Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Internet Ministry




COMMUNITY LUTHERAN CHURCH INTERNET MINISTRY



The Internet and modern technology has enabled Community to open its doors to
the world and to invite it in. What began with a need for a website, progressed to include a Blog, YouTube, Flickr and Yahoo accounts each providing information for the website. The website, www.clc19945.org hosted by The American Bible Society, is mostly stationary information while the other accounts are both active and interactive.
Our most active Internet ministry is the church blog, www.clcomar.blogspot.com , where weekly videos, sermons, poems, newsletters are available worldwide. For a small church with less than 150 members, the blog gets over 500 visits per month, half from the USA and the rest for S. Korea, Russia and Europe, to name a few. Viewers can use the Google Translator that converts text to many languages. The blog is appropriately named Community at the Crossroads because the church is located at the crossroads of Rt 20 and Omar Road in Frankford. As the tasks expanded, the church formed a Communication Team that addresses all the communication methods that the church uses. This has resulted in many changes.
The Communications Team was developed and nurtured under the leadership of Alice Hanke in early 2010. Many ideas have been discussed and implemented. The Team is committed not only to "getting God’s message to Delawareans, but getting it to the world!" As a result of their efforts, anyone who is searching for a church to help them learn more about God’s Word and to get closer to Him, can easily find us in many different places on the Internet. Church members unable to attend a Sunday service or live in Florida for the winter appreciate being able to visit online.
An Audio Visual Team was formed as an ad hoc group to the Communications Team and currently consists of four members. Their goal is to bring the Word to many through scripture, Psalms and Gospel readings by recording those portions of our weekly liturgy and special occasions. Our hope is that people will benefit from the videos and those who may have an interest in joining us at worship may be encouraged to do so. Beginning in December 2010, YouTube upgraded our account by deleting the 15 minute limit on videos. We now do not have to record our videos in 15 minute segments! We're hoping this method of communication continues to reach out to a large audience of viewers.
Community Lutheran also takes advantage of the Internet by using an online integrated software package that permits multiple users to work from any computer, to maintain church financial and member records.
This is an exciting Ministry for us as we learn how to expand our own knowledge and use whatever technology is available.
At Community Lutheran Church, we welcome all God's people to share in the Victory of Christ, to know Christ and make Christ known.

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