After prayer and deliberation, our church leadership has decided that we can use our time and resources most effectively if Kirkville News and Notes changes from a mailed publication to an online website format. Several things have contributed to this decision. First, one of the key purposes of any church publication is outreach. Recently, our most effective mail outreach has been bulk every house postcard mailings that we send three times a year for Easter, VBS, and Christmas. These mailings currently reach every house in Kirkville and one RD of Chittenango. We would like to expand these mailing to include an RD of Bridgeport, part of Minoa and possibly a route from East Syracuse.
A second reason for the switch is that the developing content on our website is already paralleling and overlapping what was in KNN. Today, people check out new things on the web first. We were asking ourselves, “Do we need both?” My blog already contains devotional articles, joyful reflections, and leadership insights just as KNN frequently did. For example, my most recent post in my devotional pages is a new article called “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears” based on JoAnne’s and my trip to Ellis Island. Our main web site has banner ads or feature pages for upcoming ministries such as VBS, Lenten services or small group starts.
Third, a web KNN will not be limited to reporting the news quarterly. It can report the news closer to when it happens. It can also include pictures, groups of slides and eventually even videos. It will be in color rather than black and white. This increased flexibility is a huge advantage.
So, to make a long story short, we are sending out our last planned KNN via the post office this month. To replace it, our website will soon have a new section, now in its finishing stages which will retain the KNN moniker (http://www.kirkvillewesleyan.org/knn/). It will become our main way of recording our church news. Our main web site pages along with the post cards and our outside sign will be our key ways of advertising upcoming events.