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Guild offers help to Web developers

2/3/2003 News media contact: Kathy Gilbert · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn.

NOTE: This report is a sidebar to UMNS story #050. A head-and-shoulders photograph of Chuck Russell is available.

United Methodist News Service

Any local church needing help with its Web site has a friend in the United Methodist Web Ministry Guild, a network of Web developers offering technical and spiritual advice, and United Methodist Communications.

Chuck Russell, United Methodist Communications' Internet resource consultant, is ready to help people sort through the confusion.

"Whatever level a local church is at, we can help them improve from there," he says. Many people who are trying to start and maintain a Web site at their church are not technical experts, he adds. Since he has already done a lot of research, Russell can help with questions ranging from getting a Web designer to online streaming.

The United Methodist Web Ministry Guild took a giant step forward in October by sponsoring "We Built Our Church Web Site: Now What?" with a live audience in New Orleans and a live audio webcast on the Internet.

The October meeting was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the United Methodist Association of Communicators. More than 80 local church and annual conference Web developers were in attendance with another 306 listening in on the Internet.

"Resourcing local church Web developers has increasingly become a necessity. The success of this event is a clear signal that Web developers are calling out for help," Steve Downey, leader of United Methodist Communications' Internet Integration Team, said at the time.

Russell has helped more than 100 churches with their Internet questions. He also attends regional meetings to hold workshops.

"I am here to help give them a higher vision of what their Web site could be," he says.

For help with your Web site, contact Russell at webresource@umcom.org, or by calling (615) 742-5444. An archived audio stream of "We Built our Church Web Site: Now What?" is available online at www.umc.org/webministry.

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