IT is early days but the Holy Trinity Anglican Church is moving into the 21st century with its use of social media, and some of its congregation is following suit.
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For many people throughout the ages churches have been a social gathering place but the Orange church’s Father Mal Dunnett said new the new platforms are gathering pace.
For the past few months about five members of the church have been coordinating a Facebook page to share biblical and social messages and Twitter is being embraced as well.
Father Dunnett said the church has a traditional denomination however, they have run social media courses and now grandparents are taking up the mediums to find information stay connected with grandchildren and share holiday photos.
As well as posting spiritual messages, the church also uses its Facebook site to promote events, services and fundraising and charity campaigns such as the Sisters Helping Sisters program run in the Solomon Islands.
The church already had a website but wanted to cover other platforms as well and Father Dunnett said churches across the country are also taking to social media.
“The biggest thing is I was talking with a friend who is with Careflight and he said one of the interesting things is a website is something that people look at,” Father Dunnett said.
“The younger generation will look at a website to see where they want to go ad then they look at Facebook and Twitter, I think there’s immediate benefit with groups with a social conscious and in particular a social justice conscience.
“Facebook is about getting the information out quickly,”
So far he said they have used the Facebook page to promote an art auction and Sisters Helping Sisters workshop where members assembled bags of reusable sanitary pads to take to the Solomon Islands where they will also teach women to make the pads.
Father Dunnett said it will also be helpful for promoting future events including a fair, Christmas Carols by Candlelight as well as Christmas service times.
“We are kind of finding our with it and also looking at what other groups do with it as well such as Save the Children and more locally Rotary,” he said.
“It’s going beyond the old pew sheet.”
He said it will be particularly helpful for anyone who cannot make it to church for a week or two.
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
