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UK News

Facebook and Twitter the answer to dwindling congregations?

A new book, '100 Ways To Get Your Church Noticed', has been written by Neil Pugmire, communications adviser for Portsmouth's Church of England diocese, and offers advice to churches on everything from creating a dynamic Facebook page to designing effective posters, and from putting together a must-read parish magazine to getting stories covered in the media.

The book is being launched by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Revd Christopher Foster, and Neil Pugmire, at St James's Church, Emsworth, which is featured in the book.

Mr Pugmire said: "When I started giving advice to parishes about publicity, there was no up-to-date book on the market that I could point people to, which is why I thought of writing one in 2006. But since then, the ways we communicate with each other have transformed so much that we thought it was worth updating the entire book.

"Churches are full of fascinating people with interesting stories to tell about God working in their lives. We rarely tell those stories in parish magazines, on websites or via the media. But people like to read about other people's lives, and it's a great way of showing that our churches are dynamic places where lives can be changed.

"They also often rely on methods that might have worked before. It's sometimes hard for them to appeal to a new audience who might never read a parish magazine, but would read the same story via Twitter or Facebook."

The book is published by Church House Publishing, and includes extensive illustrations and photographs showing examples of good church publicity.

The Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, said: "This new edition of Neil's book brings us right up to date with the seemingly ever-growing opportunities for communicating the gospel. The book is brimming with practical pointers and insights that are shared with the simple aim of helping the Church communicate well."

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