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the members of the MACUCC who are learning new ways to welcome |
November, 2004
Everybody’s Listening: Attendees at the "Invitation, Hospitality & Follow-up" Training session held in Topsfield exchange ideas on how to spread the Still Speaking message. |
Related Articles |
Still Speaking for the Youth
To help local churches interpret the God is Still Speaking Initiative with children and youth, the Commission for Educational Ministries has prepared a packet of materials which is designed to be used by pastors and educators. All churches that opt into the God is Still Speaking Initiative and purchase an identity kit, will receive an initial packet of materials with posters and suggestions to involve the children and youth of the church. Carl McDonald, Associate for Youth and Christian Education Ministries, explained that additional materials, including children’s messages, intergenerational programs, confirmation resources, youth group programs, games and activities, liturgy resources, and family ministry ideas, will be sent on a continuing basis. “The work is an ongoing process which will continue
to grow,” explains McDonald. If you have a great
resource or idea to |
Tiffany Vail, Associate for Communication & Technology, said it is remarkable how enthusiastically the Still Speaking Initiative – the first nationwide advertising and identity campaign ever conducted in the United Church of Christ – has been embraced within the Massachusetts Conference.
“At last count, 210 Conference churches had opted-in to the campaign, which means they want to be associated with the television commercials and they have made a commitment to work at being more welcoming,” Vail said. “That is nearly half of all the churches in the Conference, by far the largest number in any Confer-ence in the UCC.”
Megan Hoelle, of the national UCC Still Speaking Initiative, agrees. “The Massachusetts Con-ference is one of the top ten participants in the program. Not only have over 200 MACUCC churches opted-in, but eleven percent of those churches have had new websites created which link to www.stillspeaking.com.”
Churches that opt-in to the campaign must attend an “Invitation, Hospitality & Follow-up” training session. More than 300 people, representing over 50 churches, attended the first two sessions, held in Topsfield and Plymouth.
As of early October, 50 churches had bought 4-foot by 8-foot God Is Still Speaking banners to hang on their churches during the campaign, Vail said. And nearly every church that has attended a training session has bought a $50 Identity Kit that will help them develop their own print advertising, letterhead and other materials using the campaign theme.
“One thing I have stressed at these events is that people need to see a message seven times before they will act on it,” Vail said. “The television commercials will reach the majority of viewers only three to four times, which means local churches need to make up that difference.”
“What has been so exciting is that people in our churches are coming up with terrific ideas on how to spread the Still Speaking message. Some churches are joining together to place print ads in conjunction with the television ads, others are using the theme on their web sites and still others plan to air the commercial as part of the regular broadcast of their worship services on local cable television.”
Karen McArthur, clergywoman at the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, UCC, is exploring the creation of a group ad to run in local newspapers during Advent. A large ad, listing all eleven of the organizing churches in the Old Colony Association, will have higher visibility than several smaller ads. McArthur hopes that at their next meeting, all the members will agree to join so that smaller churches that may not have the resources for a big ad will be able to participate.
"Thanks to our local churches, the word is going to
spread," Vail said.
