Director of Communications Wil Triggs

Wil Triggs

“Going viral” in communications took on new and somewhat strange elements this year. With so much global focus on avoiding the virus, we relied more than ever before on the basic tool of communications. Words and images, whether appearing in pixels on a screen, or handwritten in a notecard delivered in a mailbox, helped us not feel isolated or alone.

And we had more people checking us out virtually than ever before with between 7,000- 10,000 new visitors to our website every month of the year. Two of the top searches that drove people to click into our website were “online church,” and “find a church.” We hope that the new website will increase that traffic.

The online worship services ran ahead of our in-person worship services week after pandemic week. These online visitors offer a future challenge in terms of how to engage them more fully in the years ahead, as the new normal becomes a little more like our old normal. Remember that?

This year we also changed email service providers, increased our social media output on a weekly basis and increased our online advertising through places like Google and Facebook.

I’ve witnessed more openness to the struggles of life this year than any other year that I can recall. We so often want to tell ourselves and others that everything is going great, even if inside we’re struggling. This year gave us the time and space to admit that everything was not okay. I saw that reflected in our communications in positive ways. Examples? Saying goodbye to a son headed for war, trying to balance life with the demands of faraway family, navigating what it means to live for Jesus in a place like Myanmar under military control or the simple “I Believe” stories of faith reminded us of our utter and complete need for Jesus to do it all.

Communications contributors created words and/or images that helped us communicate with each other in big and little ways during this pandemic year. These include people of all ages (20s-90s): Adugna Tahear, Allan Sholes, Ann Lawrenz, Ann VanDerMolen, Annelise Thrasher, Barb DeLew, Barbara Mill, Ben Pehrson, Beth Tebbe, Brian Blackburn, Budi Tjahjadi, Charlie Stevens, Cheryl Warner, Chris Arndt, Chris Iverson, Christy Otten, Curt Miller, Dave Jordan, Dorothy Forsberg, Ellen Elwell, Erick Solomon, George Bednar, Greg Hurst, Jacob Warren, Jeff VanDerMolen, Jeff Wencel, Jenni Paulson, Jim Hansen, Jim Tebbe, John Maust, John Melby, Jonathan Merry, Josh Moody, Julie Clemens, Karis Rigby, Katherine Baylis, Kathy Hansen, Kiersten Oslund, Leland Ryken, Leslie Trautwein, Liz Reid, Lorraine Triggs, Luis Orellana, Manny Mill, Marilyn Papierski, Mark Papierski, Marr Miller, Mary Cerutti, Michelle Kelley, Nancy Singer, Nancy Tally, Nick Girgis, Nicole H, Pat Cirrincione, Sarah Nelson, Simone Halpin, Steve Dresselhaus, Susan Zimmerman, Terri Kraus, Vijai Kuruppacherry, Vanessa Roth, Vic Trautwein, Virginia Hughes, Wallace Alcorn, Wendell Hawley, Zach Fallon.