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Making the e- connection for families by Amy Acker Mobley We live in a very busy world that relies so much on technology to survive in it. This is why it is so funny how many churches and ministries don’t take advantage of this wonderful tool to reach their audience. In the Digital Discipleship Boot Camp put on in the Diocese of St. Petersburg we were encouraged to do just that and The Parent’s Hub was born. The Parent’s hub was an idea that came to me after a conversation with a parent on how frustrating it is that they could not get all the info they needed for their kid in one place. I really thought about that how could we make this happen and then it came to me we needed a site where their needs would be met. I also thought about cost since we are all on a budget and logistics. I also wanted to use the ideas I had learned about in the DDBC so I felt we needed to use Glogster in conjunction with our own website and wikispace. The Parent’s Hub is a multimedia wonderland of information for our parents here at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in New Port Richey, Florida. Using the extremely easy site Glogster I was able to create a one stop shop for parents to link them to the things they need to know about. Also give you the ability to link several groups on one page but still be able to have separate pages. The Glogster page “The STA Parent’s Hub” connects them to easy to use list from wiki pages where they could sign up for snacks or to help with a meal. It also gives them info like stuff they can do with their kids to what their teen learned that night at either Edge or Life Teen. It is also a great place to find out about trips we are going on or just to be inspired by a great video. The Glogster page has a look and feel like a bulletin board. I used interesting clip art and pictures to give it some excitement and even added moving art and video. All of these give the parent the info they need in a more convenient package. This is a free site so that made this very do able for a parish on a budget which of course makes it even better. My Life Teen program serves food for life nights and needed a way for parents to be able to organize and coordinate meals with our kitchen core leader Mary UnMack. Using the wikispace has made life easier for her because they can just update and make changes right on that page. In the past they were using emails and had a hard time keeping them straight. Sometimes we would have mix ups which only hurt the teens we served. This hub has fixed that problem and many others saving us both time and money. So ask yourself how can you not afford to help busy parents stay informed with this simple e connection? The time you put into making this great will be well worth it and the families who use it will thank you.Just remember if the internet had been around in Jesus' time he most likely would have used it. So all you ministers who are afraid to use technology get out there and learn all you can because this is were we are going and we have to keep up if we are going to bring them closer to Christ.