Does Your Church Set You Up For Spam Or Viruses?

I get a good amount of correspondence both about churches and from churches. I subscribe to a lot of church messaging systems. Some are through organized email list sites such as Aweber and other list management service providers. I know how I got on those lists. There are some churches who maintain their own database for email correspondence and at least with some of those, I am not sure how my email address ended up on their list (especially the ones who address to my work email account).

I maintain a list for my homechurch. It is an opt-in type email server. So, the only way you are going to get email from that list is either if you subscribed or either you email/let me know personally you wanted to begin getting church messages and I will add you. Most folks add themselves. Recently, I got an email from an individual that just said "February Newsletter". It didn't say from what organization. These days, I don't just open up any email, but after some deductions understood who it came from. Imagine my surprise when I opened the email and saw not just my name in the "TO" address fields. Instead I saw a bunch.

To say the least I was concerned. I protect the list for my home church that I maintain vigilantly against spam and people joining the list just to push products and/or viruses. So I emailed the Minister and the email originator. I told them of my concern. Not wanting to just be a whiner, I also provided some best practice techniques of how to send out bulk email and not expose recipients to unwanted spam which in many cases can lead to viruses. Some of those best bulk email practices were:

• To make your life easy, create a Distribution List (simply a group of email addresses attached to one email name. So if you want to send an email to 1 person or 1,000, all you have to is to put the Distribution List Name in the appropriate slot). The other benefit is that it is very easy to maintain.
• When sending out any email (but more importantly bulk emails), using the proper term in the "Subject" line can make the difference if it survives the spam filter of many email software programs. Sending out a generic "February Newsletter" subject as was done in this case is going to cause suspicion of many spam filters as well as human filters. In this day and age, we don't want to open an email to find out what is inside it. The fact that the newsletter was an attachment is going to result in many people NOT opening up the document for fear of viruses.
• If you are going to send a newsletter, it is easier on everyone's bandwidth (and peace of mind virus wise) if you either you include the content in the body of the email or if you put a link where people can either download or view the document.
• When sending from an organization, the originator should have the organization's name as the "From Name". Putting a person's name that you may not be familiar with is less likely to be opened.
• When you send out a bulk email such as a newsletter, ALL recipients (whether individually or by using a distribution list) should be in the "BCC" field. This will result in each person getting an email with just their email address on it.
• The email originator should have their address and their address ONLY in the "TO" field.

The first response was from the originator. I believe she misinterpreted my recommendations and rationalized the process. The bottom line response in that email was if I didn't like their approach, I could happily be removed from future emails. The next albeit belated response from the minister was to the effect of "we will look into it and we will call if we have questions" Needless to say, my response to the minister was until the policy changes, please remove me from this list. When they get a better procedure or incorporate a true list management system, I will be back. I want the information.

I got a virus recently. It didn't come from the above mentioned email (or I don't believe it did J). But I had to take 3 hours (which would have been more without the help of a friend) to resolve it. I actually think I got it just looking at a website that Google had directed me to (actually a polling site that I was researching for another article). The bottom line is that it happened quickly. I also know that the most common viruses are spread through emails. I worked at a company that literally had a rule against opening ANY email that had an attachment from an unknown person. And if you opened it up (especially if it had an attachment), you were liable to be terminated. That was how serious they took it as they had experienced all to often the aftermath.

Bottom line, your email address is exposed to spammers and to viruses when for whatever reason it is in a bulk email and is either in the "TO" or "CC" fields. In lieu of a email list service and you are sending out bulk emails, then put the recipients in the "BCC" field if you care about them. As I said, I want the information, but not at the risk of getting a virus that a friend may not be around to help me out so quickly. As for the rest of you, my recommendation is if you receive email from an organization and your name is lumped with a bunch of other names in the TO/CC fields, remove yourself immediately. It is the only way that you can safeguard yourself from spam/viruses.

John Panico is the author of this article. He has consulted with literally hundreds of companies in different capacities.

He is the General Manager of Local Guys Equities, LLC, a company through marketing built a multi-million dollar portfolio in less than 12 months. He consults real estate investors at REI Minute.

John also runs Unity Church Marketing and is in regular attendance at his home church.

4 Reasons Why Your Church Marketing Isn't Working

When you put your church's marketing plan together, you knew that you were on your way to success. But something happened along the way and it isn't close to where you want it to be. And everyone is looking at you because this was YOUR idea You are wondering yourself what went wrong.

