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.

November Meeting - Connect & Coordinate

In November, RCC members gathered for a nice lunch to chat and recoup before the holidays at Anatolia's Restaurant on White Bridge Road. In attendance were Carolyn Dandridge, Amelia Tucker-Shaw, Carol Mansour, Brian Fesler and Julie Brinker. 

October 2013 - Putting Faith Into Action

Lynn Bogle,
Nashville Rescue Mission

In October, RCC enjoyed lunch at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry where they heard from dynamic gentlemen on how to put faith into action. It was a real treat to have two organizations present: the Salvation Army and Nashville Rescue Mission.

Lynn Bogle, with Nashville Rescue Mission, stressed the importance of reconnecting people with God. The Nashville Rescue Mission serves the homeless, addicts and broken families by serving meals, providing shelter, restoring life and helping people get back on their feet. He also made it clear that anyone can end up at the Mission after a couple of bad choices in life.

Gerald Brown, with Salvation Army, presented a video about the

Gerald Brown,
Salvation Army

Salvation Army which demonstrated the motto: Doing the Most Good. The army "provides soup, soap and salvation," but truly encompasses a myriad of activities to the benefit of children, men and women.

President of the Nashville chapter and pastor of the Church of Scientology, Rev. Brian Fesler said, “I’m always encouraging my parishioners to get out and be active in the community... and people like this just prove it’s all worthwhile.”

Both organizations provide shelter for those without homes, and both give out meals to the hungry. Both as well have upcoming events...

You are welcomed and encouraged to join the Salvation Army at A Gathering of Angels on October 29th at 6pm. This event will benefit the Angel Tree Program. The cost of the event is being underwritten by sponsors, therefore 100% of the proceeds raised will benefit the Salvation Army. It will take place at Boone Convocation Center at Trevecca Nazarene University Campus.

The Nashville Rescue Mission would encourage all to attend Music with A Mission on November 17th at 7pm at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at www.mwmnashville.com.

For more information on the Nashville Religion Communicators Council or to sign up on the email list to be notified about upcoming meetings, email rccnashville@gmail.com.

June 2013 - Larry Hollon and his book "We Must Speak"

In June, RCC was able to hear from Larry Hollon, the General Secretary of United Methodist Communications who spoke in detail about the topic covered in his book "We Must Speak."

He began by showing everyone a video produced by United Methodist Communications about how communications work in the church began and how far the techniques of communication have come along. The video had an encouraging message for faith communities to speak out and get the message out to the world, reaching people where they are at through media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr and so on.

Mr. Hollon made it clear that if we don't communicate about our faith - someone else will, and the chances are, it will be inaccurate somehow. He said, "Be energetic and aggressive in attempting to communicate in this way, because when we don't, we don't use the power and strength of the organizations and churches that are behind us." 

He stressed his point that the conversation about religion occurs whether we communicate about it or not, which makes it vital for us to communicate about our faith to get the accurate information out to the general public. "We must speak, because God has challenged us to speak."

In response to a question about how to reach both the older generation at the same time as the younger, Mr. Hollon said to look at the whole range of media platforms and tailor your message to each individual audience. He spoke about using various media together, such as including links in articles sent out in magazines and allowing people to subscribe online to hard copy print information.