07/30/2020

SOS Out of the Box Team: Helping congregations embrace digital connection, making us stronger and better together and bringing the love of Jesus Christ to people everywhere

A few weeks ago, Bishop Dillahunt announced a new initiative entitled Outside the Box.  This initiative was formed in recognition that the COVID crisis has forced our congregations to embrace digital connection.  Those connections are opening our virtual doors to new groups and to church members who are homebound or unable to participate in normal church activities.   While we all hope for a return to normal, Outside the Box intends to help our churches embrace a new normal.  We want to embrace digital connection, making us stronger and better together and bringing the love of Jesus Christ to people everywhere.

As the Outside the Box team looks across the synod, there is a group of churches that are leading the digital charge.   The following churches are active digitally, and account for more than 40% of the synod's Facebook and YouTube interactions through June:

It is worth highlighting that a couple of these congregations have limited resources, and have been very creative in extending themselves digitally.  The Outside the Box Team and the Synod staff offer a huge Thank You to all of these churches for their digital reach.  We also thank every church for their digital efforts during this time of crisis.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say Thank You to the Outside the Box core team.  The core team includes Pr. Bob Abrams, Josh Brodbeck, Pr. Larry Donner, Pr. Craig Fourman, Pr. Katie Kerrigan, Pr. Aaron Layne, Pr. Mike Ward, Becky Witt and Bishop Dillahunt. 

Over the next several weeks, the Outside the Box team will provide updates on our initiative as part of the synod e-blast.  If you have questions, you are invited to route your questions through the synod office or to me directly at cclothier@yahoo.com

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

Chris Clothier, OTB Team Chair