Here are some reasons that church marketing programs fail, so you can avoid them when you start your next campaign.
- Limiting beliefs/choices - There are times when we just don't think "big enough" That old saying of "go big or go home" is a pretty good one. Look to The Secret when you are formulating your marketing campaign. Don't think about the how you will accomplish what you are wanting to. Think what it is on what you want to accomplish.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say..."We can't do that because..." or "That may work with other churches, but it won't work here." Those thoughts shouldn't be accepted when you are formulating a marketing plan/objective.

Not long ago, I heard this phrase, wrote it down on my white board across from my desk as a reminder...

Take Massive Action!! (pretty comes later)

When you dream big, others catch on to the idea. Not all of them are going to resonate with it at the same level you either envision or implement the campaign. So, your dreaming big will motivate others as to the possibilities that are out there. The result is almost always better than your original objective.

1. Doing just good enough or taking shortcuts - I ran across a quote the other day and it hit the nail on the head. It was by Saadi and said the following: All things are difficult until they become easy! Let's face it. We live in an instantaneous microwave society. We want results and we want them now. As such, we easily rationalize why we can only do this or that. In essence, we take shortcuts. Well, here's a newsflash for you folks...and one that many ministers, CEO's and others may not like hearing. Marketing may need to simmer before it is ready. So use your best ingredients, resources and talents to get the best possible result.
2. Cost - Make no mistake about it, running a marketing campaign has a cost. And the cost is not always measured in financial outlay. I used to run sales organizations back in another life. When I did sales training, I would always, always, always ask the question..."How many of you want to make $100,000 this year?" Almost everyone without fail would raise their hand. The next question would be this: "Of those with your hands raised, how many are willing to do what it takes to make $100,000 this year?" I can tell you that while most still had their hands up, the reality was much different. Why is that you ask? Because many of the marketing programs you are currently running or plan to run fall into the following: Simple, but not easy! The ideas and concepts that you want to promote may be simple. We have to be willing to give up something in order to get what we want! So if you or your church or organizations are not willing to pay the cost, then maybe you should be rethinking what you are doing! (This sounds harsh until you look back on your first campaign that fails and see that the cost was too high.) So, the question to ask yourself is this: What will you do vs. what can you do????
3. Problems/Issues/Challenges - In your marketing plan, everything had a perfect ebb and flow to it. In the real world...not so much. So you should expect (you put in the term you are most comfortable with J ) problems, issues or challenges along the way. Few campaigns go perfectly or without something that wasn't planned coming up that could drastically affect your objective. Expect it. In the same manner, expect that not everyone will agree with your approach. I have a simple rule that I put into place up front that seems to work for me...you have to be part of the solution or you are part of the problem.

It is okay for you to offer (once again, insert your term here) "constructive criticism" about the project. But if you are going to participate, then here are the rules:

1. You have to bring 3 solutions to the table. We all know there is more than one way to get something done. I want you to have thought about it BEFORE you come to me. You just may come to the conclusion that the current approach is a good one (I didn't say the best, but a good one!)
2. You have to be involved as a part of at least one of the solutions. Unless you are willing to take an active approach to solving the challenge, then my response generally is "Thank you for sharing" and move on.

I will also tell you that I have been guilty of this myself in the past. But in the end the campaign will benefit best when it is surrounded by problem solvers, not problem finders.

So, there you have it. Want your church's next marketing campaign to be a hit? Be sure that you avoid the above marketing mistakes to insure that you have a success!

John Panico is the author of this article. He has consulted with literally hundreds of companies in different capacities.
He is the General Manager of Local Guys Equities, LLC, a company through marketing built a multi-million dollar portfolio in less than 12 months. He consults real estate investors at REI Minute.
John also runs Unity Church Marketing and is in regular attendance at his home church.

The Myths About the Catholic Religion

I am a Catholic and very proud to be. I hope that was not enough to make you stop reading this article. Usually it only takes the fact that I am Catholic for those that are not Catholic to stop talking to me about religion. This is because we are all human and I have to admit that I do not have the deepest understanding of many different religions, but I would like to clear up a few of the myths about the Catholic religion.

First, Catholics do not worship statues. This is a myth and one of the most popular ones. Many protestants want you use this myth to say that Catholics worship idols, but this is just not true. Why do we have statues in the Catholic church? Simple, back when there was not the great printing press and bibles were more expensive than most men's wages for 3 years, the Catholics used statues to teach their children about the bible.

If you think about it for a minute and you picture the statues in the Catholic churches you will realize that they all have to do with one of the passages from the bible. This made it much easier to teach children about the bible. It is visual and a parent can tell the story that the statues or stained glass windows represent to their children.

