Religion Communicators Council Gets Hands On

The Religion Communicators Council meets each month to hear about a topic of interest. In November, the Nashville Chapter visited the volunteer organization Hands On Nashville.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) hears regularly from a variety of organizations and groups which better the community, promote messages of faith or give tips on how to spread the good word. This month, the Nashville chapter went to Hands On Nashville which rose in prominence in Nashville during recovery efforts after the historic flood of 2010.

President of the Nashville chapter and Pastor of the Church of Scientology, Rev. Brian Fesler says, “The mission of RCC is to promote excellence in the communication of faith and religious values, so it ties right in with our purpose to hear from organizations doing good works in the community.”

RCC met with the Director of Corporate Relations, Tara Tenorio, who discussed upcoming volunteer opportunities such as ReCYCLE forKids, a program to bring used bikes to kids in need, as well as the MLK Day of Service. Tenorio encouraged RCC members to promote these events by directing people to the website, hon.org.

This isn’t the first time the RCC has met with non-profit groups doing good for the community. In October of 2013, the group held a special meeting called “Putting Faith into Action” and had representatives of The Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Prior to that meeting, RCC has met with members of Amnesty International, Thistle Farms, Room in the Inn, and more.

RCC is open to members from all denominations, and the Nashville group includes Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, and more.  For further information about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org. 

Religion Communicators Council Decides to Get Hands On

The Religion Communicators Council meets each month to hear about a topic of interest. In November, the Nashville Chapter will visit and hear from volunteer organization Hands On Nashville.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) hears regularly from a variety of organizations and groups which better the community, promote messages of faith or give tips on how to spread the good word. This month, the Nashville chapter will visit volunteer organization Hands On Nashville which rose in prominence in Nashville during recovery efforts after the historic flood of 2010.

“It’s important to hear from groups that are doing good works,” says President of the Nashville chapter and Pastor of the Church of Scientology, Rev. Brian Fesler, “The mission of RCC is to promote excellence in the communication of faith and religious values, so it ties right in.”

This isn’t the first time the RCC has met with non-profit groups doing good for the community. In October of 2013, the group held a special meeting called “Putting Faith into Action” and had representatives of The Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Prior to that the group has met with members of Amnesty International, Thistle Farms, Room in the Inn, and more.

The RCC meeting will be held on November 18^th over lunch at the Hands On Nashville office. RCC is open to members from all denominations, and the Nashville group includes Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, and more.  For further information about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org. 

Religion Communicators Council Hears About Health, Disaster and Faith

The Religion Communicators Council meets each month to hear about a topic of interest. In October, the Nashville Chapter heard from the Tennessee Department of Health on faith and disaster preparedness.

Faith is not always front and center in today’s world. It is a mission of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) to promote the good news of people of faith through communications work. The Nashville chapter does this by providing meetings once a month to learn about new ways to improve religious communications or hear about topics of interest. For the October meeting, members heard from Dr. Michele Gourley, Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for the Tennessee Department of Health as well as two of her staff who spoke to disaster preparedness.

This wasn’t the first time Dr. Gourley has reached out to the RCC. In 2012, she came as a special guest to talk about her position and what it means to faith groups in the state. Her position had just been re-introduced at that time.   

“We are excited that Dr. Gourley was able to speak with us again,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, President of the Nashville RCC chapter and pastor of the Church of Scientology, “She brings faith and health together, and hearing from her is always a treat.”

Prior to serving in this role, Dr. Gourley worked for the state of Tennessee in the Division of Health Planning, where she helped write and oversee the 2010 and 2011 State Health Plans. She obtained her medical degree and Masters of Public Health degree from East Tennessee State University with an emphasis on rural primary care and community health.  She has also completed studies in wellness coaching, trauma and resilience and health impact assessments.

Dr. Gourley has spent the majority of her life as a part of faith communities in Middle and East Tennessee, has served as part of faith-based medical and public health projects in Central America and has participated in ecumenical faith communities in the Middle East and Europe.  In 2010, she was selected as a participant in Duke Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation’s Summer Institute, where she focused on the role of food as it pertains to faith and reconciliation.

During the meeting, Dr. Gourley discussed the importance of being prepared in case of a disease epidemic in the community, such as Ebola, as well as having Points of Dispensing Clinics (PODs) set up well in advance so communities have a location to turn to in case of an outbreak of this nature. She encouraged congregations to set these up and also to visit the state department of health website to learn more.  

For more information about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org.

Nashville Religion Communicators Council Set Goals for the Coming Year

The Nashville Chapter of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) recently elected the new Executive Committee for the 2014-2015 term. The new Executives are setting the pace for the coming year with goals and new projects.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations. Members of the RCC come from many different religions and backgrounds including Christianity, Judaism, Baha’i Faith, Islam and Scientology, among others.

The Nashville Chapter recently elected its new slate of officers for the 2014-2016 year. These are: Rev. Brian Fesler, Pastor of the Church of Scientology, to continue in his role as President; Drew Pope, Public Affairs Director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Vice President for Programs; Royya James, Conference Relations Coordinator of United Methodist Communications is Treasurer; Julie Brinker, Director of Community Affairs for the Church of Scientology to continue in her role as Communications Coordinator; and Aisha Lbhalla of the Tennessee Muslim Women’s Council is the new Membership Officer.

