Social Media Challenge!

Brothers and sisters:

Pope Benedict XVI has asked us as the Church to make more and better use of the social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) to further our efforts in the New Evangelization first outlined by Pope John Paul II.  God knows that many,if not most, of us are very connected to one another.  I personally have five or six email addresses, a Facebook account, this blog, a Twitter account, three cell phones, one of which is an iPhone, three computers, and a Wii; if someone can’t reach me, it’s probably that they aren’t trying very hard!

And yet, We sometimes manage to talk about…not a lot.  At least, in terms of eternity, we talk about things that are…well, let’s just be charitable and call them “slightly less important”.

So what?

Here’s what.

I’m issuing a challenge, to everyone connected to me through all these various ways and means, but especially to my brothers and sisters at St. Ann Catholic Church in Bartlett, TN.  I challenge you to do three things:
1)  Connect to me.  My blog address is http://deaconchip.net.  My Twitter account is @DcnChip.  On Facebook, I am DeaconChip Jones.  My parish email is chip.jones_at_stann.cdom.org (substitute an @ symbol for the _at_). 
2)  Look through those I am connected to, and connect to the people you know.  IF you can tell they are St. Ann people, but you don’t know them yet, connect to them anyway!  Let’s start drawing our community together in the virtual space of the Internet, since we all spend so much time there!
3)  Start discussing.  Ask Questions.  State opinion.  Enter conversations.  Reach out to others.  Read the things that I and others link to. Learn more about this faith you’ve embraced! Use your internet time for something other than Farmville, or shopping, or the unmentionable stuff.  Start setting apart a space for yourself on the Internet that is HOLY!

There’s the challenge.  You have time; if you can play Bejeweled, or Farmville, or the hundred other games on Facebook; if you can aimlessly link around for blocks of time, if you can visit those places that maybe lead us away from God, you can spend some time on things that bring Him closer. 

Join me.  Let’s talk.  You won’t be sorry!