The United Church of Christ, formed by a “union of the Congregational Christian Churches in America and the Evangelical and Reformed Church,” turns 50 next year and this Sunday our denomination kicks-off a year of celebrations. From United Church News:
In an experimental, interactive, online teleconferencing event, UCC members will kick off the denomination’s 50th anniversary celebration by gathering en masse at 6 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Nov. 5.
From its national website -- www.ucc.org -- the webstreaming event is the denomination’s first attempt to create an online, interactive, multiple-site experience.
"The notion is that the whole church — from Maine to Hawaii — will be participating in the same event at the same time, no matter where they live," says the Rev. Robert Chase, the UCC's communication director. It's also a sign of how the church is embracing emerging technology, he says.
In a broadcast that will originate from the UCC’s Amistad Chapel in Cleveland, Ohio, the real-time event will include teleconferencing feeds from Redeemer UCC in Sussex, Wis.; Heritage UCC in Baltimore, Md.; and Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas, Texas. From any computer, participants will be able to view the event, submit questions for discussion, respond to online polls, upload photos to create an online mosaic, watch celebratory ‘You Tube’ videos submitted by UCC churches, and send text messages of individual or group names that will scroll across computer screens.
This is a birthday party you don’t want to miss.
