Support Yvonne's Research on Black Healing and Church Ritual
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I'm Yvonne D. Hawkins, and I'm an emerging womanist pastoral theologian. I'm currently completing a PhD degree in pastoral theology, personality, and culture. For decades, I've been inspired by the healing power of the Holy Communion. My doctoral project explores what might help congregants in Black church experience the Holy Communion as a space for voicing our stress or trauma as part our ritual remembrances of Jesus' life, death, and ministry. My goal is to find a bridge between mental health, Christian theology, ritual practice, and communal care in the Black community.
Methodology
The project combines constructivist grounded theory and analytical autoethnography
Budget
- $3,000 for on-site travel visits: Chicago (where I live) to Omaha (research site) for airfare, lodging, food, and local transportation
- $215 for online interviews and transcription account: Zoom Pro subscription for 12 months to fulfill storage and privacy protocols
- $650 for private data storage: Used laptop for data storage
- $300 participant honoraria: $50 gift cards for participants
Project Timeline
May 2025 through October 2025. Timeline breakdown:
- Participant recruitment site visit (completed)
- Initial life experiences interview with participants, June 2025
- Site visits as a participant-observer in Holy Communion, June-Aug 2025
- Followup participant interviews in June-Aug 2025
- Concluding life experiences interview in September 2025
- Findings presentation at the research site in October 2025
Research Ethics
The project has been approved by the institutional review board at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. The project adheres to ethical principles including those regarding privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and volunteer participation.
Funding Campaign Accountability
- Donations go to a dedicated account for project's used.
- Project updates will be posted here at GoFundMe.
- Donors will receive a summary of the study's final findings.
Organizer
Yvonne D Hawkins
Organizer
Chicago, IL