A new website and other changes
You may have noticed that things look a bit different around here.
Last Sunday, Pastor Sean and Jamey Codding, our communications director, talked a bit about the launch of the new church website. The goal behind the redesign was simple: to make it as easy as possible to find the important information that our church family needs to be aware of and have access to.
The best way to quickly summarize Sunday’s announcement is this: Think of the website as the hub for everything that’s happening in the life of our church. If you have a question or you’re looking for details about an event, a ministry or something else about the church, you’ll either find what you’re looking for on the website or you’ll find contact information to help you track it down.
While Sean and Jamey shared a bunch of details about the site from the stage last week, here’s a recap of their announcement along with a few more notes that may not have been communicated Sunday morning.
First, there are four specific pages you’ll want to check out and become familiar with.
- Connect: If you want to know how to get connected here at Freshwater, this is where you want to go first. From this page, you’ll be able to request to be added to our weekly Need2Know email, fill out an online connection card, and opt-in to receive church-wide texting updates. You’ll also find texting numbers and email addresses for specific ministries (more on that below), which is great for any questions you may have about upcoming studies or events (more on that below too). Finally, you can download our app from the Connect page as well (and, you guessed it – find more details about the app below).
- Welcome: If you’re newer to Freshwater, this page will give you an idea of what a typical Sunday morning looks like at our church. (You’ll also find a link to our About page if you want to dig deeper into who we are and what we value!) And if you know of someone who is curious about Freshwater, the Welcome page is a great place to send them.
- Ministries: If you’re looking for a place to grow alongside other believers while being both encouraged and challenged in your faith, check out the different ministries we offer. You’ll find an overview of our primary ministries along with contact details and events specific to each of our ministries, including Women’s Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Senior Saints and Community Groups. Parents, you’ll also find info on our Family Ministry for kids (birth-6th grade) and teens (7th-12th grade).
- Events: This is the page on the website that will change most often. In short, if you’re looking for details on an upcoming event, you’ll want to head to our events page. There, you’ll find information and registration links for all our open events across every ministry at the church, dates for upcoming events that you’ll want to be aware of, and other needs and opportunities within the church, in our denomination (the Alliance), and within our surrounding community.
Looking for an easy way to get to all this new information? Great! Head to our Connect page and download the Freshwater app to your mobile device using one of the two links near the bottom of the page. From the app, you’ll find quick access to everything that’s on the website so make sure to download it if you haven’t already.
Finally, there will be some other changes to some of the communication channels in the weeks ahead. Specifically, if you’re on the Need2Know email list (and if you’re not, you can request to be added from the Connect page!), you may have already noticed the new layout. We wanted to streamline this weekly email to make it easier (and quicker) to read while also giving you access to all of the information that we now have…yep, right here on the website!
You’ll also notice a change to announcements on Sunday mornings, with the goal to keep the church family informed of what’s happening at Freshwater while giving us a bit more time for the real reason we’re gathering every Sunday morning: to worship the King and learn from His Word.
If you have any questions about these changes to the website or our other forms of communication, feel free to email communications@thefreshwater.church, or stop by the Next Step table on a Sunday morning.