new church life: march/april 2016
is broadly spread among age groups, gender and nationalities. All of these
programs are free but come at a cost so there is always a low-key appeal for
support and a “click to donate” button.
Curtis actually got his start with the Foundation by creating a Heaven and
Hell link on its Facebook page, which has also been hugely successful. It is
averaging a million “reaches” a week – meaning that many people at least are
getting it up on a screen.
He sees a challenge now in harnessing their audience so that they can
continue to serve it effectively as it expands. They are always looking for new
pathways to introduce Swedenborg and the teachings of the Writings and says,
“We need to be nimble enough to keep up with changes in the internet.”
“Ten years from now we won’t be doing the same thing, but what will it
be? We don’t know but we want to be on the forefront.”
Meanwhile, as with Mark Pendleton’s “Begin a New Life” series, he knows
that what they are doing is having a positive impact. Among a great many
testimonials are:
• “I get chills watching and listening to these videos.”
• “You are serving humanity in a marvelous way.”
• “Your videos help me feel better.”
Curtis uses the image of a forest canopy to project their hopes for the
future – of a new seedling growing and breaking through the canopy to thrive
above it. These videos, he feels, are elevating people’s minds and he wants
Swedenborg to be that emerging tree. The potential is unlimited.
Asked about how we can do the same thing for our own people – especially
those who find reading the doctrines difficult – he said this approach should
apply to everyone, as both outreach and in-reach. He noted that the Rev. Grant
Schnarr invites him to show his videos to the “Rookie Religion” class in Bryn
Athyn College – which is its most popular course.
He is very optimistic about the future, feeling that we are on a new frontier
and that “we could make Swedenborg a household name within 10 years.” The
challenge is how to take advantage of each new level of opportunity.
He encouraged everyone at the Retreat to join the Swedenborg Foundation
and its Facebook page, and help to spread the word about these videos and
other offerings.
“We are always doing the best we can,” he said. “But we are always looking
to improve.”
Contacts:
Dr. Martha Gyllenhaal – [email protected]
Rev. Mark Pendleton – [email protected]
Curtis Childs – [email protected]
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