It has been a very busy few months in the Communications Office as we’ve launched several new websites to better serve and equip The PCC! If you will indulge me a little back-patting, I’d like to take you on a little tour.

Equipping For… (www.equippingfor.ca)
The EquippingFor… series of articles have long been a staple of the quarterly PC-Pak mailing. These popular articles are now available in an online magazine format at EquippingFor.ca. The website displays the articles by category and offers readers the opportunity to receive the articles by email.

The Moderator Blog (www.presbyterian.ca/moderator)
In a first for The PCC, Herb Gale, Moderator of the 136th General Assembly, will be sharing the experiences of his moderatorial year through a blog.  Herb has already garnered kudos for his blogging “gusto”. You can also subscribe to email updates of Herb’s blog posts.

The Sari Diaries (www.pccweb.ca/michelleverway)
Follow Michelle Verwey as she chronicles her experiences as a teacher of nurses in India. Michelle is one of many serving overseas through the International Ministries office of the Life and Mission Agency.

The Amity Blog (www.pccweb.ca/amity)
Each year The PCC sends group of volunteers to China as part of the Amity Program. You can read about their experiences on the Amity Blog.

There have also been a lot of changes over at presbyterian.ca. I’ll be showcasing some of the highlights in this space over the next few weeks.

Please feel free to leave your feedback about these new websites here – we’re always looking for input from the Presbyterian community!

“We used to spend our time trying to get people to come to church. Now, we’ve got to find ways to take church to them.”
Craig Groeschel

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If you haven’t already, you can should check out the Clay Shirky video I posted back in July.

Images are fascinatingly easy to find on the web. Google’s image search presents a mind-boggling collection of images suited to just about any combination of keywords you can think of. And they’re all free, right? All it takes is a right-click and a save as and you’ve suddenly got a website or powerpoint full of beautiful images reflecting the various themes of your ministry. Right?

Not quite. While Google is very good at unearthing images, it pays no attention at all to the ownership of those images. It is up to you to determine who might hold the copyright (if any exists) on any found image and get permission to use it. That takes up a lot of valuable time that many of us just don’t have.

Using stock photography is probably the best solution for most of us. Large stock photo sites like iStockPhoto.com will return a far larger number of quality images that are relevant to whatever it is you are looking for and they are reasonably priced. Unfortunately, the broad scope of a general stock photo source like iStockPhoto often makes it difficult to find ministry-related images among the less-relevant secular images.

That is where a site called iChurchPhoto.com really shines. Self-described as “for churches by churches”, the site caters specifically to ministries looking for church-related images. While the site contains only a fraction of the number of images on other sites, they are so tightly focused on ministry that almost every single one is relevant.

I contacted the folks behind iChurchPhoto.com to find out more and learned that it is an initiative of Outreach Inc. based in California. Caleb Hagen from Outreach told me that the site was launched in early 2008 and now contains “nearly 4000 photos from well over 200 photographers.”

Downloading a photo suitable for powerpoint or the web from either of these sites will only cost you a buck or two. At those prices, it just doesn’t make sense to risk copyright infringement by simply Googling and grabbing an image without permission.

I have spent a fair bit of my time over the last few years explaining the web to people. The people I talk to are smart people but the internet is new – and it’s new in a new kind of way. It is a transformative presence in our lives in ways we have never seen from a technology – or collection of technologies.

This kind of change often leads to suspicion and fear and I used to try to allay those fears by framing the internet revolution as an evolution instead. “Don’t worry,” I would say, “this is no different than the advent of the printing press, telegraph, telephone and television. The web is merely the next step along the road of communication technology. It’s no big deal, you can relax.” To hear me tell it, this was a mere incremental advance in a long string of similar advances.

I was wrong, though, and I knew it. My desire to make my audiences as comfortable as possible with things like blogs, Facebook and Twitter trumped any desire to tell the truth. The truth is this: the the web is a technological revolution that has transformed, and continues to transform, our global society. Nothing will be spared the impact of the web. Our socio-political structures will change, our understanding of personal relationships will change (in just the last eighteen months a single website has made the word “friend” globally ambiguous), and, eventually, our churches will change too.

Don’t take my word for it, though, I’ve lied about this before. Let Clay Shirky, a professor at New York University’s graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program, tell you. In June of this year, Shirky spoke to the US State Department as part of the TEDTalks program. In just fifteen minutes and a handful of slides Shirky is able to distill the seismic shift we are experiencing into accessible language and concepts. This video skyrocketed to the top of my “videos everyone must watch” list:

Link to video: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html

“Hands up if church camping has been a significant part of your life.” That request was made at a gathering of most of the clerks of our church’s presbyteries and synods, who gather every two years, usually in Mississauga, to discuss matters of concern particularly as they relate to the courts of the church.

