The Meaning in the Mark: Exploring excellence in visual communication—Often in the creation of a leaflet, video or advertisement, the designer is called in toward the end to "make it pretty." Yet, how something looks or feels is communication at its most immediate – a primary way we understand the meaning of a piece. In this workshop, MCC graphic designer Fred Yocum will address how "the mark" —the typeface, color or paper, for instance -- affects meaning. He will work with the question, "How does graphic design excellence contribute to the communication process?" This session will explore communication in print, Web and multimedia design. Participants ideally should bring one example of good visual communication and one of poor visual communication, with a willingness to briefly explain why. If your examples require equipment (DVD player, laptop) for display, please contact the workshop leader. Frederick Yocum gained an international reputation as a graphic designer by moving from London, England, where he earned a living doing freelance graphic and Web design, to take a design position with Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pa. Trained as a fine artist, he has worked as a graphic designer in print and Web for longer than he cares to remember. In his free time, he can be found flopped in a chair reading a book, spending time with his family or grumpily walking the dog.

Connecting People of Faith Online—How can I organize effective online groups? When/how does an online group become an online community? What are some of the tools available for building online groups and communities? How can I support congregations who want to build online groups of congregation members? Bring your questions and your experiences and join the conversation! Paul Edison-Swift serves as director for Interactive Media and Networks in the Department for Communication of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Paul heads up the work group that provides resource information and referrals through the ELCA 800 number; supports the LutherLink online community; helps the ELCA make appropriate use of new communication technologies; relates to the network of ELCA Resource Centers; and provides leadership for the ELCA's Web presence (www.elca.org). He currently serves as president of the 20,000-member Ecunet, the longest running online community for people of faith.

Writing and pitching to editors—“Dealing with mail is one of the big logistical problems of the religion beat,” says Ann Rodgers, religion editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think our medical writers are the only people in the news section who rival it for sheer volume. If I read all of it I would never get any work done. The sad thing is that a lot of it is misdirected.” So what are effective ways to get the attention of editors to cover events or news related to your organization? Rodgers will share what it’s like to be on the receiving end of press releases from religious organizations and some important steps to take to increase the likelihood that an editor will be interested enough to follow up. Ann Rodgers has covered religion for secular newspapers since 1980. A native of Palo Alto, Calif., she has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master of theological studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She has covered religion for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire (1980-1983); the News-Press of Fort Myers, Fla., (1983-1988); The Pittsburgh Press (1988-1992) and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1993 -). She has been a recipient of many awards including the Religion Newswriters Association's Templeton Reporter of the Year Award and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association Keystone Award for best beat reporting in the state of Pennsylvania. Rodgers also has a blog on “covering God” on the Religion Newswriters Association website and, by the time of the CCM conference, will be fresh from assignment in Rome covering the funeral of Pope John Paul II and the conclave selecting of a new pontiff.