The German Seventh-day Adventist internet association, st@online, has announced plans to hold their first international meeting, February 9-11
The German Seventh-day Adventist internet association, st@online, has announced plans to hold their first international meeting, February 9-11 in Darmstadt, Germany.
“We invited webmasters from several countries, and we are planning for the next stage of our ministry,” said Martin Haase, president of the association and newly-elected communication director of the Euro-Africa Division, a regional territory of the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide.
According to Haase, “this is the first meeting of its kind on an international scale aiming at information exchange among church webmasters. With the global use of this technology, it is necessary to cooperate in a close network and to meet the missionary challenges in a combined effort.”
The theme of this year’s meeting, for which the organizers expect to attract participants from several European countries, is “Web the Mission.” The meeting’s theme will be echoed in “Global networking-chances and risks for the gospel,” a keynote address by Joachim Staengle, executive officer of CINA (Christian InterNet-Workgroup).
During the three-day meeting, the webmasters will showcase their current web sites and will participate in several workshops. These will range from the basics into creating a church homepage, content management, organizing an active online meeting, proficiency in using Javascript, creating databases, and “The Web Goes Palm.”
“The mission of the church demands that it constantly looks for the most effective ways to communicate with its members and the world. This meeting is one example of how committed the church is to exploring and using new technologies, especially the Internet,” said John Beckett, webmaster at the church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
Beckett, who is invited to participate in the meeting, said that “it will be exciting to meet with other webmasters to share ideas and find ways we can work together.”
Operating from Cologne, Germany, the st@online Association was organized four years ago. This year’s meeting at the Marienhoehe School in Darmstadt will be its sixth. According to Haase, the association “is a partner in demand in the area of church Internet services and technology.” Until now, the meetings concentrated generally on German issues, but attracted active participation because they offered practical “know-how” approach, and the association’s personnel availed themselves in problem-solving. [Ray Dabrowski]
NOTE: For registration and further information visit: www.staonline.de/forum2001/ .
