COMMUNICATION & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Communication & Public Relations

By Kenn Dixon, Vice President

We were looking forward to traveling throughout the Texas Conference in 2020 to video members sharing their incredible stories of faithfulness and trust in God. Then COVID-19 brought almost everything to a standstill.

As the months progressed and social distancing became the norm, the empty conference office worship room was slowly transformed into a studio to record sermons and music to share online.

By July 2020, we were creating a complete online Worship Experience designed explicitly for those preferring to stay at home who didn’t have a home church providing online services. Thankfully, we have a very willing and talented group of individuals at the conference office who helped with all aspects of the service.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that this crisis was not going to be a quick one. Soon we were recording weekly.

Recordings

We started 2020 with a candid discussion on diversity. The #YouMatter campaign provided office staff and pastors an opportunity to better understand their role as Christians in loving everyone.

In March 2020, Texas Conference President Carlos Craig recorded the State of the Conference regarding COVID-19. A Town Hall meeting followed so questions could be asked as we entered this uncharted territory.

An Innovation Think Tank was then recorded to give people ideas on how to handle this new normal. Several CommPR news segments followed, and then TexTalk was created to highlight Executive Committee discussions.

As churches closed, AdventistGiving accounts increased, providing members a way to return their tithe and pay their offerings in a way they had not done so before. Sharing step-by-step instructions on using the AdventistGiving app helped members feel more comfortable with this new way of giving.

Looking Back

The traditional International Pathfinder Camporee took place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before I joined the Texas Conference. Tamara Terry and family had a good time documenting this quinquennial event with more than 50,000 in attendance. The stories and photos were tagged on our Facebook channel #Texas2019Chosen.

That event was also featured in the Texas Conference THE FLAME magazine in the first flip version of the magazine with English and Spanish in one issue.

Social Channels

As listed on the right, our social channels are one of the best ways to connect with our Texas Conference family. Whether sharing #12daysofgiving or the #TX21DayGratitudeChallenge, the channels allow us to connect and share.

The Texas Conference Executive Committee even requested a Prayer & Fasting time for our constituents that was featured on our Facebook account #txcprayerandfasting.

DETERMINED

One of our most significant endeavors so far is our DETER- MINED Cycling Tour (featured on page 48) to raise awareness about health and raise funds for an endowment for Adventist education. There is a way for everyone to participate in this campaign!

That’s just a brief synopsis of what the CommPR team accomplished in the past two years. We are thankful for God’s blessing and strength as we continue His work here in Texas.

Kenn Dixon, Vice President

Tamara Michalenko Terry, Associate Director