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© Ecunet, Inc. 2002 - 2004
Contact Info

Ecunet to introduce FaithGroups.com

Ecunet will debut new communications products this Spring courtesy of FaithGroups.com. A new entity created by Ecunet to provide product development, administration, and marketing services, FaithGroups.com will soon introduce an extended version of the existing Ecunet online conferencing system and will offer a new congregational communications product. FaithGroups will also take over the management of telephone and Internet services currently available through Ecunet's sister entity, EcuServe.com, and it will offer new services such as discount domain registration and website hosting. As of January 1, 2004, FaithGroups.com also began providing all of the billing and customer support for Ecunet's member networks.

Improved online conferencing.  The centerpiece of FaithGroups.com is a progressive online conferencing package of services that will include new collaboration tools long sought after by the denominational member networks served by Ecunet.

Ecunet meetings accessed through the new web interface will include:
- Hyperlink libraries associated with meetings
- File sharing areas associated with meetings
- The ability to select individual meetings to forward to an e-mail address or to be only read in the web interface
- Other new features

Ecunet members who use the new web interface will also have a new personal area for:
- Calendaring
- Data file storage
- Additional features

Ecunet members will see many of these new services courtesy of their existing membership, and will not need to make any modifications to utilize them.

New congregational e-groups.  A brand new product for congregations will also be introduced that will allow a pastor, church staff member, or a designated lay leader to build distribution and discussion lists for local congregations. These new tools will provide for electronic distribution of newsletters, and will allow local church leadership to conduct public and private discussions online. "With this new congregational tool, church committees on finance, education, youth work, or any other conceivable group that meets regarding church business to coordinate and conduct their activities online," says Brian Lang, Ecunet's business administrator. "Church newsletters can be distributed electronically, significantly reducing the cost of production and postage." The new congregational product is being piloted during February at a church in Houston, Texas, before being offered to other congregations.

Expansion of Ecunet's mission.  "FaithGroups.com is a logical extension of Ecunet's mission," says Paul Edison-Swift, Ecunet's president. "FaithGroups will provide and support the communications tools used by Ecunet member networks, and perhaps will even attract new faith group partners. New faith groups might want to use the communications' tools provided by FaithGroups.com, and may also be attracted to the ecumenical mission of Ecunet," he continues. "However, new faith groups can use the communications' tools even if they choose not to become an Ecunet member network."

FaithGroups to include EcuServe.com.  "The Ecunet board approved the introduction of FaithGroups.com as a means to combine the existing services offered by Ecunet and EcuServe, introduce new services, and then to market the combination of these services more effectively," says Lang, who will serve as FaithGroups' president. "Every faith group on the planet has to consider how to cost effectively use technology to extend their mission. FaithGroups.com will offer communications products and services customized for use by the faith community at a price they can afford."

For more information, contact Brian.Lang@FaithGroups.com

Discussions about the contents of this newsletter can be found by visiting http://www.ecunet.org/topic/ecunews_chat.