Time for a Thumbs-Up

One of my favorite quotes has always been “Work like a duck: Calm on the surface and paddling furiously under the water.” Some of that has been going on around the church since our Brainstorming and BBQ session on church growth in May. Activity and marketing suggestions have been rolling in for the last two months; I’m thrilled that everyone has been so willing to get involved. Because of that willingness, I’m going to ask you for a favor.

When I first took this job, I updated First Presbyterian’s information on the three major online search engine directories (Google Places for Business, Bing Places for Business, and Yahoo! Local Listings). During the last month I’ve also updated or added entries on sites like churchfinder.com, church.org, and churchangel.com, as well as Yelp!, Citysearch, and 10 or so other online directory services. Where possible I’ve uploaded photos, listed our business and worship hours, added our new mission statement, and explained how to locate the campus. As soon as all the changes I’ve made have been approved by the site owners, anyone who searches the Internet for a Presbyterian Church in the Sun City area will be almost guaranteed to find us, no matter what search tool they use. However…

A number of these sites allow the public to write reviews of the businesses listed there. As the administrator of the listings, I can’t also write reviews. But if you have an email address, you can!

Why you would want to? Well, if people are more likely to visit a restaurant when reviewers say the service and the food are good, don’t you think they’ll also be more likely to visit a church that’s received rave reviews? I would! Really think about what you love about First Presbyterian, in as specific terms as possible. Do you like Rev. Davis’s sermons? Our traditional choir and hymn selections? The quality of the food and programs at the Fellowship Dinners? The PW Bible study programs? The fact that we always have room in the parking lot? If you were encouraging a friend to attend our church, what would you say?

Now visit one or more of these links and tell the world:

• http://www.churchfinder.com/churches/az/sun-city/first-presbyterian-church 
• http://www.church.org/church/sun-city/first-presbyterian-church/41482/ 
• http://www.churchangel.com/church/First-Presbyterian-Church-16732.htm 
• http://www.yelp.com/biz/first-presbyterian-church-of-sun-city-sun-city 

You can also post a review on our Google Places for Business entry if you have a gmail account – and, of course, if you haven’t already done so, please like us on Facebook. In fact, if you really get excited about this idea, I have other links you can use, too.

Enthusing about the church in person is hard for most of us, because no one likes to risk a face-to-face rejection. A positive online review, though, takes only a few minutes and doesn’t share that risk. Give it a try – it’s a great way for you to help with spreading the word!

~Beth Mabee