New Web Site!

Friends...

We've been working hard to update our website.  We've tried to take into account your feedback from the last version, as well as some other improvements you might not immediately think of (like data security, connections with our other communications tools, etc.).  All of which is to say... we're very excited, but this is new, which likely means we'll have some bumps to smooth out and some changes to get used to.  Change is never easy.  And we're doing it in a community with hundreds of sets of expectations... so please be patient.

A few things we already know:

• Our new site connects intuitively with our membership database.  This may not be exciting for you, but it is for us... as it means that all of our communications will be improving soon, too! (email, web, events, etc.)
• We will likely be moving much of our newsletter content into the "NEWS" section of this site.  For folks who prefer a printed stand-alone version once-a-month... we'll figure something out.  Truly.  But doing more online alloows us to get news out more quickly.  That section can also be filtered (such as for religious education stories, or arts or social justice programming), and those posts can be tied to up-to-date events.  End result: more current information with less strain on staff & volunteers.  Win-win!
• Participating in the service live online will be very similar... but we're still working on the chat function.  We know that is important for some folks; please know it is a priority.  One option is a stand-alone chat client.  But the preferred option, which will come shortly after our site is finalized, will be in an app.  We expect to roll out a full-feature custom app later this year, including chat, online services, information, giving, and more.  (NOT UConnect!)

That's it for now.  Please keep in touch.  And please be patient.  More to come!