by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service
Video programs from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) can now be viewed and downloaded at "Google Video" on the
Web, a free service that allows anyone to upload videos and
search and play videos directly from Google Video. The ELCA has
posted more than 60 videos since June 1, said Tim Frakes,
associate director for public media, ELCA Communication Services.
Since then, the posted videos have been viewed some 36,000 times.
"With new video distribution systems like Google Video and
'YouTube,' congregations can distribute their videos and target
their audiences in a cost-effective way, in a way that they have
never been able to do before," Frakes said. "You can take your
production, whether it's a sophisticated marketing video or
whether it's just a portion of the Sunday sermon, upload it and
target it to a specific audience that has access to the Web," he
said.
While Google Video restricts the posting of pornographic and
graphically violent videos, congregations should be aware that
they are posting to an uncensored public marketplace, Frakes
said. "It's important to understand that this isn't sanitized,
and if you're going to put your message out there it's going to
be out there in the open marketplace, so you can't be shocked by
that. In fact you need to celebrate it," he said. "That's what
Jesus did, he went to where people needed to hear the gospel, and
this is a way we can do that more effectively than we have in a
long, long time. We can go right to where people are," Frakes
added.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an
intern with the ELCA News Service.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
