t is said that we are the most literate peoples, both verbally and visually, ever to walk the face of the earth - awesome when you actually think of it. It's probable that you will see more images in 24hrs than your grandfather saw in his life time. Take a moment just to think just how many ways you communicate, TV, radio, CD, DVD, books, newspapers, magazines, posters, brochures, telephone, fax, etc, etc, all working hard to get your attention and give you as much information as possible.

Even though you may not appreciate it you are being conditioned to give and receive information in many different ways, and we at West Church are very aware of that. The recently formed West Church Communication Group is a bringing together all of the people who work in the communication areas of the church, including computing, video, web, print, DVD, audio, photography and so on.

Most of you will be familiar with the Power-points used on screen at each service to give you the church notices and hymns and songs on the screen. You might even have noticed the very small television cameras that supply the live pictures to the screen. If you haven't noticed the cameras see if you can spot them. No, they are not in the control room at the back of the church, but take a moment and have a look in there too just to see the technology and the guys who operate it - they won't bite but they do drink coffee - it goes with the image.

You might be one of the many people who receive your weekly service by DVD or CD or you might just be one of the really up-to-date members who check our web site (www.westchurchbangor.org.uk) each week to see the latest news, down load pod casts or video clips. You will certainly have received West Church News and will have seen the weekly service bulletins.

All of these and more are worked on each week by a small dedicated team of people who really are seeking your help. We are presently reviewing everything we do in West Church by way of "Communication", and we have big plans to develop this area.

West Church is very aware of the need to communicate to as many people as possible and not just to the local members but to a potential world audience. We have supported our members who are working overseas by supplying DVDs of our services which are then viewed by others in remote locations for both teaching and encouraging. We know our web site is visited by people from all over the world; who knows what encouragement it might have given?

This is a most exciting time to be alive and a most important time to be a Christian. We live in a global village, the world is our backyard, and we can share the 'Word' like never before. Don't just sit there, be part of it. You might even be able to work from home in your spare time, so no excuses there. An hour a week could make all the difference to our work.

If you have any skills you think you might be able to offer to the team or if you are interested in becoming a member of the Communication Group and are willing to be trained then please contact us as soon as possible. All are welcome (but web design and print design are in particularly short supply at the moment!). We need your support to help us achieve the vision, and deep down you might even be quite excited about the idea of working in communication but have never had the chance.

Ronnie Baird

The author

Ronnie Baird reports on the recently formed Comunications Group - another of the implementation groups formed in response to the "Clearing Our Vision" process.

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For more info contact Ronnie Baird: ronniebaird2002@yahoo.ie or leave your name with the office or speak with one of the church leaders.