Title: Week of Compassion brings Disciples to the WEB
Date: February 18, 2000
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
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INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- Disciples from across the US and Canada have been turning to the World Wide Web for information from the new WOC website: weekofcompassion.org.
"In an intense month, the site has received some 14,000 hits from folks looking for information on situation updates, the WOC Endowment Fund and the special 'One in a Thousand" campaign,'" said the Rev. Johnny Wray, administrative director. Web site visitors have particularly been interested in the online Leader's Guide for the annual Week of Compassion observance which begins Feb. 20, he added.
This unprecedented interest in Week of Compassion comes on the heels of closing night during the October 1999 General Assembly when the site was registered, according to web site manager Doug Smith.
Since then, steady growth and interest in the site have brought Disciples back repeatedly, looking for updated information on emergencies and ways they can respond to the emergencies and other human needs through Week of Compassion, Wray added.
More and more resources will be developed and made available via the WWW to reduce costs for congregations which can pull information freely from the site, as well as additional resources that were not included with original publications for space and cost reasons, said Smith.
It is anticipated that Disciples will continue to use the site as a major resource in mission education and humanitarian advocacy, according to the WOC director. As more and more congregations are on the WWW, weekofcompassion.org will continue to grow to meet the needs of the church and to undergird Disciples' commitment to reach out to hurting people throughout the world, Wray concluded.
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