Hands went up all around the room. Mine included.

Are there any statistics that indicate a strong relationship between church camping and leadership in the church in later years? I don’t know, but neither have I any doubt that such a link exists.

Camp songs, the buddy system for swimming, Bible study in the shade of a tree, raising your hand to call for silence, Johnny Appleseed and other mealtime singing to bless God for the food, instant friendships, birds running down the beach or whirling or hovering overhead, sometimes the beginnings of romance – all of these stay with campers long after they have grown up and perhaps left camping behind. Though many return as teens and adults in leadership roles.

Often it is at camp that people learn church can have strong elements of fun, that laughter and the gospel can cheerfully co-exist, and that care for the environment is very much a central concern for followers of Jesus.

My church camping experience was in Manitoba (as a very young child) and at Glen Mhor in Ontario when it was on Lake Simcoe. But moving to Nova Scotia in the early ‘90s brought me close to an enormously enthusiastic crowd of staff, campers and alumni of Camp Geddie. And of course close, also, to the fine and growing camping facility on the Northumberland Strait near Merogimish. With sunsets that take your breath away. And the salty smell of the sea.

More than one person has called Geddie “a thin place,” a phrase from Celtic Christianity
where it seems heaven and earth are very close.

The most recent development at Geddie is the purchase of more than 40 acres, including a very well-kept “mature” house. The land is waterfront and borders the existing camp property, allowing for expansion of activities and also a measure of security for the young lives enjoying the camp. That same security might not be there if the property had been bought, say, by a developer for a trailer park or a campground.

When the property came up for sale there was a flurry of activity involving the Camp Geddie Committee and various members of the Synod of the Atlantic Provinces.

“How much do they want for it?”

“Can we raise the money?”

“Will people be willing to donate?”

And so on.

The property is mostly paid for and members of the Growing Together Committee are optimistic about the rest.

The camp has a few detractors, some in presbyteries that do not use the facility or have their own camps, for which they want and need financial support. But there may well be individuals, AMS groups and others from those presbyteries who see the value of an excellent Synod camp and want to contribute to the campaign.

And Geddie certainly has its fans, to the point that in recent years the camp has, reluctantly, had to turn people away because of too many applications and not enough room. The Growing Together campaign is designed to begin expanding the camp and its programmes so that such disappointments stop.

The 2008 summer season included Family Camp, a wonderful Leadership-in-Training (LIT) programme for future camp (and church) leaders, and various camps for children and youth.

Summertime has averaged more than 600 children and young people, more than half of whom are from other branches of the church, or with no church affiliation so far in their lives. Geddie has a reputation for trustworthiness – and fun – beyond any Presbyterian boundaries. And for some, it will be the first step into the world of the gospel of God’s love.

And that’s just the summertime.

The rest of the year various groups and organizations use the facilities, with church events generally under the direction of the camp’s Agape sub-committee. Agape (pronounced AH-GUH-pay) is one of the Greek words for love, specifically the love that is displayed in actions rather than feelings. Seasonal events (Advent and Lent), retreats for prayer and reflections, music, worship and educational events are all part of the menu.

John Bell of Scotland’s Iona Community led an event at the camp in mid-February, his second visit to the Synod. Other gatherings in recent years include a Presbyterian Mens’ Conference, Cursillo, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, L’Arche, St. Francis Xavier University Chaplaincy, and various congregational groups. Whew! Does Geddie meet a need? Of course.

The seeds we plant today will help the growth for tomorrow. One plants, another waters, but God gives the increase (cf. 1 Cor 3:6).

And you will find rest. . . .

The most recent project at Geddie is the development of a small retreat centre for church leaders – clergy and lay. The Smith House came with the recently-purchased property and is available for Presbyterian and ecumenical guests at very reasonable cost.
It’s a place to get away, relax, read, pray, walk and reflect. While not specifically in response to the February issue of the Record’s article on clergy stress, organizers are aware of people’s need for Sabbath time. Some may use it as a time for self-directed study.

The property features a charming storey and a half rural home, two bedrooms each with a queen-sized bed, one bathroom, large living-dining room, study, eat-in kitchen with pantry, dishes and utensils, a beautiful backyard, radio, TV and DVD player. Sheets and towels are provided.

People need to bring their own food, toiletries, books, CDs and DVDs, if wanted, though not pets since other users may have allergies. There’s no smoking in the building. A $100.00 refundable damage deposit is required when booking. The house is available for any period from one overnight stay to two weeks.

It’s part of the Camp Geddie property, and initial funding is being provided by the Experimental Fund of our denomination.

Priority is given to leaders within the Synod of the Atlantic Provinces, but it is also open to other Presbyterians throughout Canada and to ecumenical partners.

Anyone wishing to inquire or book the facility may contact the Director at 902-926-2632 or smithhouse@campgeddie.ca.

