Who should write for the Herald?
Any Lake Union church member can write for the Lake Union Herald—pastors, members, leaders. But to be sure of coverage, church communication leaders are responsibile to do the research, gather information, and either take or arrange for pictures to be taken and submitted to the Herald on a regular basis. Regular does not necessarily mean monthly, but whenever something newsworthy happens, or is planned, in the church.
What should be written about?
Throughout its long history, the Lake Union Herald's primary purpose has been to tell the stories of God at work in His people in order to encourage, inspire, educate, advance, and unify the church in the Lake Union Conference. With your help, the Herald can be a faithful chronicle of the work and progress of the church in the Lake Union.
The Lake Union Herald uses two types of stories: features and news. News stories need to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. Think about what is happening in your church that might be of interest to people on the other side of the Lake Union—someone who doesn't know anyone in your church. You are not just submitting stories for the benefit of your church members who know everyone in the story (even though they will be happy to see it in print). Your church newsletter is an appropriate forum for that type of story. In the Lake Union Herald, you are sharing your news with the larger church body.
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What is news?
News is something new that people are interested in.
News to inform:
News about upcoming events to which members from across the Lake Union are invited.
News about events which happen once in the life of the church, such as:- Church dedications (when the mortgage is paid off).
- 50th, 75th, 100th anniversary celebrations.
- Ground breaking for a new church/school or a new addition on the church/school.
- Opening of a new Community Service Center.
News about church members who have received notable recognition for their service to their community or church. Normally this is thought of in terms of public recognition from some community (or larger) organization.
News about a new company that has been planted, school organized, or club started where none existed before.
News to educate and instruct:
News about how to get ready for a forthcoming major event, such as evangelistic endeavors or other church/school/community service-related programs.
News about where to obtain needed materials or information for such programs as VBS, Sabbath school, Pathfinders, and so on.
How-to stories that show how members or leaders have discovered a "new or better way" to minister in the church or community.
News to inspire:
News about something unique that has happened (or is being done) in your church which other churches might consider trying in their locations.
- Members have found an innovative way to share the Lord with others.
- Members have started a unique new program for adults, youth, children, new members, or other group.
Stories about new members (we can only use six or eight stories from the whole union in each issue, so just send us your most inspiring stories). We'd like to see at least one story from each conference in every issue.
- What led them to seek the Lord.
- How church members were involved in the process (and by extension how other church members could get involved in leading people to Jesus).
- Why or when they made the decision for baptism.
- When and where they were baptized, and by whom.
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Where should stories and photos be sent?
If you are mailing photos and stories, send them to your conference Lake Union Herald correspondent. (To find your local conference correspondent, see our editorial staff page.) Do not send anything directly to the Lake Union Herald office, because your correspondent is responsible for getting the copy ready for submission, which may include some editing or checking out facts or details of the story. The copy is then submitted to the Herald office in Berrien Springs, Mich.
Much of the material for the Herald can be submitted online. Choose one of the menu items listed at the top and bottom of this page (such as "News" or "Announcements") for online submission options.
When should stories be sent?
For forthcoming events: Check the deadline schedule to be sure you get your story in on time to come out in the issue that is distributed the first week of the month in which your event is happening. The deadline is usually about eight weeks before the first of that month. If the event is occurring during the first week of the month, perhaps you should submit your story for the prior month's issue. That takes some real planning ahead!
A story for a special focus issue: If your story is for one of the scheduled special focus issues, plan ahead to get the information and photographs you need for your story.
Right after an event: Take notes and interview people during the event, so you will have some quotes to use when you are ready to sit down and write the story later. Write your story while it's still fresh in your mind. Submit it as soon as you can. Its actual publication date will depend upon the quantity of stories submitted at the same time as yours and the timeliness of the story.
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Why write for the Lake Union Herald?
The best reason to write for the Herald is that something you write might inspire someone else to give of themselves to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their own special way. Other good reasons include: 1) needing to get the word out about forthcoming events so others can plan to participate; 2) affirming the achievements or contributions members have made to the Lord's work in the church or in the community at large; 3) sharing ideas for how to do the Lord's work in new or innovative ways; 4) providing an official published record of a milestone event in the life of your church.
Avoid writing about events which occur in almost every church in the Lake Union on an annual or frequent basis. That type of story is only appropriate for your church newsletter or local newspaper. An exception might be when your church has found a way to turn one of these events into an outreach event by doing something innovative. If there is an idea there that other churches might implement, it has a better than average chance for publication in the Herald.
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How to submit your story:
Stories should be submitted by e-mail, through the online submission forms, or on a DOS-formatted disk labeled with your story's filename, and your name and phone number in case we need to contact you. The conferences are using Corel WordPerfect or Microsoft Word, so if you use another type of word processor, send your story as an ASCII text file. The e-mail addresses for the conference communication directors are always listed in the masthead of the Herald. See the editorial staff page for quick contact information.
For information on photo submission, see the Photos section.
All stories must be submitted to the Herald in digital form. If you don't have your own computer, you may be able to use one at the church or public library. Or you can ask a friend to help you.
If all else fails, call your conference Lake Union Herald correspondent, or one of the writers listed in Contact Us will help you get your story in print.
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