Last
year the Christmas Joy Offering introduced a PowerPoint CD.
This is the first such Special Offerings resource. Unfortunately,
it appeared late enough in the Offering’s season that
many people did not learn about it in time to use it. Those
who did use it were very positive about it. This year’s
resources will include an updated version with a couple of new
twists. We hope you will find it helpful.
What does this year’s CD contain and why should you
care? If you are a member of a congregation that likes to project
announcements, hymn lyrics, and other liturgical elements, this
CD offers a free worship background that relates not only to
the Advent season but to the offering that most congregations
receive at the end of Advent. You can use the art from the Offering
poster as a backdrop for whatever information you want to project
to your congregation.
The PowerPoint CD also contains both a manual and an automated
version of a Minute for Mission, complete with background music.
The automated version narrates itself and lasts a little more
than two minutes. It describes the mission of the Offering and
how the two causes supported by the Offering, racial ethnic
education and the assistance programs of the Board of Pensions,
support that mission with their ministries. This Minute for
Mission can be useful in a number of settings: It can help bring
your session or mission committee up-to-date on what the offering
is about; it can also supplement a Minute for Mission or even
serve as a stand-alone Minute for Mission on a Sunday when you
don’t have someone to present it; it can even be played
during offertory time.
The manual version of the CD is similar, except the accompanying
text is not narrated. The presentation needs to be read by the
person presenting it. It can be adapted to the needs and concerns
of the congregation and can be as short or long as desired.
(The music is a loop so you needn’t be concerned about
fitting the presentation into an exact time slot.)
This year the CD will also include some additional downloadable
materials such as art, liturgical elements, and Minutes for
Mission. In fact, we’re still exploring the best use for
such a medium, so please let us know what you would like to
see included and what would make the CD even more useful and
easy to use. You can send your feedback to the Office of Special
Offerings, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396,
or email Alan
Krome.
One final note: Everything available on the CD can be downloaded
from the Christmas Joy Offering Web site. After last year’s
experience, however, it appears a special caution is necessary:
follow the instructions for use explicitly! A number of people
who thought they knew how to use the CD last year discovered
that it didn’t work the way they expected and had to go
back and start from scratch following the instructions. |
