|
|
©Canford Parish Church Council (2010) |
Communications
No...I’m sorry, they’re not on the Internet yet!
But seriously folks. Communications is about disseminating knowledge between like minded people. In the time of Moses this was mainly done by word of mouth but to do this accurately the need for an almost eidetic memory was an imperative. Sadly, these skills are now mostly lost as we have libraries of the written word that we can dip into at any time so there is no need to memorise whole passages.
Now we have the Internet and a plethora of search facilities that are able to find information from a worldwide source in a matter of seconds. So, is all this leading to an information utopia where we no longer need communications? I sincerely hope not. At best we no longer find it necessary to seek someone out for a face to face chat as it fits our fast lifestyles better to pick up the phone but there’s worse; we could always text which eliminates the need for direct dialogue (and vowels).
So, how does this all fit in with Canford Parish? Well, it all started with Moses who, it is believed, took the writings of Adam, Jacob, Noah and Isaac and with inspirational help from God wrote Genesis around 1445 BC following the
Exodus. Since then, communicating the word of God has evolved from Hebrew scrolls into fully searchable web sites like Bible Gateway and Biblos bringing in depth research to millions. Whilst this is incredibly exciting for those who wish to study God’s word in depth, it does tend to promote insular study.
How then can we use this new technology to take the word of God out from Canford Parish into the wider community? By using all the technology at our disposal to prepare interesting and informative literature to pass out locally and to ensure that what we do and what we believe is readily available on the Internet.
For example: did you know that the Parish of Canford comprises three churches and each has its own web site (see links). The Parish Church is almost 1000 years old and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book (see History). Its web site was established in June 2007 and since then has attracted well over 1 million total hits. The site logs persistent visits which currently number over 16000 of which 36% are British, 40% USA and the rest from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Nearer to home communication is still an essential part of our doctrine and we advance this in the form of regular meetings; men’s and women’s groups, house groups, children’s groups and prayer & praise both in our services and meetings. We have a strong ministry team and LPAs who are trained to provide pastoral care. We have a number of mission partners whom we support and a mission committee who decides how monies donated by the Church can best be distributed between the home and overseas projects. All three Churches tithe at least 10% of their annual income to mission works.
As a Spirit centred Church we strive to strengthen our faith by communicating it within the body of the Church, taking it to the local area and publishing it far and wide using the Internet.
Remember, communication is better served as a dialogue so we would be happy for you to talk to us.
If you feel you have something to say about Jesus then don’t keep it to yourself COMMUNICATE
Tell your friends, your neighbours, your work mates. Think like the Prophets of long ago and tell everyone who will listen.
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16: 15-16
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16: 15-