I've always been a reader. When I was a little girl, I loved to go to the library and check out as many books as they would allow. The kindly librarian often let me take out a few above the limit because she knew how quickly I would go through them. Even now, I tend to collect books from conferences or co-workers or friends.
I also used to love newspapers. I say used to because it seems like everything is online these days. When I was in college I worked part time taking classified ads. This was before Craigslist, obviously. When I walked into the Kalamazoo Gazette the smell of newsprint was invigorating.
So, it should come as no surprise that I love reading missionary newsletters. When I came across a box of them in the basement in the denominational building from the 80s and 90s, I knew they had to be rescued. (You might remember Abby Genzink writing about that seemingly onerous task of scanning old missionary newsletters.) Newsletters are most easily accessed online, unless they are from missionaries in security sensitive countries. I love that the CRCNA website has a whole section that pulls together blogs from around the CRC.
I do wonder sometimes if anyone else reads newsletters. As an organization, World Renew is challenged with keeping up with all the social media outlets. Twitter, Facebook, now Periscope. There are lots of ways that missionaries can connect with churches beyond the traditional printed newsletter. With email so commonplace, are newsletters still important? I would love it if you could comment on the following questions:
- As a church member, what makes a missionary newsletter something you'll remember?
- What types of information do you want to see?
- How often do you want to see it?
- What advice do you have for missionaries wondering what to write about?
- Which of your missionaries write newsletters especially well?
Join the conversation in the comments below.
