Blogs
Communication
Holy Week Social Media Resources: Free for You to Share
4/11/2022
Holy Week is a sacred time within our church calendar that we observe the events leading up to Christ’s death and resurrection. When it comes to communicating this on social media, we want to connect you with some helpful resources! We hope these resources will help you share God’s love to your community and world. GRAPHICS Stop your audience with eye-catching graphics! Here are resources for free graphics, with the opportunity to subscribe if you’d like. Church Motion Graphics Canva Igniter ...
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Are You on Pinterest? Us too!
12/22/2013
Are you on Pinterest? The social media site is an online tool "for collecting and organizing things you love." Users "pin" website links to virtual bulletin boards to keep up with recipes, decorating ideas, books, favorite fonts, and anything save-worthy the internet has to offer. It's an excellent tool for saving and sharing ministry resources, worship tools, spiritual inspiration, and church insights. That's why the North Georgia Conference recently joined Pinterest. If you're a "pinner" too,...
How to Pitch to 'Patch'
7/15/2013
Patch.com and other community news sites are an awesome way to let your neighbors know about all the great things going on at your church. I asked Kristi Reed, Patch's community editor for Gwinnett and Northeast Georgia, about how churches can share news and events through their local Patch site. Patch provides three main (free) services that churches should consider taking advantage of: 1. Create your own news section on your local Patch site. To create your own news section on Patch, go ...
1st Impression Survey from the Church We Visited Sunday
7/8/2013
It was really good to have you at Harvest this week. I hope you enjoyed the service. I don't know if you're looking for answers, a church home, or just passing through. Whatever the case, I'm glad you chose to check us out. We think church should be a fun practical place to get the answers we need for life and help us grow in a relationship with God. Helping people connect with God is what Harvest is all about. By the way, as a first-time guest, you have a special point of view that we are ...
Spam Law and Being a Friendly Sender
5/1/2013
One of our pastors recently got a nasty note from a salesperson when he asked to be removed from an email list. The salesperson said that the pastor's email wasn't part of a list but just a person-to-person email, so basically, the pastor should get over it and accept the unwanted sales emails. The bad news for the salesperson is: that's illegal. And punishable with a big fine. Businesses are required to follow the CAN-SPAM Act passed in 2003. Though I'm not clear if the law applies to all ...
Say Cheese! We're on Instagram (And Your Church Can Be, Too)
1/10/2013
The North Georgia Conference started an Instagram account this week (our handle is "ngumc") and it's easy for your church (or youth group or mission team) to set up an account, too. If you don't have an Instagram account: Instagram is a free photo sharing app you can download to your smart phone. It's a fun way to share photos, add interesting filters and keep up with friends without all the typing. You can easily share the pics from Instagram to Facebook, Twitter or by email, too. You may ...
What's Your Story?
12/31/2012
One of the best parts of working in the Conference office is getting to glimpse the scope of the work going on in churches across North Georgia. What inspiring, exciting, innovative or interesting thing is going on in your church? We would love to feature a "Vital Congregation" moment from your church on the Conference website. Email me a few paragraphs and send along a photo, too, at sybil@ngumc.org. Click here to read a few of the stories we've highlighted recently, including: Boynton UMC...
10 Amazingly Easy Ways to Live Out Your Faith on Pinterest
10/23/2012
Tami Heim shared 10 amazingly easy ways to live out your faith on Pinterest in a recent blog post at StickyJesus.com. She writes, "for those of us on the lookout for every opportunity to #LiveSticky, Pinterest is yet another place to share and live out our faith. On this platform every board holds the possibility of becoming a glorious reflection the God we serve." A few of her ideas include: #1 Your Profile Profiles are part of the first impression you make on any social media platform. On...
Create and Use QR Codes
10/15/2012
Have you seen or used QR codes? Those black and white squares that take you to a website on your smart phone? Some uses are just for the novelty of it (have you seen one go past on a bus?), but there are practical ways you might incorporate a QR code into your print publications, bulletin or signage. The key is that the link the QR code opens must be mobile phone friendly. Here are a few ideas for using QR codes: - Put a QR code(or codes) in the bullitin that take members of the congregation...
Do you know ngumc.org? Prove it!
10/4/2012
Okay, You have clicked through ngumc.org enough to know the Calendar from the Clergy Locator. But do you know where to turn (or point your mouse) when you need the list of Special Offering Sundays? Here’s a quiz ... In what month is the Wesley Woods Offering? (Hint: Click the “Benefits and Finance” tab, then find "Special Offering Sundays" in the far left column) You are looking for an Administrative Assistant job. Do you know if any UMCs are hiring? (Hint: Click “Resources” then “Classifies, ...