WebPastor's Report for the Cluster Meeting
This report was published January 29, 2001 for the February 11, 2001 Cluster Meeting
It's coming up on one year since the cluster decided to engage in this project. The web site is finally up and running at http://www.geocities.com/pontifex_dre/LCBSite
After consulting with Rev. John Knapp, we decided that I could take the lead in actually maintaining the site (web-mastering,) and he could take on do things related to actually being within the cluster (assistant web-mastering.) This may change if I'm called to full time ministry in Grand Canyon synod. Until then, at least, I'm still rostered on leave from call in our synod, and I've got the time to maintain it.
Currently the site consists of the following pages, which came as suggestions from the ad-hoc committee for designing the site:
A welcome page (index page,) a list of our congregations with weblinks and email to online congregations, a calendar of upcoming cluster events, a link specifically about the next cluster meeting, a directory of officers, cluster reps, and ordained/commissioned persons attached to the cluster, email listservers for cluster communication, ministry resources for the basin, general information about our cluster and the ELCA, and other miscellaneous pages and ideas (like a page for persons to ask questions of our pastors.)
At this point, there are several items in the basic design which has incomplete information. What I can use help with: The list of cluster representatives - is the information correct and whom am I missing? I can use a complete list of all cluster representatives as of this meeting and go from there. Note that when representatives are new or leaving I'll want to know, to correct the appropriate page. I tried to be complete in the clergy listing, but there are almost certainly holes and there is missing information which clergy could check and correct. If there are congregations which have web pages of which I'm unaware, it would be good to get that information. The activities calendar needs activities, and the ministry resources page needs resources. I am willing to put up a web page for any congregation that isn't online and wishes to have that information online (I would need to know basic information similar to the page I created as a model for Gideon.) To keep informed about the next cluster meeting, I'd like to be on the cluster clergy emailing list. This may seem like a huge list to some, but it is vastly smaller than the initial task, and we are up and running now.
The welcome page itself lists our site in a "beta test" mode. For those who don't speak computerese, it means that bugs are still being worked out of it. As such, error reports in site navigation are welcome and desired. The only other remaining task is to actually buy a domain name for the cluster itself and to purchase webspace on a commercial server. (When the site goes off beta I'd like it to be uploaded away from my personal web page.) When I investigated the matter a little less than a year ago, the total cost for 2 years of server space and a domain name was around $135.00. Currently the cluster has budgeted $200.00 for the site, and we have expended $0.00.
In Christ,
Rev. Darren R. Erickson, on leave from call