 |
|
|
 |
 |
| March 2006 |
IEC Newsletter
Stimulating and accelerating web evangelism within the worldwide Body of Christ
|
| |
|
|
 |
Preparing for Internet Evangelism Day - May 7, 2006 |
|
|
|
Interest is building for Internet Evangelism Day 2006. If you have been considering using this focus in your church or Christian group, now is the time to start planning. There are new suggestions on different things to do for May 7, starting with the easiest option - just a short one-minute announcement, and ranging up to an hour seminar: http://ied.gospelcom.net/planning.php
Check how different churches created their programs last year: http://ied.gospelcom.net/examples.php
If you’re planning an Internet Evangelism Day, please register online, via the voluntary no-obligation registration form. It is such an encouragement to hear of different church's intentions: http://ied.gospelcom.net/registration.php
URGENT NEED
Can you also help make IE Day known as widely as possible? IED has no publicity machine or budget. Two news releases are available to insert in newsletters, make available to your local Christian media, etc: http://ied.gospelcom.net/publicity.php#news
You can even change or add quotes to suit your own geographical location, taking leaders' quotes from: http://ied.gospelcom.net/supporting.php and last year's user quotes from: http:// ied.gospelcom.net/examples.php. There are also longer free articles which can be used in print, or inserted directly into any website: http://ied.gospelcom.net/free-articles.php
If you have a blog of your own, or contribute to other blogs, Tony Whittaker (Soon UK), urges you to consider featuring IE Day. He adds, “If you use bulletin boards, email discussion lists, Christian event diaries, etc. please mention IE Day in an appropriate place and link to the site from any website using the search-engine-friendly URL http://ied.gospelcom.net/index.php rather than the IE Day domain itself.”
|
|
Techvangelism '06 Conference |
|
|
|
Sharing faith, studying the Bible, responding to those in need and building community define a strong Christian journey. Technology can make this easier. Techvangelism ’06, scheduled for March 18 at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA, will feature speakers and roundtable discussions and showcase five methods to reach the world for Christ and grow as a Christian using home computers:
- Share faith online with friends, family and colleagues.
- Learn God's Word in greater depth using online Bible studies.
- Expand Christian relationships through web communities.
- Respond to emails from seekers across the globe.
- Explore information on the Internet for Christian growth and mentoring.
“Today, more than 1 billion Internet users ‘log-on’ worldwide,” says keynote speaker Walt Wilson. “The way people around the world make a spiritual connection has been revolutionized by technology. It’s time for Christians to use the new tools God has provided to fulfill the Great Commission. Through the use of these tools, those who never thought they’d be in a position to share the Gospel in remote parts of the world can now experience the joy of reaching out to countries that traditionally have been closed,” he concluded.
In addition to Wilson, Techvangelism ’06 speakers include:
- Pete Holzmann, International Christian Technologists' Association
- Steve Johnson, International Bible Society
- Scott Lindsey, Logos Bible Software
Conference roundtable discussion topics consist of:
- “Help I’m Not a Techie”
- Connecting the Global Church with Broadband Wireless
- Blogging
- Discovering Jesus with the Jesus Institute
- Managing Online Communities
- Telling Your Story All Over the World
- Opportunities for the Christian Enterprise
In addition to the main sessions and roundtables, participants will be able to take advantage of networking opportunities to connect with and learn from others.
Registration Information
The $35 registration fee includes: admission to all meeting sessions, materials and lunch. For more information or to register, go to www.techvangelism.org or call 650.796.2377.
|
|
Podcasting |
|
|
|
Helping the Church Move at the Speed of Technology
On Sundays Mark Batterson preaches to more than 800 people at National Community Church, an Assemblies of God church in Washington, D.C., which has a satellite location in Arlington, VA. But each month, he says, more than 10,000 people from places as diverse as Holland and Singapore tune in to his weekly podcasted sermon.
|
|
Teens Take Risks with Internet Postings |
|
|
|
The Polly Klaas® Foundation, a national nonprofit that helps find missing children and prevents them from going missing in the first place, has released the results of a nationwide survey of online teens and tweens about their behavior and experiences on the Internet. The online poll of 1,468 U.S. teens and tweens (ages 8-18) revealed that youth frequently take risks with their personal information and communicate with people they have only met through the Internet.
The Foundation conducted the survey because they say the recent explosion in online networking puts young people at increased risk of sexual encounters and abductions by predators. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reports that between 2004 and 2005, its Internet Crimes Against Children program saw an 84 percent increase in complaints nationally for predators that enticed minors online or traveled to meet them.
"We knew that child predators posed a problem to young people on the Web, but we were stunned to learn the vast numbers of teens engaging in incredibly risky behaviors online," said Glena Records, Director of Communication & Education at the Polly Klaas® Foundation. "This is a wake up call for parents. Simple warnings or safety lectures are not going to work in the current Internet age."
The Polly Klaas® Foundation poll found that youth frequently post personal information. Key findings from the survey, available at http://www.pollyklaas.org/internet-safety/, include:
- Two in five (42 percent) online teens (ages 13- 18) said they have posted information about themselves on the Internet so others can see it and contact them.
- Significantly more online teen girls than boys (ages 13-18) reported posting a profile (56 versus 37 percent), sharing personal information (37 versus 26 percent), and being asked about sexual topics (33 versus 18 percent).
- Online teens frequently communicate virtually with someone they have never met: 54 percent have done so using Instant Messaging; half via email; and 45 percent in a chat room.
- Nearly one in eight online teens (12 percent) have learned that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be younger.
- "Tweens" (ages 8-12) also report risky behaviors online, although in lower numbers than teens (13- 18). But they also report feeling more concern about Web safety.
Read also a CNN story on this same topic: Teens At Risk on Social Web Sites
|
|
Internet and Culture News & Information |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
