11/11/22 – Name change from SME All Access to Jay’s Café Assist and description updated to be in compliance with Google’s Metadata policy.
11/09/22 – I’ve put the app into open production. The app is being reviewed by Google and I’m waiting for notification of pass/fail. I should know in 2 or more days.
11/07/22
Purpose:
- To provide the congregation with a free and advertisement-free mobile application on which to rapidly access St. Matthew’s digital resources.
- To reinitiate a digital presence on Google Play Store to outreach to those searching.
- To initiate a digital presence on Amazon App Store to outreach to those searching.
- To reinitiate a digital presence on Apple’s App Store to outreach to those searching. (long term goal)
- To donate the rights to the codebase to EDoLa so that other churches in the diocese may take advantage of the applications features. (Long term goal)
Executive Summary:
SME All Access is currently in proof-of-concept beta. The app opens to an image of SME’s altar and the major window of the triptych. Selecting icons at the top of the page link’s to St. Matthew’s official home page: https://stmatthewshouma.org, The Digital Order of Service available at: https://smecp.jayscafe.net, the Lectionary Page: https://lectionarypage.net, and the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal: https://hymnary.org/hymnal/EH1982.
The selection and construction of the information relayed by the application are in flux as choices are made as to what would best serve the congregation. Social media is eliminated due to current restrictions in place by those entities.
An Apple version is planned, but progress is hampered due to hardware issues.
A short note concerning the original SME mobile application: The original mobile application was developed by an external contractor with a local consultant providing both an Android and an iOS mobile application for a fee with considerable licensing restrictions. The Apple’s developer restrictions and the lack of a local pathway forward killed development of and access to the iOS application. The status of the Android version of the mobile application is unknown.
Intent: Development of the SME All Access is occurring with the primary goal of accessibility for congregants with medical needs making the handling of paper or books challenging. All other goals are incidental but should provide a formidable presence in accessibility of church media as there are a very limited number of apps developed for the physically challenged and even fewer developed by a quadriplegic for the physically challenged. This provides the developer added insight into developing a user-friendly mobile application.
With congregational and church participation another goal could be helping to market SME to members of the local community and members abroad to grow the congregation.
Below, please find the current screenshots of SME All Access in action on a Samsung Note 8. The developer wishes you as much enjoyment, hope and excitement as he currently is experiencing.
Please, consider offering your ideas to the project.
Jay C. Theriot
Technology Outreach Missionary