Glenn Cooper recently retired as minister of St. Andrew’s Church, Westville NS, Clerk of Synod, and host of a syndicated Sunday radio programme called The Hymn Book. Information on the camp and the Smith House is at campgeddie.ca

Finally, today, I am so pleased to announce that the very first episode of PCConnect-TV is live on the web! Getting to today has taken a huge effort from the Communications Office staff (Matt, Pat and especially Joro) and wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of our host churches. THANK YOU ALL!

The first episode (and subsequent episodes) can be seen on the PCConnect-TV page of the PCC website: www.presbyterian.ca/pcconnect/tv

In other PCConnect news, you will have noticed yesterday that I’ve begun syndicating the PCConnect-Links content here as well. PCConnect-Links is a way for us to share interesting links from around the web with the Presbyterian community. If you have a link to share, send it along to us (communications@presbyterian.ca) or tag it ‘pcconnect’ at Delicious.com.

We’re trying to get the word out about PCConnect – and you can help! We posted a little promo video on the Daily yesterday and I’ve embedded it below as well – share with your PCC friends and family!

PCConnect-TV is Coming!
The Communications team has been busily preparing for the launch of PCConnect-TV, the new weekly video series being produced by the Communications Office to showcase the life and work of The PCC across Canada and around the world. The first episode is scheduled to air on Youtube and at Presbyterian.ca on April 10th.

An Innovative Church Blog
Rev. John Borthwick of St. Andrew’s, Guelph is the interim moderator for Knox Crieff and has taken an interesting approach to documenting the search process – he’s blogging it! I haven’t had a chance to talk to John about the hows and whys yet, but I hope to get an episode of the BeingPresbyterian Podcast out of it.

More Innovation – Write your own Job Description!
The folks at St. John’s, Toronto have taken an interesting approach to their search for a new Family Outreach and Christian Education Worker. As was reported in PCConnect-Daily today, the congregation is inviting applicants to write their own job descriptions within the parameters of stated goals and objectives. The chair of the search committee, Laurie McGugan, said that this unique approach was inspired by her committee’s reading of Christianity for the Rest of Us.

More to come soon!

Two other documents that figure prominently in the life of The PCC are Living Faith, a subordinate standard of our Church and the Book of Forms. I wondered what a word-density analysis of those documents would look like. Thankfully, a free web service exists just for this purpose!

Wordle.net is a fun little tool that lets you drop in a block of text and returns a graphical representation of how often each word appears by varying the size of each word. The bigger the word, the more often it appears.

What do these images say about the documents they represent?

Living Faith

Book of Forms

Click images for larger versions

Earlier this week there was an unconference in Toronto called FacebookCamp that brought Facebook developers and marketers together with staffers from Facebook itself. Just to illustrate the scale of Facebook activity in Toronto, there were 475 people registered for the event. Local blogger Dave Fleet has a great post on the event.

The most salient points for me from Dave’s post are the most recent stats from Facebook about Facebook:

• Facebook’s rate of growth is increasing exponentially;
• 175 million people logged-in to Facebook in the last 30 days;
• The average Facebook user has 120 friends; in Canada that is higher – 150-200;
• One in two Canadians are now on Facebook;
• Half of those Canadians are on Facebook every day;
• Canadian users average 2.7 visits per user per day;
• 70 per cent of Torontonians using the Internet are on Facebook

I share these stats with you to reinforce my belief that whatever you think about Facebook, it is simply too pervasive to be ignored. Like it or not, Facebook, as a means of connecting with your local Presbyterian community, is as important as a church website or even your church bulletin.

Does your church have a Facebook group? Why not?

In the last quarter of 2008 (Oct-Dec) the website at Presbyterian.ca was visited 60,000 times from 153 countries! Of those 153 countries, we had visits from 105 from 124 at least three times.

International traffic made up 17% of visitors to Presbyterian.ca. Here are some interesting tidbits about our international visitors:

• the top 5 countries were: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Ireland
• 105 countries sent at least 3 visits each
• 11 countries sent more than 100 visits each
• 56% of international visits originated from Google
• the most visited page (besides the home page) was the Resources page
• 85% of international visits were “new visitors”
• international visitors spent an average of just over 2 minutes on the site

The vast majority of visitors to Presbyterian.ca, not surprisingly, visit from somewhere in Canada:

• visitors came from 353 cities across Canada
• the top 5 cities were: Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, Edmonton, Vancouver
• 36% of Canadian traffic originated from Google
• the most visited page (besides the home page) was the Resources page
• 37% of international visits were “new visitors”
• Canadian visitors spent an average of just over 3 minutes on the site

There’s not a lot we can conclude from these numbers but it is useful to be aware of the differences (and similarities) of these two groups.

Stay tuned for more traffic stats in a few weeks.