new church life: september / october 2013
world effects?
It is our plan, ultimately, to produce two end products: one accommodating
the broader population, and a second one directed specifically at theoretical
physicists.
As you view the evolution of science over the last hundred years you
can see the beginnings of a convergence of scientific theory and the rational
basis for New Church doctrine. The Creation Project is our contribution to
accelerating that convergence.
We hope to appeal to those who have not completely bought into the
notion that their existence resulted from a “series of random events.” If only
given a more plausible explanation that they can rationally embrace, these same
people might entertain a theory that includes a God-centered component and
one that would be pointing to the Writings.
office of outreach: website revision
The Rev. David H. Lindrooth, Director
Our website, www.newchurch.org, is in need of a major revision. The site
is built on a “Zope” platform that is no longer supported by the software
developer. This puts us at risk for hacking incidents and other problems which
will only increase as this site ages.
Another issue we face is that the way people communicate on the web
has changed rather drastically in the last four years, and our old architecture
needs to be redesigned to meet the needs. One example of this is that people
increasingly access websites with their smart phones or tablets. Our site does
not display well on these platforms. Additionally, we would like to address
the difficulties of local users configuring their sites to meet the needs of their
congregations.
With that in mind we are revisiting our strategic plan and goals for
newchurch.org and will move toward planning, funding and implementing an
upgraded site that is better able to serve and introduce people to the teachings
and culture of the General Church. As a part of this effort we envision offering
sites that are more customizable and easier to keep up to date.
To help Outreach with this task we are forming a provisional subcommittee
within the Outreach department that will help us shepherd the process through
planning and implementation. We expect a timeline of about 18-24 months.
The members of this committee will be: David Lindrooth and Charles
Ebert (co-chairs), Dain Kistner, Tim O’Connor, Rob Andrews, Jessica
Carswell, Rachel Glenn, Michelle Chapin and the Rev. Mac Frazier. Others
will be drawn into the process as the need requires.
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