06.18.06—The newly redesigned Vineyard Christian Church of Evanston website launched at 12:00 AM this morning, Sunday, June 18, 2006, eight weeks after the first Sunday service in our new building.
Volunteers Collaborate with Agency to Make Site a Reality
Over a year-and-a-half in the making, the site finally
came together with the help of a team of volunteers
including Burt Casey, Michael Porter, Alex Branning,
Jeff Cohen, and Mark Scrimenti. Church office manager,
Ellen Hallin, played a key role, coordinating the
project internally and overseeing the development
and delivery of content. The site was designed by
OHO, a marketing and communications firm based in
Boston, MA. OHO, whose staff includes several members
of the Cambridge, MA, Vineyard, offered a portion
of their work pro bono. Most of the remainder
of OHO's contribution was made possible by a generous
donation from church members, Brian and Terri Odom.
Enhanced Site Includes New Content and Features
The new site features new and revised content, listings of church news and events, a photos page, a blog, classified ads, downloadable sermons, forms for submitting questions and feedback, and more. Other features and functionality—such as online registration for classes, conferences and seminars—are planned for the near future. Completely re-architected to make navigation easy, the site consists of over 40 pages of content, divided into eight main sections:
- Home
Provides a point of entry to all the main sections and selected subsections of the site. Includes a short list of upcoming events.
- Sunday
Includes directions to the church, the sermons audio archive, the Sunday blog (coming soon), as well as explanations of what to expect for newcomers and details about opportunities for children and teens.
- Life in Community
Lists and describes the various ministries, small groups, prayer groups and classes that the church offers.
- Getting Connected
Explains how to volunteer (with a list of volunteer opportunities) and how to get involved in various church activities. Also includes the Vineyard Classifieds section, which allows you to post and search for everything from roommates and jobs to cars and furniture.
- Resources
Includes the church staff's recommended reading lists, church planting resources, online teachings (coming soon) and useful links.
- News and Events
Lists the latest news and upcoming events with details for contact and participation.
- About Us
Offers details about the Evanston Vineyard's history, mission, beliefs, building, staff, and more. Includes the photos page.
Content Management System Makes Site Maintenance Easy
On the site's back end, a new Content Management System (CMS) will allow the church's staff to easily update news items, calendar events, ministries, and other frequently changing sections of the site, ensuring that the site's content remains up-to-date and accurate.
Leilani Sebastian will be the site's content manager, responsible for maintaining content. Each ministry will be able to edit their own content as well.
Check It Out and Give Us Your Feedback
Please browse the site to see what's new, and take a minute to send us your feedback. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and hope you find the site useful and pleasing to browse. Don't forget to bookmark the homepage, and make sure to come back often for the latest news and updates.
