The key to social media is “social.” The goal is establishing a connection to people online with the hope that repeated connections develop into relationships. The least effective use of social media is to treat it as an electronic bulletin board full of announcements. Social media is not a bullhorn.
Throughout the centuries, houses of worship have proclaimed the Creator’s power and beauty through the arts — everything from architecture to sculpture. Today, that same artistic Spirit is moving through Newton Presbyterian Church in Boston. While the pandemic has required church walls to become more porous, Newton Presbyterian has been reaching out and inviting artists, writers and musicians to showcase their works in its worship space and through the church’s social media platforms as a way to glorify God and reflect on the gift of grace, as Anita Ulloa, a ruling elder, and Jack Holder, a deacon, say of the “God [who] is speaking in ancient and new ways.”
In the Communicators Network PC(USA)’s first-ever episode of Community Conversations broadcast via Facebook Live on Tuesday, the Rev. Lee Catoe and the Rev. DeEtte Decker didn’t hesitate to share their thoughts on how churches and the denomination can use social media more effectively to help amplify the voices of people who aren’t regularly heard from. Hear the conversation by joining Communicators Network by clicking here.
It used to be that the first impression of a church was made at the front door. That first impression is now being made online. These days, people visit almost every organization virtually before having any further interaction. So, the question that needs to be asked is, “What message or image are you presenting to these visitors?”
New Castle Presbytery has created NCPtechtalk, a new Google Group to collaborate on issues of a technical nature during this time of virtual church and beyond. The presbytery consists of 49 Presbyterian communities in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, some fairly new and others well into their fourth century.
Did you know that UKirk stands for University-Church (or kirk, a reference to our Scottish roots)? It is the name adopted in 2012 for the 200-plus PC(USA) and Cumberland Presbyterian-related collegiate ministries across the nation. The names of each ministry are as varied as the colleges that are their mission fields — UKirk or Presbyterian Campus Ministry or Presby Student Ministry or United Campus Ministry — yet what unites all of our network ministries is their passion for welcoming young adults into Christian communities of faith and practice where they can explore their faith and discern God’s call upon their lives.
A new Communicators Network Facebook Group has launched to connect church communicators with one another and extend the conversations to educate, inspire and support their communities.
