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Social media helping many places of worship deepen bonds of communityMar 19, 2011 (The Commercial Appeal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Facebook page for Christ United Methodist Church began three years ago as no more than a virtual bulletin board. "It started with 'Hey, we're doing this. Hey, we're doing that,'" said Beth Sanders, who manages the church's social network. But when Christ United tore down an aging building on its East Memphis property, current and lapsed members inundated its Facebook page, swapping memories of the old space. "They started interacting with each other, and that creates a sense of community," Sanders said. Christ United is now a devout follower of the social network trinity: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The church's online presence has morphed into live Sunday sermon tweets and YouTube videos of their outreach work in low-income neighborhoods (youtube.com/user/christchurchmemphis). Social Networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are increasingly shaping how houses of worship and clergy around the Bluff City are connecting with people inside and outside their congregations. A survey (lifeway.com/article/170637) by Lifeway Research, an affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention, found that 47 percent of Protestant churches actively use Facebook. Released in January, the survey questioned 1,003 congregations. However, it's not just Christians spreading the gospel online. The teachings of the Koran and the Old Testament are also going viral, often in 140 characters or fewer -- the limit for a tweet on Twitter. "We can guide people in amazing ways in 140 characters," said Temple Israel Assistant Rabbi Adam Grossman. "It creates a whole new opportunity to engage and build relationships." A prolific social media user, Grossman teaches an online seminar for rabbis on the subject. From his Facebook profile page and constant Twitter updates, hundreds of followers can glean information on the rabbi that they're not typically privy to at synagogue. Incidentally, his favorite band is The Flaming Lips, and his favorite movie is "Spaceballs." "Standing behind a podium, there's a distance," said the rabbi, adding that Facebook allows clergy to be seen as real people. "It creates a deeper relationship for all of us," he said. Grossman has also found that many people turning to social media to discuss Jewish issues view it as a convenient modern-day yeshiva. They can post their opinions and comments on their own time, Grossman said. "I wish I could say everyone was coming on Friday night and Saturday morning. But this is reaching someone who might not come in the synagogue door," he said. Memphis Islamic Center (memphisislamiccenter.org), a nonprofit organization that is constructing a sprawling campus for prayer and recreation in Cordova, only recently dove into social networking. "It's helping us define who we are," said Danish Siddiqui, a board member who also heads up the group's online accounts. The center's high-traffic Facebook and Twitter pages are rare among local Muslim congregations. "It's one of the problems that our community faces," said Siddiqui, who grew up in Germantown. Because the leadership among local mosques has long had an "Old World mentality," he says social networking wasn't stressed. But for the Islamic Center, which is still forming its place in Memphis, it has been imperative for generating event turnout. The online hype for a recent lecture on love and romance in Islam jammed the center's small meeting room with nearly 300 teens and college kids, Siddiqui said. "If we don't post it on Facebook, they won't show up," he said. While some houses of worship appear to share every sermon, bat mitzvah and ladies' luncheon online, Hope Presbyterian Church has intentionally held back, says Jack Kelley. "You can't get it all online. The idea was just to whet the appetite," said Hope's communications director, who heads up social media for the church. Hope's presence across social networks is ubiquitous, but as far as its sermons and testimonials go, only bite-size samples are posted. "In the church world, a lot of people want to check you out before they come," Kelley said. "We don't want to (promote) people sitting in their pajamas at their house during weekend worship." Sanders of Christ United, however, doesn't believe reading a sermon via Twitter or watching a service on YouTube will ever replace church. "If you're interested in church, sooner or later you're going to desire in-person community," Sanders said. "There is no substitute for the real experience." -- Lindsay Melvin: 529-2445 To see more of The Commercial Appeal or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.commercialappeal.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |