team is a group of long-time church members "who had a vested interest in the vision and course the church takes," Awoniyi said. The Advisory Team’s job is to oversee the ministry and bless the ideas and work of the Implementation Team.

"The committees are open to people with the skills and the motivation to do ministry in that way," she said.

The ministry is also involving people from other churches, according to Awoniyi. LaPortia Foster, who attends a nearby Baptist church and has a reputation for being good with computers, was asked by a member of the Advisory Team to teach a class.

"We have an ecumenical training team," Awoniyi said.

The grant money the church received was not enough to buy new computers, so the church sought donations from local businesses and government offices and some of the larger United Methodist churches in the Tallahassee District.

"We knew the $2,250 wouldn’t buy new computers," Awoniyi said. "But we could buy computers that needed upgrades."

The lab now has six computers donated by First Union National Bank of Winter Haven and Killearn United Methodist Church. The grant money has helped upgrade the computers’ hardware and software.

"It’s wonderful that the larger churches that are more financially able have started to partner with smaller churches trying to upgrade their ministry," she said, adding Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church has also provided support.

The Tallahassee office of the Department of Children and Family Services donated monitors for the computers. Other local businesses donated carpet for the computer room and offered discounts on software.

Two classes have already been held, attracting about a dozen people. The Introduction to Computers class "starts with the basics," Awoniyi said. "This is a mouse — and it’s not something that runs around." The second class was an introduction to Microsoft® Word.

While the goal of the leadership teams is to keep classes small, Awoniyi said they are looking for ways to publicize the training throughout the Tallahassee area. They are also considering ideas for making the program more accessible, including providing a Saturday morning class for parents with day care for their children.

Awoniyi said volunteers for the ministry are very optimistic about its future. "The laity in the meetings have been so positive and upbeat," she said. "The have constantly sought guidance from the Spirit of God and are prayerful in all their meetings."