Second, Catholics worship Mary and the Saints. This is so false that it almost makes me laugh. Anybody that says that Catholics worship Mary or Saints needs to study more about the Catholic religion before you start telling us what we believe. Sure we pray to the saints and to Mary, but why would we not. It only makes sense to ask those that are up in heaven to pray for you. We ask our family members to pray for us and our friends to pray for us, so why not the saints and Mary.

On another note about Mary. The forth commandment is to honor thy father and thy mother. So if we are all the brothers and the sisters of Jesus Christ, then Mary is our mother and we are supposed to honor her as well, right?

Last, the Catholic church thinks they are better than all other faiths and is above them. This is an attitude that comes from HUMAN BEINGS, not the Catholic church. The one thing I run into more than any other thing is that the Catholic church did something, like molest little boys. You have to understand that even Priests are HUMAN BEINGS, they sin. We are all humans and this means that the Catholic church is also not hypocritical because that is the HUMAN BEINGS in the church not the Catholic religion.

Do you really want to understand the Catholic Religion? There is more to it than you probably know, go here to discover more:

What is the Reform Catholic Church?

The Reform Catholic Church (RCC) is a worldwide conglomerate of churches that were created in the 1960's, however, the concept was created long ago.

The name was chosen out of hundreds of options in an effort to maintain a connection to traditional Orthodox and Catholic churches and beliefs systems while, at the same time, realizing the necessity for an ongoing reform of the methods used by the Church to communicate with its members. Many Reform Catholic organizations use acronyms as their names.

It was Roman Catholic priests that first bound together to form the RCC, as well as Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox who, in some way or another, were displeased with some, or many, of the activities and decisions of their churches.

This led them to search for a more fulfilling way to practice their beloved Christian religion. As one of the goals, the founders looked to create a Christian church that was inclusive, tolerant and quenched the spiritual thirst of the todays people while making the life of Christ as described in the Bible more meaningful to them.

As an example of the beliefs of the RCC, it encourages membership or transition to Orthodox, Catholic and other Christian churches, because of it's belief in the communion of those Christian churches.

For the most part, the RCC adheres to the religious beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. However, one difference is that the RCC believes, if qualified, both men and women have the right to become clergy members, due to their inherent spiritual equality.

Clergy are allowed to marry in an effort to allow them to more fully participate in the normal daily lives of the people around them. This, actually, is no different than the faith of the Roman Catholic Churches, since many of them who are in full communion with the Vatican allow their clergy to marry, as well.

At this point you may be wondering what type of prayers the RCC uses. For the most part, it uses the same ceremonies and prayers that you would find in the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches.

Various methods of birth control are accepted. However, as a general rule, abortions are disapproved of. In truth, it is understood that there may be certain circumstances in which an abortion would be justified.

The sacrament of marriage is performed as it is in many other churches, in such that God, through His clergy, joins together the couple who want to be married.

Divorces, as well, can be granted to those who want them. Divorce, however, is not looked upon favorably and only a married couple that are fundamentally incompatible and in which a true marital relationship does not exist will be granted one.

The Only True Church, the Catholic Church Must Pay 650 Million for Child Molestations

The famous Catholic Pope Benedict has stated that the Catholic Church is the only real Church of Christianity. It seems the Catholic Church is also the only Church to have to pay 600 million in damages for molesting children. If a True Church is one that molests little kids, then why don't we ban all 'True Churches' from our Nation and thus we can protect our children from Child Molesters?

Luckily, with new technology such as "embeddable RFID" chips, we should be able to track all Catholic Priests and Bishops anywhere on the Planet they go. This might be a wonderful high-tech solution to monitor them until they go to their final resting place, where such people go, as the Catholic Church, the only one True Church, tells us?

The Pope was very serious in his words, probably as serious as I am in mine. He stated:

"Christ, established here on earth, only one church and other Churches cannot be called; churches, in the proper sense”

This sounds as if the Pope is claiming some sort of "Brand Name Trademark Law" that is infinite in nature, made so by - you guessed it the Catholic Church? I propose new laws on all "Churches" that if there is an incident of Child Molestation that they be shut down. After all we generally do the same thing for Day Care Centers, where the proprietors are caught with children's pants down who are in their care.

The United States of America is not a place to harbor "Child Molesters" and if that is what the only True Church is about, as they pay 600 million dollars in damages, then by god, who needs them? Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Why I Left the Church by Jean K. Douglas

Why I Left the Church, Why I Came Back, and Why I Just Might Leave Again: Memories of Growing Up African American and Catholic, by Jean K. Douglas is quite simply a wonderful book. It is a very heartfelt, intelligent re-counting of how an incredibly insightful little girl grew up in the '1960-90's in the Catholic Church as it "struggled to navigate the waters of racial injustice and the women's movement".

