Hide It Under a Bushel, No! I’m Gonna Let It Shine!

Are you letting your light shine? As Christians, we are all called to share the Great News of the Gospel. Are you shining? Is your church on the main drag of town? Do you have signs leading, or pointing the way to your location? Do you have a web page or a web site?

You knew I’d get around to that website thing. Being a designer, of course, I’m going to mention this. And it is my battle cry most of the time. But, being unintentionally stranded in Birmingham, AL now for 4 days had made me once again realize how vital an internet presence is today. My husband & I used our cell phones to navigate around, communicate, and stay connected to the world.

I just read an interesting article in the USA Today weekend paper about technology striving to create voice hyper-text. In other words, create programming that would allow persons without reading and writing ability to communicate via cell phone to interactive internet sites. It may sound crazy but the world, even the third word, is moving into technology at a rapid pace for means of information. Voice activated texting would allow those without communication skills the ability to ask questions and respond even if they were standing in a rice field in Vietnam.

Now back to the light thing: Driving around Birmingham, I’ve seen countless Baptist Churches. I just returned from the famous 16th Street Baptist Church in downtown Birmingham that sits adjacent to the Civil Rights Institute. I’ve seen St. Vincent’s and United Methodist, and Episcopal churches, but not one Presbyterian Church. Being a Presbyterian, this troubles me. From Googling, there are apparently over 7,000 churches in the greater Birmingham area. Where are the Presbyterians? Where is your church? Are you out there?

How are you going to shine your light if no one knows you’re there? If no one can see your light? The single, easiest, and most cost effective way today to let people know you exist is through a web presence, even if it is merely one page letting folks know your location and worship times. The Presbytery of the Pines, a PCUSA governing body believes this to be true. They recently contracted with VTG Enterprises to provide one page sites to any church under their jurisdiction because they believe this is an important evangelism tool. Out of fifty possible churches, only three have taken advantage of this opportunity to date. Maybe they don’t feel they need to do this…..

Many of you reading this all ready have websites and hopefully can attest to the value it has brought your congregation. I encourage you to spread this news. I’d love the business, but more important is the message. What are you doing in your congregation to shine? When was the last time you had new faces in worship? Use technology to work for you. If you don’t know how, seek help; ask questions. Latch on to this tool. Throw away the bushel.

Online Forms: Easy Connections

Is your church involved in VBS? A youth trip? Camping? Purchasing Books for Sunday School classes? Consider form and registration development for your website.

Forms are easy interactive ways to enhance any website AND make life easier for people wanting to participate in a church activity. Your web designer should be able to accomplish this; , or contact VTG Enterprises www.vtgent.com , where I can definitely help you. Forms can be personalized to fit any need such as VBS registration. Check out my client, Paradise Missionary Baptist Church, who is currently registering children for VBS http://www.paradisembc-dallas.org/pages/youth.php (registration form shown on the left). St. James Episcopal Church in Midvale, UT (another client) uses a form to make their office aware of prayer requests: http://www.stjamesutah.com/pages/contact.php

If you are seeking to develop a registration, such as a camping trip for your youth group, where money transactions need to take place, Paypal is an excellent source to provide secure transactions. PayPal offers discounted transaction fees for registered charities. Fees are only applied when you accept a donation and you’re never charged a setup or monthly fee which is why I recommend them. Your non-profit will need to establish an account with Paypal . http://tiny.cc/rhCPE

Want congregants and other to be able to donate to a building project? Again, an online form, particularly one where the donation can be transacted makes giving easier.

Dr. Brian Kluth, best selling generosity author and church giving expert lists four things churches can do to increase giving. The first 3 are download his products but the 4^th is: “offer electronic and online giving” (read the article— http://tinyurl.com/mat72c ).

Make your website work for you. Contact me at webmaster@vtgent.com if you’d like to discuss this article and how it can be applied to your church.

Church Twitter: 'talking in Church'

Twitter, a fast-growing service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages of 140 characters or fewer, is finding its way to entice a late baby-boomer like myself, to engage in the twitter-tweet phenomenon.

I started twittering, actually tweeting, a few weeks ago. It seemed like just another abstract way to fitter away time or create a new distraction from being in the “real world” or something only under 30-year-olds did. I am beginning to understand its functionality and potential; not only in the work place, but in cutting edge modern churches of today. For example......

The Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington broadcasts its service on a large video screen while congregants ‘tweet’ thoughts about the message they are hearing. It brings a whole to reality to 'talking in church', doesn't it? The notion may seem completely preposterous to over-fifty's, but read and /or see the video about this very practice from Channel 5 News in Seattle: http://tinyurl.com/cmgpv8“Twittering encouraged at Seattle Church”.

If you think this form of communication is absolutely absurd and not worth your time, read on. Time online, features “10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business: The Future of Twitter”. http://tinyurl.com/nh3kky

Because of Twitters ease of use on both PCs and mobile devises, and because messages are limited to 140 characters, real-time data and blog reads are popping up for Twitter participants to link to many bits of information effortlessly. Guess what? It's not just for kids running up time on their parents cell provider talking about last night's date; I find its like carry my own personal newspaper with me. I select the person or news source, like NPR, I want to "follow". "Following" sends me all updates the source 'tweets' (messages) . I have discovered I"m reading the news; processing it better, and developing my own conclusions-- what a concept.

The Mars Hill Church has capitalized on this new application allowing congregants a means of real-time interactivity during the service. This new networking device may be too far out on a limb for many churches as contemporary music can bring about worship wars, let alone video screens and the thought of people in the pews being able to publicly write a note about the pastor's sermon as its happening. However, it is something to ponder and foremost realize how technology can be a fruitful source for spreading the Good News... and processing it.... and applying our own thoughts to how we feel about Jesus.

(Mar Hill Bio from Twitter: Mars Hill Church lives for Jesus as a city within the city- knowing culture, loving people, and seeing lives transformed to live for Jesus.)

Reaching Out to Your Public

How do you get people to take an interest in your congregation or nonprofit?

I don't have all the answers but I do know today's world requires using today's technology to your fullest benefit. Yes, your benefit. Money is tight. Giving is down. Utilize the web and it's pontential.

Yesterday, in Allyson Kapin's blog, "Why Nonprofits Need to Grow their Online Lists", she stated:
Consider this. It took the…

• • Telephone 38 years to reach 50 million users
• • Television 13 years to reach 50 million users
• • Internet 4 years to reach over 50 million users

http://www.frogloop.com/growth

She also mentioned the donate section you can add to your site. Ever inportant today and actually more easy. You don't have to have a secure SSL Certificate( Secure Socket Layer) to take advantage of online donations. PayPal offers a marvelous interface for this very purpose that can fluidly interface with your existing site.

Just remember, people wont' come if they don't know you're there..... Wasn't there something one time about "letting your light shine and not hiding under a bushel"?

If you do not have a web presence for your church or nonprofit, seriously consider what you are missing. Questions, fears, whatever-- contact me through my website and we'll talk.

Holy Crap, Batman..dust off the cobwebs!

This is the most perfect example of why maintaining updates on your website or blog or social network is SO IMPORTANT!

People don't visit old stuff. Ick! Phuey! It's boring and there's too many other people trying to grab their attention.