Communications Office
Helping the church tell its stories.
The Communications Office works to let you know what's happening in the PCC
Technically, the Communications Office’s mandate is to be the centre of all communication and evolving concepts of communication for the Life and Mission Agency at the national office of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Read more on that here.
But what does that mean in more human terms?
It means helping Presbyterians across Canada tell their stories. It means creating connections, creating relationships, because that’s the way good news is spread. That’s the way ideas are shared. Ministry is happening everywhere in The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and everyone should know about it. Preferably right now.
How do we do this? Video, print, e-mail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter. We wrap all of this up and call it PCConnect.
That’s what the Communications Office does. We’re about going and telling, connecting, engaging. We’re about helping the stories reach eyes and hears so they can get typed and told and move the church forward.
PCConnect
A distribution network designed to highlight the life and mission of The PCC
By incorporating multiple modes of communication (email, web, video) and various schedules (daily, weekly, monthly), the Communications Office is able to bring the news of the day to the entire Presbyterian community.
Click the links below to learn more:
Social Media
The Communications Office is helping the Presbyterian community connect on the internet by taking advantage of some of the great online applications and services available.
These applications and services are loosely called social media, and there are lots to choose from. Social media is good for a number of reasons: it’s free, it’s easy to use, it’s accessible because it’s on the internet, and lots of people are already using it.
Here are some of the popular social media that the church is using to connect Presbyterians to what’s happening in the Presbyterian Community.
The PCC on Facebook
PCConnect has a Facebook page: you can become a fan and receive PCC news items in your Facebook News Feed. And there is also a PCC Facebook Group that you can join and share info with other Presbyterians.
The PCC on YouTube
The Communications Office uses this popular movie-sharing site to host its online videos, including episodes of the weekly Presbyterian news show PCConnect-TV. You can to the PCC YouTube channel by going to youtube.com/presvideo.
The PCC on Flickr
Flickr is a popular photo-sharing site. The Communications Office has been using it to host photo slideshows that are associated with news items on the PCConnect-Daily news feed, as well as General Assembly 2009 photos. You can access all of The PCC’s photos by going toflickr.com/photos/pcconnect.
The PCC on Skype
Skype is a very popular application that let’s you make calls over the internet for free. The Communications Office staff have Skype on all day so feel free to give us a call, or we can talk via instant chat.
The PCC on Twitter
Twitter is a micro-blogging web application that has become increasingly popular over the past year. It allows you to send short, instant updates to “followers” (people on your friends list). Information from a variety of Communications Office sources is automatically sent to the PCC’s Twitter feed, which you can find at twitter.com/pcconnect
Common Craft has produced a great video introduction to Twitter.
PCCWeb
Free websites for PCC congregations and ministries
PCCWeb is an exciting new inititative from the Communications Office of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Based on the popular WordPress platform, PCCWeb was conceived to provide simple, free web presence for congregations and ministries that don’t have web expertise (or funding for it) at their disposal. The tools necessary for creating a modern website are out there, and we bring them to you in a neat package.
The websites provided through PCCWeb are completely free of charge and are funded through gifts to Presbyterians Sharing.
Blogging
The Communications Office provides technical and content support to a handful of official blogs.
- The Moderator's Blog
- The official blog of the Moderator of the 136th General Assembly of The Presbyterian church in Canada
- The Amity Blog
- The official blog of The PCC's participants in the Amity program.
- The Sari Diaries
- The offical blog of Michelle Verway chronicling her mission experience in India.
Mandate
The Communications Office performs numerous functions on behalf of the Life and Mission Agency as well as the denomination as a whole. The work of the office is divided into two broad categories: Resource Production & Communications.
The mandate of the Communications Office, as revised in 2008, is to be the centre for all communication and evolving concepts of communication for the national office of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The department will inspire the church in innovative communication techniques, bold methods for presenting the gospel to a 21st century audience and equip congregations to do the same.
The essential challenges and responsibilities of the department are:
- Creating a vision for an innovative, multi-faceted communication strategy for The Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Communicating essential messages within The Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Communicating with Presbyterian churches and courts
- Communicating with the wider community about the mission and ministry of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and its congregations
- Equipping congregations, presbyteries and synods to share their mission and ministry with the wider church
- Presenting bold concepts and images for other departments/offices, committees and agencies in communication and resources
- Providing an effective internal communication network to the respective bodies and courts of The Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Providing an effective external communication plan for the broader public (media, seekers and ecumenical bodies)
- Assisting the General Assembly Office in implementing a communication strategy for the benefit of all commissioners and resource people at General Assembly.
The Communications office also provides extensive coverage of events at General Assembly and other gatherings of Presbyterians. The office acts as a news office and central contact point for media relations across the country.
Staff
Communications staff provide advice to other departments within Church Offices as well as to congregations, presbyteries and synod as they relate to publications, production and web technology.
Associate Secretary
Colin Carmichael - ccarmichael@presbyterian.ca
Staff
Pat Martin, Production Design Coordinator - pmartin@presbyterian.ca
Matt Donnelly, Communications Coordinator - mdonnelly@presbyterian.ca