WEB EVANGELISM BULLETIN
. . . learning from each other
W-E-B Issue 168 ~ Feb 2009
Monthly ISSN 471-0323
News this time...
Table of Contents
NEW BLOG ON DIGITAL EVANGELISM
INTERNET EVANGELISM DAY TWO MONTHS AWAY: 26 APRIL
BLOGGING AND NETWORKING
LANGUAGE LEARNING ONLINE
INTERNET USERS HIT 1.5 BILLION
LAUSANNE WORLD PULSE HIGHLIGHTS MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
CHURCH MINISTRY
TIPS
JAPAN OUTREACH
FRENCH WEB OUTREACH
LEARNING TO LISTEN
HOW PEOPLE BECOME CHRISTIANS
TAILEND
"Can't you see the angel imprisoned in the block of stone trying to get out? I am trying to free him" - Michaelangelo
NEW BLOG ON DIGITAL EVANGELISM
Digital Evangelism Issues (DEI) focuses on news and ideas for any type of digital outreach - web, mobile phone, video clip and social networking and more. It is the blog associated with Internet Evangelism Day (IED), hence the mirror-image acronym! Classical language scholars and those with a Catholic background will notice a second reference: 'dei' is Latin for 'belonging to God'.
Please blog about it, link to it, mention it in newsletters, or make it known in any
other way.
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/
INTERNET EVANGELISM DAY TWO MONTHS AWAY: 26 APRIL
If you did not receive our recent news release about Internet Evangelism Day, it is
available here:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/latestnews
Please encourage magazine or newsletter editors and bloggers to use it, and pass it to
anyone else who could be interested. Please could you help me build up my list of magazine
editors: please send the name and email address of editors of your own favorite Christian
publications:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/feedback
We also have a shorter item suitable for church announcement sheets:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/shortannouncement
Would you consider creating a focus spot for your church or group on or near that day?
It can be as short as a two-minute announcement, or a longer program using any of our free
downloads - PowerPoint, video clips, handouts, music and drama scripts:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/planning.php
BLOGGING AND NETWORKING
Blogging is hugely popular and strategic in China:
http://www.danwei.org/blogs/blog_popularity_in_china.php
More statistics and news about social networking in China and elsewhere - with the
option to add your own comments:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/94
The POST Method - A systematic approach to social strategy: "What do most do wrong when
they enter the social networking world? No, it's not that they're being fake, or don't
'get it'. It's that they don't really know their objectives," says Josh Bernoff:
http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html
TWITTER - the power of micro-blog service Twitter was demonstrated recently when the US
Airways jet landed in the Hudson River. Before the news even reached TV and radio news
outlets, thousands had heard about it via Twitter and even seen mobile photos:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/01/twitter_spreads.html
And when British broadcaster, writer and actor Stephen Fry was trapped in a
lift/elevator, he was able to 'tweet' to the many 'following' him on Twitter:
http://www.web-evangelism.com/offsitelink?b09feb-stephenfry
Both stories were featured widely in the international press, and have done much to
increase the profile of Twitter in the public's mind:
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article5754902.ece
Short introduction to using Twitter:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5758076.ece
More about Twitter in ministry:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/twitter.php
Pew Internet has issued a study on Twitter showing that 11% of online US adults now use
Twitter, almost double the rate six months ago:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/276/report_display.asp
There is much potential for Twitter in ministry, and Anthony Coppedge has written "The
Reason Your Church Must Twitter":
http://www.internetevangelismday.colm/twitter.php
Ministry Best Practices blog suggests reasons why your church should invest in such
social media:
http://www.web-evangelism.com/offsitelink?b09feb-socialmedia
LANGUAGE LEARNING ONLINE
Another way to build redemptive relationships is to give help in language learning.
There are number of online language-learning systems, such as Livemocha:
http://www.livemocha.com/
More links and the opportunity to share resources or experiences:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/120
INTERNET USERS HIT 1.5 BILLION
In 2008, the number of web users reached 1.5 billion - nearly a quarter of the world's
population, (though other analysists seem to place the figure somewhat lower):
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
Add your comments, links or ideas here:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/50
For a breakdown of the different web users in USA, the latest Pew Internet report gives
facts and figures. For instance 45% of people 70+ are now online, up from 25% in 2005.
Different generations use the Web in different ways:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/275/report_display.asp
LAUSANNE WORLD PULSE HIGHLIGHTS MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
February's Lausanne World Pulse covers the many opportunities for digital evangelism,
with particular reference to missions:
http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles.php/1087
Add your own feedback and discuss the issues raised by the article:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/30
THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
If you were watching Obama's inauguration and wondered what had happened to the prayer
from controversial Bishop Gene Robinson; well, it wasn't broadcast. But Christianity Today
editor Sarah Pulliam was present, recorded it, and posted it on YouTube:
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2009/01/gay_bishop_kick.html
What were CT's 10 most redeeming films of 2008?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/tenredeemingfilmsof2008.html
Most popular urban ministry speakers - websites, blogs, MP3s:
http://www.urbanministry.org/top2008
CHURCH MINISTRY
The church that stays open all night:
http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=3128
PR Stands for What? How to build a relationship with the public:
http://communicatejesus.com/2009/02/pr-stands-for-what/
8 Key Ingredients of a Powerful Community Outreach:
http://www.breakthroughchurch.com/8ingredients.htm
Discuss these issues here:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/104
"The Truth about Church Websites and Effective Online Outreach" - a free webinar on 4
March, 1100 US Pacific Time, based on research conducated by Drew Goodmanson. Sign up in
advance:
http://www.goodmanson.com/2009-02/21/state-of-the-church-online-goals-met/
UNITY IN COLLABORATION: "... public recognition was keeping the megachurch's lead
pastor, Matt Carter, awake at night. While his church was certainly growing, the need to
deepen relationships and raise and engage disciples became larger as well. This burgeoning
increase in numbers and needs became Carter's quandary. Even though his church had formed
'community groups' and congregants 'signed up in droves', most of the groups weren't
working."
