Communicate!
News from Beds & Herts Churches Media Trust
Winter 2009/10
In this issue:
Tightrope triumph – so far
David Gregory
Commskit support
Grants
News in brief
Letter to the Trust
Take notice
A look at your church’s noticeboard
Spreading the Word
Using the web and other technology to keep
in touch
Workshop for church editors
Tightrope triumph – so far
In the current challenging economic climate, charities - including churches
- are walking a tightrope between maintaining solvency and expanding their
services to communities which need increasing care as the effects of the
recession are being felt.
The Beds & Herts Churches Media Trust is delighted to report that,
while it would like to encourage more churches and church groups to take
advantage of its cost effective Commskit web hosting offer, the income
from this service is enabling the charity to increase service levels to
the Christian community.
The web hosting service is continuing to grow, with churches and church-related
organisations joining the service each month.
Commskit is able to offer a complete domain, web and email internet package
for £45 a year, all inclusive, hosted on either 'Windows' or 'Unix'
servers.
For this remarkably low payment, you receive a domain, 100 MB of web space,
1,000 email addresses, unlimited dial-up accounts and a secure password-protected
web-based control panel for managing your account.
This package could allow you, for example, to provide all your members
with email addresses and/or provide them with an email-forwarding service.
The provision will operate with any cable or broadband connection.
There is information about the service available on the Trust's website
www.commskit.org.uk or, if you prefer, you can email internet@commskit.org.uk
David Gregory
David Gregory, a trustee of the Beds & Herts Churches Media Trust
(BHCMT) and the man who had masterminded the development of the Trust’s
Commskit web hosting service, died suddenly on 7th August.
Among the many tributes paid to David, who was extremely able and knowledgeable
on the subject of information technology, were these words from Gerald
Peacock, the Trust’s chairman: “It really is such a sad loss
not only for David’s wife and family but also to the church-related
family – which includes the BHCMT for which he did so much.”
One of David’s fellow trustees, Arun Kataria, the St Albans Diocesan
Communications Officer, spoke for all his colleagues when he commented:
“Unexpected death is harder for those left behind. David was wonderfully
peaceful, warm, positive, unhurried, skilled and good to be with. I shall
miss him, as I‘m sure we all will.”
Commskit support
James Boother has taken over David Gregory’s role of coach, mentor
and general ‘help provider’ for those who have signed up to
the Commskit web hosting service.
James is managing director of Live Software Solutions (LSS), a specialist
bespoke software developer involved in designing databases, customer relationship
management systems and websites, based in offices in the grounds of Hatfield
House,
Among other things, LSS is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
Grants
To apply for a grant to help your church’s communication project
get off the ground, visit www.commskit.org.uk and select the ‘grants’
tab.
News in brief
· The Church and Media Network (CMN), the successor body to the
UK Churches' Media Council, has launched a new network - called ‘theMediaNet’
(www.themedianet.org). Intended for Christians and others who work in
media, the website includes contacts, resources, articles, blogs, events
and jobs.
· London's Premier Christian Radio, which started 14 years ago
as a small AM radio station, has become a national broadcaster, heard
across the UK on DAB digital radio. Premier is the UK's only Christian
radio station with national terrestrial coverage.
· On a much more local note, Radio Verulam (92.6FM and www.radioverulam.com)
broadcasts a weekly religious magazine programme - called Faith Alive
- on Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm, principally to those in the St
Albans area. The programme’s presenter is Elspeth Jackman. All stories
and suggestions for items in the programme should be sent to Elspeth at
EMJackman@talktalk.net
· According to www.radiovaticana.org, the theme chosen by Pope
Benedict XVI for the 44th World Communications Day, on 24th January 2010,
is: ‘The priest and pastoral ministry in the digital world - New
Media in the service of the word’.
Letter to the Trust
Dear Media Trust,
Many thanks for the hint in the Spring edition of the Communicate newsletter
about using Joomla! for a church website.
I had not dabbled in this kind of CMS system before, but we thought our
website looked a little tired - and that got me experimenting with this
software.
We now have a new website, based on Joomla!, up and running.
It seems a really good system (once you have got your head round it!)
with plenty of possibilities for add-ons, enhancements and templates.
We bought one from www.christiantemplatesonline.com for a relatively modest
fee and that got us off to a good start.
Andrew Maguire
Superintendent Minister of the North Herts Circuit, and
Minister of Central Methodist Church, Letchworth.
Website: www.centralmethodistlgc.org.uk
Take notice
A look at your church’s noticeboard
Some people call them ‘wayside pulpits’. To others, they are
noticeboards but, whatever you call them, all churches have them –
somewhere.
They may be at outside the front of the church, being that church’s
first point of ‘mass contact’ with the people in the community.
