Vol. IX Issue 4 Fall 2006 In this issue: LEADERSHIP Books on Leadership From the UUA Bookstore MONEY Planning Eases Stress From Natural Disasters TOOLBOX Videos Help Congregations Share Their Stories MEMBERSHIP Midweek Events Create Strong Connections NOURISHING THE SPIRIT Meaningful Worship Requires Attention, Focus QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Including Youth, Inspiring People to Attend General Assembly BRIEFLY NOTED A Different Approach to Joys and Concerns; Notes from UU University On Welcoming, Anxiety, And Congregational Health; And More! EMAIL LIST Find out when the new InterConnections is online InterConnections Archives

Videos Help Congregations Share Their Stories

When the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore. (1,100 members), needed a way to promote a capital campaign a couple of years ago, it turned to a videographer for help.

When Membership Coordinator Craig Towers saw the completed video he realized it could be effective for more than just raising money: He shows the 15-minute film at monthly orientation sessions for newcomers. The video brings to life the history of the church, its role in the larger community, and its importance in the lives of its members. It includes interviews with staff and congregants who talk about various aspects of church including music, religious education, and social justice.

Towers says the video allows newcomers to see congregants speaking joyfully about the meaning of the church to their lives. There is no way to get all of the people in the video to come to each orientation, but it makes that possible and lets newcomers experience more than just him talking at them. "It's a great sales tool without feeling too evangelical," he says.

Other congregations find videos to be useful tools. The UU Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes in Tamworth, N.H. (100), had a DVD made to show at General Assembly in June, when it was recognized as a Breakthrough Congregation by the UUA's Growth Team. UUFES minister Mary Edes says the congregation plans to make copies of the DVD available to anyone who walks through the door, as part of their guest packet. "It will give them a sense of our fellowship," she says, adding that the fellowship is also considering running it on a local cable channel. "It's made us think about having a TV ministry."

First Unitarian Church of Dallas (1,000) made a DVD in connection with its being named a Breakthrough Congregation in 2005. The Rev. Daniel Chesney Kanter says the congregation has used the video in various ways since then. It was shown at a congregational meeting as an entrée into a discussion about the future of First Unitarian. Every new member gets a copy as a way of orienting them to the church and its values. Last year copies of the DVD were included in a congregation-wide mailing about the annual stewardship drive.

"Doing the video was a good process for us," says Kanter. "Because we chose to tell our story historically it helps people quickly understand who we are and what we're about."

Glen Day, a church member who is creative director for a Dallas-area ad agency, helped create the video. He says most congregations probably have friends or members who are skilled enough to make such videos. Much of their editing was done on home computers. "A lot of people can make home movies now and the process is pretty much the same," he says.

In the case of First Dallas, Kanter wrote a script for the video, choosing members who had inspirational stories to tell about their involvement with the congregation. Day filmed the interviews and then worked with a film editor from outside the church who chose music and integrated archival footage.

Day says a congregation will need a writer for the script, someone to schedule and film the interviews and other scenes, and someone to put it all together. "The equipment is the easiest part," he says. "Finding people with the right experience is harder, but there are ad agencies all over the country and people are all the time creating their own films for Internet sites."

He adds, "The real heart of the film was finding the nuggets about what the congregation was about-the stories about what brought people there and kept them coming. That's what made the film inspiring."

Resources

To view the congregational video produced by First Unitarian Church of Dallas go to dallasuu.org and click on the "1st Church Video" button on the front page of the website.