Loading...Communications in the Diocese of Kentucky are "a-changing," and more change is to come in the coming months thanks to the assistance of an 18-member committee formed last fall. The committee is charged with envisioning and implementing an integrated communications plan using current and new media technologies and resources. They are also assisting with the planning of a media "fair" of workshops for lay and clergy members involved in church communications.
The following committee members were appointed by Bishop Ted Gulick: the Rev. Matt Bradley, St. John's, Murray; Barry Chafin, St. Andrew's, Louisville; the Rev. Amy Coultas, Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville; Schley Cox, Trinity, Owensboro; Callie Hausman, Calvary, Louisville; the Rev. Karl Lusk, Ascension, Bardstown; the Rev. Jim Trimble, St. James, Pewee Valley; Mary Kay Flege and Don Vish, Advent, Louisville; Carlisle Crutcher, the Rev. Charles Hawkins, Joe Straughan, St. Mark's, Louisville; Robin Garr, Ed Hill and Rhody Streeter, St. Matthew's, Louisville; Beth Bojarski, diocesan youth director; Janet Irwin, diocesan communications staff; and Mary Jane Cherry, diocesan communications director. They bring diverse media and communications experience and expertise as writers, journalists, photographers, videographers, Web facilitators, advertisers, public relations specialists, and clergy members and church communicators.
The committee members, who have been working in small groups, will meet Feb. 6 at All Saints' Conference Center for an all day, full committee working session to develop a long-range plan of diocesan communications' goals and strategies as well as discuss graphic design ideas to integrate the various components of diocesan communications. Planning is also underway for the communications/media conference, which the diocesan office hopes to hold in spring although a date and place have not been determined yet.
The communications committee is an integral part of an initiative that began more than five years ago to expand and upgrade communications. In 2006, the diocese invested considerable resources in order to expand the variety and reach of its communications by partnering with The Episcopal Church's national publication Episcopal Life and then by hiring a consultant with the Episcopal Media Center (now with Alliance Technologies) to upgrade our Web site. Through that collaboration, the diocese today not only has an easy-to-manage, interactive Web site, which uses state-of-the-art technologies, but it also is able to offer those same Web capabilities and technical support to all of our congregations.
Our goal is simple: We want to share the Good News and tell the stories of the mission and ministries underway in the diocese and its 36 congregations as effectively and as widely as possible. Implementing that goal, however, is not so simple today, and the communications committee has been charged with determining how to effectively use and integrate various forms of diocesan communications. These include diocese's Digital Faith Community, a network of diocesan Web sites, and two news publications, this E-newsletter and a new quarterly magazine, which is replacing the monthly newspaper Episcopal News and will begin publication in April. In addition, the committee is considering other media resources that make communications instantaneous and available 24/7 such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and podcasting to determine which of these may best help the diocese and its churches tell our stories.