To explain, Jean K. Douglas was born in 1957 (the same year as this book reviewer) in inner-city Detroit. Being the 2nd of 5 children born to an inter-racial couple, she lived through her share of being ostracized. Her father abandoned the family, her mother had psychological problems and the times were quite transitional.

What I loved about this book was how Douglas reported on these turbulent years with her personal stories and observations-not done as a study, the way many books have tended to do their documenting on this subject, but as the insider she was and still is.

Jean Douglas' book gave me a very in-depth view of how the Catholic Church taught parochial teachings on the subjects of integration, race relations and what roles men and women were supposed to maintain.

I felt the author's pain, her conflicted feelings and her ability to put everything into a very real and understandable perspective.

The Catholic Church and religion seem to have always been and continues to be a big part of Douglas' life-even during a 10 year stretch of absence. The Church realized that Jean and her siblings came from a very poor, single-mother household. They provided the kids with scholarships to attend private schools. Jean worked after school and over the summers to pay for her books. Graduating from college in 1979, the author went on to ear her PhD in ancient history in 1992. She met her husband Alexander Douglas and married him a year later in 1987. They have one child, Wesley.

Even though the title of the book gives the impression that she might leave her faith for the final time, her religion is still a very important part of her existence-she at this time is still very active in her parish. She sings in the choir an serves as both lector at catechist.

I have to admit, when I read the title my thoughts were, "hmm, I'm the lady's age, but I'm from suburban Southern California and raised in a middle-class Jewish family-would I 'get' what it was like?"

The answer: Not only did I "get" what went on, I felt with every page I read my respect and admiration for her growing. I could hardly wait to get to the next chapter to read what she had to teach me next.

Why I Left the Church...by Jean K. Douglas should become a must-read for seminary students, those who want to become teachers and psychology students. And if I had my way, it deserves to become a best seller.

Carine Nadel is on The Reader's Advisory Panel of Woman's Day magazine and has had numerous articles and recipes published both on various websites and print publications. To read more of her work, log onto: http://www.Carine-whatscooking.blogspot.com

Roman Catholic Church: The Church Built By Christ?

The Roman Catholic Church in her attempt to prove of its being the true Church built by Christ use the declaration of Christ as recorded in Matthew 16:18 as proof of its existence. Based on the said verse, Catholic Authorities teach its members that Christ built the Roman Catholic Church on Peter as the foundation of it and making Peter and its successors - the Popes, the Head of the Church. The Matthew 16:18 states:

18And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.[c](Matthew 16:18, NIV)

However, by just examining the verse we will notice that it was not stated by Christ that He built the Roman Catholic Church, because what Christ built was His own Church not a Roman Church nor a Roman Catholic Church. And if this Church is really the Roman Catholic Church in which its members are called Catholics, then Apostle Paul must say on his greetings in Roman 16:16, "All Catholics greet You". But Apostle Paul didn't say that instead he said, "The churches of Christ greet you", that is because the members that he were referring to are members of the Church of Christ.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The[a] churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16:16, NKJV)

Secondly, Catholic authorities claim that the Roman Catholic Church was built or founded by Christ on Peter as its foundation. Again, if we will examine the Holy Bible, we will learn that the true Church founded by Christ was not built on Peter but on Christ Himself.When Christ said, "and on this rock I will build my church", the rock mentioned by Christ here is not Peter but Christ Himself. That's the reason why Apostle Paul adviced his brethren in the true Church of Christ, as it was stated on the Colossians 2:6-7.

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[a] with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7, ibid)

Let us not forget that Christ is the cornerstone, not Peter.

20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20)

It is true that Peter means stone, however he was not the foundation stone because it is Christ who is the foundation stone. And Peter is just one of the stones that stood on top of Christ.Lastly, according to the Catholic authorities, Peter (and his successors, the Popes) was made by Christ the head of the Church. This teaching is clearly false based on the truth written on the Holy Bible, because the true Church of Christ is headed by Christ Himself.

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colosians 1:18, NIV)

Even if Christ is already in heaven and seated at the right hand of God (Colosians 3:1, NIV) however, he didn't appoint anybody to replace Him being the head of the Church because according to Apostle Paul, "He continues forever".

24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (Hebrews 7:24, NKJV)

Put it in your mind, Christ was the Head of His Church when He was still here on earth, and He is still the head of the Church now and forever, because according to Apostle Paul, "Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever".