“I’m very excited about this slate of officers,” says President Fesler, “We are organizing a very exciting project to help promote goodwill and the good works of all religious people in the city.” He declined to comment on the exact nature of this project but said the details would be released in due time.

Fesler did go on to say that one goal of the new Executive Committee is to double attendance, and they will be reaching out further to gain new members and re-interest past members.

The Nashville chapter will continue to meet on the third Tuesday of each month for lunchtime presentations designed to improve attendees’ skills in some aspect of religious communications. For more information or to attend an upcoming meeting, visit religioncommunicators.org/nashville-chapter.

July 15th - Elections

Mark your calendar for July 15th, as we will be electing new officers for the Nashville Executive Committee positions. Location to be determined. If you aren't on the e-mail list, send a message to rccnashville@gmail.com and ask to be added!

RCC 2014 National Convention Held in Music City!

Sharing the Gift of Communicating 85 Years of Excellence

April 3-5, 2014, Nashville, TN

Convention News

• RCC 2014 Plenary Speaker videos
• RCC 2014 85th Anniversary History
• RCC 2014 Wilbur Award acceptance videos
• CBS News, Religion News Service Combine for 7 Wilbur Awards
• Key to Communicating across Faith Lines is Friendship and Dialogue
• Communicating Faith in the 21st Century — It's all about relationships!
• 6 Tips to Prepare for Handling a Crisis in your Congregation
• The Internet and the Underground Railroad: Dr. Sybril Bennett shares seven elements of innovation
• World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) Congratulates RCC on its 85th Anniversary
• Buckner, "Presbyterians Today" big winners at RCC's DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards
• Getting Past Excuses: Using Strategic Planning for Rapid Website Redesign
• Workshop Participants Learn Benefits, Process of Achieving APR Public Relations Credential
• Convention Kicks Off with Film Screening, Discussion on Change in a Rural Community
• RCC 2015 to be held in Washington, D.C., April 9-11

Convention Online

• RCC 2014 photo collection on Flickr
• #RCC2014 on Twitter

Convention Information

• RCC 2014 Schedule
• Speakers and Workshop Leaders

March Meeting - Muslim Women's Council

In March, RCC met at the Islamic Center of Nashville to hear from the Muslim Women's Council. Aisha Lbhalla founded the Muslim Women’s Council of Tennessee, first with the purpose of getting Muslim women active and contributing to worthy causes, and now to bring them closer to those of other faith traditions. She, along with the rest of the Muslim Women’s Council, are reaching out to other like-minded organizations to get more involved in the community.

They opened up about how Muslim women have been discriminated against within the past few years in Tennessee and how they are working to be proactive about helping the community to change this. 

The Muslim Women’s Council was warmly welcomed to the RCC and encouraged to join and take part in the annual convention which is scheduled to take place in Nashville April 3-5th this year.

 

February Meeting - "Basic Principles of Good Design"

In February, Senior Designer of Horton Group, Corey Lamp, took RCC members through basic principles of good design. He showed real examples of what to do with balance, proximity, alignment, spacing, contrast and hierarchy.  To see examples of Lamp’s work, visit coreylamp.com.  

Horton Group is a Nashville-based web, mobile and marketing agency founded in 1996. Horton's full marketing services include creative web design, web development, mobile app development, internet marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and strategic business planning. According to its website, “Horton Group builds websites and critical marketing tools for effective communication on the internet and beyond. We help our clients with custom lead generation and search engine marketing tools.”

Corey's examples of both good and bad design are below.

Special Hotel Rate Extended Through Friday for Religion Communicators Council 85th Convention

The Religion Communicators Council will hold its 85^th annual convention in 2014 in Nashville, TN and has just announced that the special hotel rate for those attending the convention has been extended through Friday.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is in the throes of planning its 85^th annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The hotel rate of just $125 per night was set to expire Monday, but has been extended through Friday for any late comers who would still like to get their rooms at a more cost effective price.  

The convention is scheduled for April 3-5, 2014 at the Inn at Opryland, and will celebrate the 85^th anniversary of the RCC.  It is open to members and others involved in religious communication on a professional or academic level. According to the RCC website, “Nationally, RCC offers a yearly convention, complete with exciting keynote speakers and challenging workshops. Highlights of the annual convention are the awards ceremonies where work within religious organizations and in secular media is honored.”

A full schedule is on the RCC website at religioncommunicators.org/convention and a registration site is open for all who wish to register at rccnashville.org.

The planning for the 85^th convention is being led by Rev. Brian Fesler, Nashville chapter president and pastor of the Church of Scientology. Rev. Fesler says, “this year’s convention is shaping up to be one of the best yet.  We’ve got workshops on writing, accreditation, handling crises, social media.  Attendees will leave with new skills and connections.”

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and in public relations. Members of the RCC come from many different religions and backgrounds including Baptist, Jewish, Baha’i, Scientology, Muslim and Methodist among others.

For more information, visit religioncommunicators.org.