http://artofnetworking.visionsynergy.net/?p=161
TIPS
- non-techies look away now
EMBEDDED YOUTUBE CLIPS - you can actually link to a small portion of a video clip,
rather than the whole thing:
http://thenextweb.com/2008/10/11/nifty-little-trick-embed-parts-of-a-youtube-video/
YOUTUBE - LOSE THE THUMBNAIL 'RELATED VIDEOS' OPTION. A major potential problem for
sites embedding a clip using YouTube's generic copy-and-paste coding: when the clip has
finished, YouTube by default inserts a range of thumbnail links to other video clips it
believes are related to the topic. Problem is, they may not be, and at worst, can be very
very inappropriate. But there is an easy way to stop these appearing, so that when the
clip has finished, all that appears is a 'replay' button. Just add &rel=0 to the end
of both Youtube video URLs in your html coding. This easy but little-known tip is so
important that it deserves very wide circulation in the web world. Comment or share other
YouTube tips:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/35
CAPTIONS: YouTube also supports the addition of captions, and the ability to click the
screen during or at the end of the presentation to hit an embedded URL, as this secular
card trick clip demonstrates - click on the link at the end to be taken to an even more
interactive option:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JIWyKRQUdk
ADWARE - interview with a former Adware programmer:
http://philosecurity.org/2009/01/12/interview-with-an-adware-author
GAMES - Vern wonders if there is anyone who would like to revise her open source memory
game called GCompris to reinforce Biblical knowledge:
http://gcompris.net/en-memory
JAPAN OUTREACH
Web resources ideas, and YahooGroup networking for anyone interested in digital
outreach to Japan:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/japan-web-evangelism.php
"Studio Re: is a group of Christian artists who are producing films that lead Japanese
to discover that there is more to life... much more. They produce films in a variety of
genres that present redemptive content and pose crucial questions. These films seek to
affect and change the shape of contemporary Japanese culture and its inhabitants by
assuming a biblical paradigm; offering redemption instead of separation, hope instead of
resignation, design instead of chaos. It is a sowing ministry that will prepare the minds
and hearts of the Japanese in order to shorten the spiritual distance between them and
Jesus Christ."
http://www.studio-re.com/
RJC (Reaching Japanese for Christ) conferences are held annually, next one in
March:
http://www.rjcnetwork.org/
FRENCH WEB OUTREACH
CBN covers Eric Celerier's ministry in starting and building the French site
ConnaitreDieu.com which has grown from 30 visitors a day back in the early days, to one
million daily across its different language versions. With a very sophisticated email
mentoring and followup system for inquirers, what is particularly encouraging is how
efficiently they link inquirers with churches, and the large numbers of people who have
gone on to become committed members of fellowships and often been baptized:
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/531718.aspx
LEARNING TO LISTEN
"Why is listening is so difficult? I'll tell you why. It's because you move away from
being the center of attention and you inviting someone else into that space. When someone
listens to us with real concentration and expresses sincere care for our struggles and our
pains, we feel that something very deep is happening to us. Slowly our fears melt away,
our tensions dissolve and anxieties retreat. Listening is so simple to do and it's a gift
with tremendous healing power that we can offer to others." - from the book Compassion: A
Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen.
Listening is a key to evangelism, or indeed any effective communication.
HOW PEOPLE BECOME CHRISTIANS
Dave Bennet, UK Director of Bridge Builders (formerly Pocket Testament League)
conducted very useful research into how adults become Christians. This study offers vital
pointers into ways we should be thinking about evangelism:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/87
TAILEND ô¿ô
A letter from the Tooth Fairy, by Patty Baribeau
As a busy homeschooling mother of 10, I often forget to play tooth fairy at the appropriate times. On such occasions, the attached letter mysteriously appears to explain the Tooth Fairy's delay. The letter usually turns a frown into a gap-toothed grin and the child is encouraged to try again another night.
Dear _________________:
Thank you for leaving one [1] tooth under your pillow last night.
While we make every attempt to leave a monetary reward in the case of children's lost teeth, we were unable to process your request for the following reason[s] indicated below:
[ ] it was not a human tooth
[ ] we do not consider pieces of chicken bone amusing
[ ] we were unable to approach the tooth due to excessive odor
[ ] the tooth has previously been redeemed for cash
[ ] the tooth did not originally belong to you
[ ] the tooth was too fragile to move due to excessive cavities
[ ] the tooth fairy does not process fingernails
[ ] this tooth has been reported missing from the dinosaur exhibit at your local museum
[ ] you were overheard to state that you do not believe in the Tooth Fairy
[ ] you were age 18 or older at the time your request was received
[ ] OSHA rules prohibit fairies from entering bedrooms labeled "hazardous waste disposal area"
[ ] the tooth was guarded by a vicious, fairy-eating dog
[ ] we discovered evidence of unsafe tooth extraction as follows:
[ ] wire
[ ] pliers
[ ] gunpowder
[ ] hammer marks
[ ] chisel
[ ] acid
Thank you for your request, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Lt. Flossie Fairy
President
Tooth Fairy Union #32
[source: www.mikeysFunnies.com ]
Please also ‘Like’ our 
Creative Commons: reuse any material with attribution
Contact us
