What is EPN?
The Educator's Professional Network is a unique interdenominational nonprofit organization founded on the belief that educators have a calling to be salt and light to their peers and students.
The Educator's Professional Network believes that by sharing and praying together members can see the Lord change the spiritual atmosphere and create a caring community in the school environment, while obtaining encouragement from fellow Christian educators. More importantly, EPN members find fulfillment in their calling by having support from other intercessors, churches, and the marketplace.
Our Vision
EPN recognizes the significant influences educators have in the lives of others within their educational environment. EPN was founded for the purposes of encouraging and motivating educators to contribute more effectively as a positive influence in the lives of those around them. The goals of EPN include the following:
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To see God change the spiritual climate of a school through teh prayers and examples of the EPN participants.
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To provide educators with a variety of opportunities to encourage, motivate, and support each other in turn -- developing caring communities.
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To relate Christian principles to all educators and assist in their calling.
Political Statement
EPN believes that political and social views are personal decisions that should be made by individuals with much thought and prayer. Therefore, under no circumstances should the Educator's Professional Network name be used in conjunction with any such outside issues.
Our goal is to encourage as many of those in the Education Profession as we can. We do not charge any membership dues or chapter fees. The financial support for all operating expenses is obtained through voluntarty charitable contributions from people like you who care about the Educators and Students in the schools.
Your tax-deductible contribution will help enable this ministry to continue to grow and reach educators throughout our nation.
Our Origin Story
Financial Support
Since 1976, the founders of EPN Inc., Jose and Marla Barreda have been involved in cultural outreach and reconciliation development through humanitarian, church building and evangelism that involved street mime’s, music and sports.
In the mid-1990s, José and Marla felt called to make a difference in bringing young people to understand the importance of restoring honor in their homes and schools through a faith-based foundation. It was while working in a local church as associate pastors that they received a vision to reach every child, teen and young adult. HOW? Well, this was a process.
They began looking for ways to support the efforts of those who feel lead to enter into the Educational Profession, not only to teach, but to make a difference in the lives of the youth of this generation. They were invited to help in a school outreach through a science teacher at Hudson High School, Mrs. Yvonne Whatley. At one of her teacher’s prayer breakfasts, the Lord launched the vision of EPN Inc. and how it could be used to reach youth in schools through the educators.
THE EPN YOUTH PASTOR’S NETWORK INVOLVEMENT WITH CITY OUTREACH
Along with the Sports Network, Prayer Network and Counseling Network, EPN was contacted in 1998 to help the Billy Graham Crusade and later in 1999 to assist in an outreach to every school through Harvest Evangelism’s founder, Ed Silvoso and Somebody Cares Tampa Bay. EPN was involved in reaching over 70 thousand youth that attended the Crusades.
In 1998 Jose was also a guest in Argentina where he actually saw how schools could be reached using a proactive approach with a faith-based initiative. He began in early 2000 to offer backing to two schools that wanted to have community support from local businesses, individuals, churches and community groups. The implementation of EPN in a school involved a 5 step process developed to offer service and support to those in the Education Profession. EPN adapted it involvement according to the needs of each individual community. EPN has had at one time a network that involved 23 schools, in the public and private sectors.
Board Members
Before becoming a member of the board of EPN, each participant was involved in some facet of EPN. The board consists of 8 members that are voted in to help in the administration of EPN. Their responsibility includes ensuring that those in leadership are accountable to the code of ethics and by laws of Educator’s Professional Network Inc. All of the trustees are volunteers having a variety of work experiences, such as: working in and leading open education projects, working in universities, having been officers in the military, having been involved in international humanitarian and spiritual endeavors, business owners, accounting and logistic developers in construction, or having worked for nonprofits and in city government. Note that this broad diversity is quite unusual for a nonprofit. Most often the boards of major charities are made up mainly of large donors, who have an interest in seeing their money spent well. Our board, in contrast, is directly representative of the people who are involved and are passionate to see a generation become a positive culture.
The Board's primary role is to hire and evaluate the Executive Director of EPN Inc. who in turn leads the corporation activities, which include providing the infrastructure for all EPN projects. This means giving the director guidance and feedback throughout the year.