Do you have a closet that started out organized and useful and filled with wonderful things, but then after you added this or that or put in one more thing you couldn't bear to part with your lovely closet, seemingly overnight turned into unmanageable chaos where you can't find a thing?

That's how I feel this website has become. Lots of good and useful stuff here, but what a mess.

I can't find things and I wrote them all.

For the last few months in the background I've been trying to reorganize things as we go into the important holiday season. In addition, I've been working on the new Training part of the website and trying to figure out how to integrate that and it's like trying to fit in five more pairs of shoes into that already overflowing closet. Not working well at all.

Drastic measures are needed.

I've spent lots of time praying and planning; researching and experimenting and I think I've come up with a solution. In summary, I'm going to reorganize the site into four areas:

• Strategy
• Templates
• Training
• Resources

I could go into reams of details for how and why, but I'd rather just wait and show you.

But to do this, I have to take the site off-line for a couple of weeks.

I tried to not do that, but though I'm pretty techie, mocking up a site just doesn't work for me (and I've wasted weeks trying).

We are in-between major holidays and I'll have the site up with lots of new things for Christmas in plenty of time so as of Tuesday, Halloween, Oct. 31, I'll be taking the site off-line.

Please pray LOTS for me for wisdom and that I follow the Lord's will in all. Many of you have prayed for me over the years for the many changes and I believe this is one of the most important ones. In many ways I want to greatly simplify the organization of the material and make it more accessible to church communicators of all levels all over the world.

This is scary. But the Lord knows what He wants me to do to obey His voice and serve His people. Please pray I hear and obey.

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One more thing: I may be giving updates on the ECC Facebook page.

No promises, but I know I do need to be better on posting on it and while the site itself is down, this would probably be a good time to try.

 

 

In a very courteous email (really, the writer was so kind) an ECC Member emailed me to let me know I'd left a word out of the Civility Code I shared. It is in the last line, I left out the word "to" in the phrase, "to walk worthy."

I truly do appreciate it when someone catches my mistakes.

I corrected the sheet and the zip file containing the new one is available by clicking here: Civility Code

Thank you again Diane, and may we all truly "walk worthy" as we serve our Lord in Church Communications.

How do you work together as a communication team when it is a combination of staff and volunteers who work from a variety of locations? I recently did an article for Ministry Tech Magazine where I summarized many useful insights on this that I've collected over the years. They liked it so much, they made it their featured story for this issue.

I LOVE how they lay out the stories and since they distribute them in free PDF format, I'd like to pass on the article to you.

I'm doing this so you can print it out and share it with your staff and volunteers. You might first want to talk about it with your staff and come up with guidelines based on it.

We all have more than we have time to do in communicating the messages of the Kingdom of God, but putting together a team with clear guidelines and procedures, not only makes it easier for each member, but more people get to hear about Jesus and grow and mature as disciples.

Click HERE or on the image to download the PDF.

Poppo was my adopted grand-father, actually my sister's father-in law, and he went to be with Jesus a little over a week ago. He was special to me in many ways, but that's not why I'm sharing his obituary with you. I'm sharing it because it is a wonderful example of the power of witness the final words about one's life can be.

I'm at that age, when I read obituaries in a new way and as I do, many of them leave me profoundly sad. The person may have lived a "good" life from an earthly viewpoint, they may have been successful in earthly terms, traveled, and left a loving family, but often there is nothing about the care of their soul. Even some that seem to have known in the Lord in this life say little other than their memorial service will be at a church. What a lost opportunity!

Many people read obituaries for many reasons--so make the most of them to share the joy of our salvation in Jesus. This is a time when we can proclaim the reality of the resurrection and excitement of eternal life. As church communicators, make the most of every opportunity to share your faith with your communication skills.

Following is how my brother-in-law, Jim Gloyd, Poppo's son shared Poppo's life and his faith in Jesus:

Glenn “Poppo” Gloyd, born, 2-25-25, HOME, Beyond the Sunset 4-21-17:

Poppo is Home! “Now I lay me down to sleep…” said the old prayer, and that is exactly what happened, as GP took his last earthly breath while sleeping, and slipped into the arms of his Savior Jesus, healed, whole and rarin’ to go in this New Adventure of Forever! He loved being a rock hound, and one of his close friends just said that The Lord better keep an eye on him, or the 12 Foundations of the Heavenly City will be in peril! Truly part of that Greatest Generation, born just after the first World War, then through the Great Depression, then World War ll, where he landed at Normandy on D Day, marched into St. Lo, and stepped on a land mine. We would still pull shrapnel out occasionally. He gave his all, and wore his Army hat proudly wherever he went!

Born and raised in Branson, Missouri, he truly had the “Soul of a Hillbilly,” even writing a great little book of his life called…The Soul of a Hillbilly. He loved his family, and while life on the farm was hard, he had some great stories that he loved to share with all, about his days working the farm, learning to grow stuff… still grew the best tomatoes, onions… the watermelon patch, crossing the frozen White River in the winter, which was forbidden, and could get a boxin’ of the ears from his Mom!... and many more! He promised that he would always take care of his family, and he did, not only materially, but leaving a legacy of a generous, Godly man, doing the best he could, and always stayed true to his word. [Read more...]