Hello, Centennial Family! Let’s talk about getting information “out there.” Just a little down the road from us at First Presbyterian Church Columbia, there used to be a minister who was a strong advocate of the “seven ways” rule. Actually, I can’t remember the exact number (it might’ve been five), but the point of the story still holds true. This minister had read somewhere that people needed to see something in seven different ways or places for it to stick in their minds. So, with this in mind, he asked his staff to make sure they had printouts in Sunday School classrooms, in the vestibule, in the Fellowship Hall(s), and in the bulletin announcement section. Along with this, he would announce it from the pulpit, Sunday School teachers would announce it, and the information would be on the website. If I recall the end the story turned joke, First Pres had a lot more paper to recycle and about the same amount of people who knew what was going on.
All jokes aside, there is something to be said about presenting information in different ways, and this holds true with our church family. Our streamlined example of the “seven ways” rule is Postscripts, Sunday morning and Wednesday evening announcements, and now our website and social media presence. In this article, I would like to highlight our website presence. First of all, if you haven’t had a chance to go to our website (www.centennialarp.org), it is excellently done. Check it out! I would encourage y’all to use the website in two ways.
First, use it for information. Not only can you find Postscript articles (like this one), but you will also see the “Happenings” of the church. These are short update articles on anything from the Chili Cook-Off to the Women’s Retreat. Pictures usually accompany the articles, which makes it a wonderful way to see the life of our church family! Alongside the “Happenings” are the recordings that we offer: the full Sunday service, the sermon portion of Sunday service, and the Wednesday night lesson (along with any handouts that might accompany the lesson!). At risk of sounding like a TV ad salesman, but wait! There’s more! In addition, there is also a “Member Resources” page. In this password-protected section of the website, things like the intercessory prayer list, full Postscripts, bulletins, and member directory can be found. It’s a really great resource for our church family!
Second, as we use this website as an informational tool, we can also use our website to help visitors get an idea of who we are. On the website, people who are new to Centennial can find the basic events, start times, and descriptions of almost everything we do. There are links to our denominational emphases and beliefs, our local ministries, and the different ways to plug in at Centennial. Directing someone to our website is one of the easiest ways for someone new to the church to get a bird’s eye view of all the things that are going on (and why they are going on!). Y’all know this already, but Centennial is a very active church. The website view helps people to digest what’s being offered, what they might “get their feet wet” in, and, if God wills it, how they might begin to participate in meaningful ways within our family. Even with a website, God can work wonderfully for his people and purposes! My prayer is that we might use this excellent tool for God’s glory as we seek to be more connected with one another, grow in wisdom and knowledge, and bring others into our family here at Centennial. Blessings to y’all this week,
Jeremiah