They may be placed at various points around the church, giving those who
come inside the building information about the activities that take place
there – and, probably, at other churches in the area.
Christianity – like any faith or value system – is primarily
communicated through personal contact. Yet, noticeboards are impersonal.
So, what goes onto them requires careful thought if it is to be effective
and achieve its aim.
Those responsible for the notices that go on these boards need to decide:
· What should the posters/notices cover?
· Should they make philosophical/theological statements to provoke
thought or evoke a positive response (like ‘adverts’) or should
they state what’s going on in the church?
· What is the notice board’s aim?
Is it, for example, to demonstrate that particular church’s theological
position? Is it meant to interest the faithful who attend services there
or those who merely pass by? Should it try to attract non-worshippers
to become worshippers at that church – or at any church? Is its task
to stimulate thought, challenge and provoke the Christian, agnostic, atheist,
Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and so on? How ‘professional’ do you want
to appear?
Should you make your own posters? Should you buy ready-made posters –
for example from the Christian Publicity Organisation (CPO)? Should you
commission designers/artists to make posters especially for you?
Your answers to each question will determine how and why you put posters/notices
on these boards.
Of course, your answers will depend on your budget and what message you
are trying to convey – and to whom. But, unlike Paul, your noticeboards
cannot be ‘all things to all men’.
Spreading the Word
Using the web and other technology to keep in touch
The darker winter days – when staying indoors in the warm is often
preferable to braving the elements outside - is a perfect time to take
another look at your church’s website and make sure it’s up-to-date
– for example, with the events that you have planned for Christmas
and the New Year. An events page on your site listing events’ dates,
times, descriptions and locations is a perfect way for your audience to
know what is in store.
You can follow this with an email newsletter. If you have a small list
of email addresses to send to (probably less than 50) you can use Microsoft
Word or Publisher to create a newsletter and then use Mail Merge with
Outlook to send individual emails to your list.
For a longer address list, you’ll need to use an email marketing
service provider. Prices are about a few pence a message, depending on
how many emails you are sending. You’ll need to ensure that your
viewers have given you permission to send them an email before including
their email address in your e-marketing list.
It is easy to put together an attractive email, advertising both your
website and church events, using the tools provided by the email marketing
service providers. Three such companies are:
www.lyris.com/solutions/lyris-hq/email-marketing
www.isendhq.com
www.campaignmonitor.com
You could also use social media to keep in touch with your church’s
parishioners – or, if you are from a Free Church background - your
church’s friends and members.
Consider setting up a Twitter account. Twitter is a free, web-based messaging
service. Tell your website’s viewers that you have the account and
ask them to subscribe to your account – as your ‘followers’
- so that every time you write a message, they can see it straight away.
This is a free and effective way of communicating online.
If you find that Twitter is too niche, then why not a Facebook account?
It’s free and you can publish your username so that your website’s
viewers can ask to be a ‘friend’. Once you have a following,
the messages you publish on your account will be read by all your online
friends!
If you need any help with your online presence, would like assistance
setting up a new website, modifying your existing website, or want some
guidance to become visible on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter,
please send me an email to jboother@lss.co.uk.
We – at Live Software Solutions - are a small, friendly web software
consultancy priding ourselves on great customer service.
By James Boother, of Live Software Solutions Ltd.
Workshop for church editors
The Association for Church Editors recently conducted a survey among its
members to determine which would be the most popular subjects for a new
series of workshops.
On the strength of the results, they are planning the first one for Saturday
23rd January 2010 at St Stephens Church Hall, Watling Street, St Albans.
Topics that will be covered include:
· Managing editorial relationships (eg with clergy, readers, advertisers,
the local community, reporters etc)
· The use of humour
· Obtaining and using photographs
· Copyright issues
· Effective writing and sourcing copy
The cost will be £15 for members of the Association and £20
for non-members. You can book for this by contacting John Farrow (01582
769975).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beds & Herts Churches Media Trust helps Christian churches in
the region – and beyond – to develop and extend their communications
skills and activities in carrying forward the Christian message. The Trust
is an ecumenical charity supported by the churches of Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire.
Among the Trust’s activities are:
· Providing a full Internet services for churches and Christian
groups via Commskit
· Organising and running training events on a wide range of communications
disciplines
· Offering advice via the website on how to improve church magazines
· Providing grants/seed money to individuals or groups involved
in local initiatives to promote Christian communications
· Competitions
· Production of a regular newsletter – Communicate! –
highlighting Christian communications news and issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: enquiries@commskit.org.uk Website: www.commskit.org.uk
Registered office: Holywell Lodge, 41 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Hertfordshire
AL1 1HE (Registered charity no 1036938)