This week we are beginning a series on technology. There is so much out there that can be used in ministry; and while I am going to share some of my thoughts and ideas, I would really like to hear from you also.

I love spending some time browsing through Women's Ministries on the Internet. It never ceases to amaze me how many of you are so technology savvy - kudos to you!

Across the board it seems that most churches now have a Women's Ministry Page and several have dedicated sites or sections; some churches have their own blogs; and many have online registration and chat rooms. However, as I look at everything out there, it "looks" like most of what is happening is communication to members and those who are looking for specific information. INreach as opposed to OUTreach.

I could be wrong here, so I am going to give you a chance to respond. Click on one of the three sentences below to shoot me a quick email about how you use technology. If you have the time, I would love to know more about what you are doing, or simply send me a link to your website. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

We use technology primarily to communicate with our members.

We use technology primarily to outreach on the web and in our community.

We use technology for communication AND outreach.

And for those of you who have something brilliant you do with technology that we have not addressed here, tell me about it!

Thanks Ladies! I will be using some of your answers as we continue to explore this subject.

In Him... Robyne Beaubien, Newsletter Editor

This week's question.
I hear people talking about being happy, but I don't "feel" happy. What's happiness?

View Jennifer's Video Answer

Last week's question.
Is it wrong for a Christian to meditate?

View Jennifer's Video Answer

Target Audience: The neighborhood surrounding your church.

Purpose: To cover your community in prayer and distribute information about your church.

Description: Make a map of the area around you church. (1/2 mile, 1 mile, whatever you want the boundary to be.) Different streets or areas can be put up for adoption by church members. Adopting an area means that you set designated times to pray while walking or driving in your area. A scheduled prayer date can also be set where everyone who has adopted an area can meet together and pray and then walk the area together.

When you are walking your area, you can place packets containing information about your church, or an upcoming event, along with prayer request cards on doors knobs.

Keys to Success: This ministry needs committed people who will follow through with their commitment. You may need to schedule specific times for prayer walks instead of leaving it up to the individuals.

"Lives changed, marriages restored, hope found, joy returned"...just a few comments from attendees of Bridget Taylor Conferences. Each conference uses interactive study guides that allows you to take the information home for future study of material. Visit bridgettaylor.com for details

Visit these past sponsors:

Beauty by The Book, a 7- week, DVD-based Bible study by Laurie Cole.

WomensMinistry.NET Bookstore

Question: Can we use a web image for our printed materials?

WomensMinistry.Net Answer: Maybe. First, request permission to use the image to ensure copyright infringement does not occur. Second, keep in mind the image you see when viewing a web site it often optimized for the WEB, not the PRINTED page. If an image is not scanned with the PRINTED page in mind, the result will be a very grainy printed image, or you might see all the tiny squares that make up the printed image. A web image is typically scanned or reduced to 72 DPI (dots per inch). As a rule of thumb, as long as the image is 300 DPI and the dimensions you need for PRINT (or larger), your designer and printer can usually use an image from the web, or one that is emailed to you. If however, an image is optimized for the web at 72 DPI, then the web image would have to be approximately 4" by 4" to create a quality 1" by 1" printed image.

Bottom Line - your best bet is to ask for a picture or copy of a file that is ready to be used in a print version.