Michelle Cuthbertson

Thank you for taking time to answer some FAQs in this posting, Jolanda. Since I first saw the announcement a couple of weeks ago, I have been praying for the staff of Faith Alive. I will continue to do so, because I have experienced incredible blessing and growth from the resources you've developed during your years as a commercial venture. I expect great growth could come from the transition ahead, and I will pray for receptive hearts and minds among you as your CRCNA customers welcome you into a more ministry-focused role among us.

With God's help, keep leading and keep learning, even from your new offices. My vibrant little church stands firmly on a foundation of faith that has been very well nurtured by your work.

Thanks for sharing Brian's email format--this is just the direction I was looking for regarding the biweekly email I send to all of our teachers, subs, and assistants. I love introducing celebration to an email that has felt stuck in the information and encouragement rut. This adds a deeper dimension to my communication, turning everyone's attention for a minute to the audience, and not just to the author and necessary program/admin info. 

Now I'll share something on this topic: one tool I've found very valuable in creating a biweekly email is Mailchimp (http://www.mailchimp.com). It's an email/marketing service that is free for use with small lists of people, for which our small church qualifies. I most appreciate the intuitive interface, frequent offers of "help" with tasks, and easy access to good graphics, interesting color schemes, and choices in layout. Using mailchimp has taken my group email out of the text-only world and into the graphics-rich communication format that so many of us now expect. Bonus: It also allows me to track how many recipients open the emails I send, which has been instrumental in closing loops with folks who are inconsistently reading the messages I send to everyone.