‘Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.’
Colossians 4 verse 6
How can we have conversations about our faith, encourage one another, build up the body of Christ, and be involved in sharing and caring for one another? How can we keep up-to-date with what’s going on at St Saviour’s Church? How can we make friends and family aware of things going on at St Saviour’s and help them to explore faith and experience what God is doing here?
These are all good questions about ways we can communicate with each other, both within the church, and in the wider sphere of our community and our relationships. We are really blessed at St Saviour’s with so many means of communication, so there’s lots of ways to keep ‘in the know’ and to pass on the information to others.
Website – a great way to find out about the life of the church, the people involved, and what’s going on. It’s also the place to listen to sermons and to read the latest blog (which is taken from the weekly newsletter updates). It’s useful for newcomers and longstanding members alike, so don’t forget to check it out.
Social media – there’s the St Saviour’s Facebook page, where you can find information about events and posts about events and encouragements; the St Saviour’s Facebook group – a closed group, where we can share and encourage one another more intimately; and then there’s Instagram and Twitter too (follow the links on the website). All are great means to interact as companions in and ambassadors for our Lord, so please like/follow/join as many as you can, and don’t forget to like our posts! We need encouragement too!
Printed material – our newsletter is produced most weeks (staff holidays excepted) with details of all the Sunday services, weekly goings on, and other news items; we have flyers and posters too; and, up to now, we’ve also had our bi-monthly magazine Ignite. However, following the summer survey, the PCC has taken the difficult decision to stop the magazine for the time being. Instead, we will be thinking about special editions of the newsletter to include some of the favourite items from Ignite, and to keep it ‘seasoned with salt’! Do let us know what you think.
Of course, all of these are the means not the subject of our communication. As far as the Gospel is concerned, there’s no substitute for relationship, face-to-face contact, and word of mouth. And it is Jesus we need to be following and talking about, not a list of events and church activities. But all these media can be useful starting points for conversation and can help provide a way in to sharing or inviting. Let’s be busy communicating our faith in gracious and salty ways, demonstrating God’s love, inviting people to events and services, pointing everyone toward Jesus, encouraging one another, and having an answer for everyone.Clare Shearing, Communications Officer
