The Kansas Messenger will change form in 2017. The November 2016 issue completes 120 years of printed publication. There is still an audience for written communication, but the form will bow to the times.
Budget realities dictate that the printed, mailed, newsprint version of the KS Messenger must go the way of all flesh. But we don’t want to lose touch with you! The revamped KS Messenger will come by email to every Kansas Disciples church, to every Kansas Disciples pastor, and to all those who want to receive it including all who currently receive the Kansas Mini-Messenger. We encourage our churches to print and share with those who do not receive email, including homebound members, church guests, and other interested people.
The new Messenger will come to you six times a year instead of four, sent on Tuesdays before the first day of February, April, June, August, October, and December. This will save $11,000 annually, a change made necessary by the budget realities that face us in the Christian Church in Kansas. In recent years, gifts for the KS Messenger have covered less than half of the cost, and at that rate we cannot continue the printed paper. We are still investing significant staff time in preparing the Kansas Messenger, the Kansas Mini-Messenger, and district communications, and we appreciate your continued support of these communications with your financial gifts to The Kansas Messenger.
To submit items, email to [email protected] by the 15th of the month before publication. We edit articles for fit, tone, and clarity. The KS Messenger will include reports of regional ministries, information about coming events and ministries, news from congregations, and news from the church beyond Kansas including our colleges and seminaries, our relief and development ministries, and other ministries of our General Church.
The Kansas Mini-Messenger will continue to focus on coming regional ministries and events, with occasional forays beyond, to tell you about the 2017 General Assembly, for instance. It is sent twice a month. To sign up for either publication or both, send your name and email address to [email protected].