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV)

Therefore, those claims and teachings of the Catholic Authorities are false claimsand teachings, because they are not supported by the truth written on the Holy Bible. Any churches that will claim to be the true Church of Christ, must show proofs from the Bible that will support their claims because the Holy Bible is the only document that witness the existence of the true Church founded by Christ on the first century. They should also bear witness from Christ Himself and even from the Apostles, and most of all from God.

About the Author:

Sustines E. Laplana (Make Money Online: http://www.selaplana.com) is the first Pinoy Blogger and EMarketer in Southern Leyte, Philippines who blogs on Technology, Society and Review/Promotions of products.

Should the Catholic Church Allow Priests to Marry?

From the perspective of an outside observer lets begin with what is the reasoning behind wanting a Priest to be celibate? Just because of sex or in spite of sex?

I think in terms of the uniting of the body with god, which if done, results in a celibate lifestyle be you female or male, Priest or not. Ancient teachings and the teachers, whatever they were called, prophets, priests, you name it, were celibate as a result of the absolute union with the one. Spiritually with this union nothing else was a temptation, if in fact you were absolute.

So many instances of corruption in Ashrams and other supposedly spiritual retreats are the result of the inability of man, most men to adhere to a celibate lifestyle, which is of course difficult, and easier said than done. Problem is that when a man is totally open and sensitive to the needs of others he is totally vulnerable to the desires of others, especially females, being that females are totally open to love and is what they want in their lives or life, and when they meet a man who meets that want, spiritual teaching is going by the wayside without strict discipline on the part of the teacher, or Priest, perhaps both, though that is not meant at all to imply the consent of a woman in those circumstances, because the fact of the matter is the woman is so vulnerable at the time, the man may think incorrectly that she is consenting, only though if he is not truly a Spiritual teacher or Priest, etc. Some women have come out of those situations wondering how and what happened, without knowing the why, and in truth there ought not be a why in the situation.

I personally think of it this way, in a Spiritual setting if we truly know what absolute love is and do not share it with all of life then we actually do not know what we think we know of love. In other words love, absolute love has nothing to do with sex, it is only love and sees no bounds or hoops to jump through, and to share that kind of love celibacy is a prerequisite, it actually would not and is not a question, it just is. Which is why again so many get in trouble with the sex, no discipline or will, they give in to the desire to want to make someone feel better physically, which usually in the case of a woman is the reason she is seeking some kind of spiritual comfort from a man, and a Priest or Spiritual teacher is meant to be a haven of tender loving care without the obscurity of some of the idiocy of sex, which takes advantage of the emotional state of the woman.

It is a fact of nature and life, how ever you want to look at it that the practice of Yoga if you get into it all the way the body will calm the mind which is the purpose of the practice, though technically the practice is to allow the body, mind and spirit to unite with the one, call it god, or the nameless, or the universal supreme being. With this union comes great emotional healing and release, which is another reason why the male, usually it was a male teacher or spiritual leader, was celibate, in order to administer to whatever students he had, male or female. I mention Yoga because I believe it is where the practice of modern day religion comes from, though in reality modern day religion is a sham compared to the true Spiritual practice which Yoga. Some people believe Jesus received teachings from Yoga in India. Modern day religion, our let us say in the past two thousand years has been like a practice to make the whole business of Spiritual teachings easier, which the West or European thinking is so good at. In other words it is a moment by moment practice, not just the one or two or three or how ever many times a week someone attends church.

Think of the virgin birth of Jesus, no matter what you believe of the Bible, supposedly the virgin birth was so Mary could be without sin, at least in the religious teaching of Catholicism, well what is sin? When I read of some of the teachings and practices and think of the immaculate conception all I can really think and do believe is the fact that if Mary had that much love in her Spirit then the spirits looking for or choosing the womb carefully just jumped at the chance to be in a place of that much absolute love, so I believe in the concept of an immaculate conception. Though in reality most spirits need to find a man and woman in the union of love and making love to begin the journey back to the physical body again. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a great resource if you are interested.

That is the whole concept of celibacy in the Priesthood, and why marriage ought not be an option. The other side of it is where the insanity of some of the other problems occurred in the way of Priests being celibate though thinking it is OK to use boys as a release of their undisciplined Spiritual lives with no sexual connection with woman. Man is most likely always the one to be the idiot, which is why the woman is the one with the true power, and why man has tried through the ages to quell her power, with no luck, fortunately for the human race.

About the Author

George Merritt is a Certified General Contractor, Welder, Writer, Machinist always learning something new, and never gives up hope on the love of life and the human condition in the quest for truth, love, peace, and joy among other things. http://www.georgetmerritt.com