In 2012 we began our social media presence with Facebook. At first it started out slow, we used it only for the Sunday lectionary and news about our bazaars and dinners. We quickly decided using the platform to do ads was a smart way to go and now word spreads quickly whenever we put something out into the community. Then something occurred to one of the Sunday School teachers. Why not advertise our Vacation Bible School too? Using Facebook to let others know about our summer program for children has been a positive step forward and we’re happy with how the information flows.
Then Covid-19 hit, and we saw another opportunity arise. Why not share our services on-line? After the service would be posted on our website, the Facebook admin would share the link so that those at home would know that our pastor had given us another look into God’s Word. It became a lifeline for those stuck at home and away from the comfort of their church family.
However, the Facebook admin wasn’t about to stop at just one platform…
After several years of only one social media platform giving us a voice on the internet, the Facebook admin, with the permission of the Administrative Council, branched out and
opened a Twitter (now called “X”) account for the church. Now an admin to two platforms, she had her work cut out for her. She knew that in order to reach the younger generations the church had to branch out into other platforms. Learning about the Twitterverse isn’t easy, and the church’s feed still has a lot of growing to do. However, now people have a choice about where they can find out about our church and connect with us on-line. Both on “X” (Twitter) and on Facebook, the community and the world can find out exactly what we’re up to and keep track of any interesting news that might be happening in our little corner of Lake Luzerne, NY. Every Sunday and on special days/weeks Easter Week we post the lectionary so people can read along in their Bibles at home. We’d love for you to join us on “X.” @LakeLuzerneUMC
Speaking of recording…
When Rev. Green left, he handed the responsibility of developing the videos to the Social Media Admin. Since we already had a Google Account, it wasn’t hard to add a Youtube Channel to our arsenal. It’s called “Lake Luzerne UMC” and now not only are our services on our website, but they are on the World Wide Web for anyone and everyone to enjoy. We haven’t added any services videos for a while, but all videos are kid friendly, and any child can sit and watch by themselves. We hope these videos help spread God’s Word around the world and touch those that need and want a Divine Presence in their lives.
In February of 2023 we finally took the plunge and added Instagram to our social media accounts. After thinking about it for quite some time, it just made sense to our Social Media Admin. There are a lot of younger adults on the platform and as we wish to connect with as many people as possible, the Admin thought it was time. 
There is one and hard fast rule that we, as a church follow, and that the Social Media Admin makes sure to enforce: No one under the age of eighteen is posted to any of our public on-line platforms. Our church is a Safe Sanctuaries congregation, and one part of our policy is that the children are left out of our internet presence, except for a private group that lets their parents know what they’ve been learning. Some may think that odd in today’s social media heavy world, but we strive to do our best to protect the children under our care. Our feeds and pages are public, meaning that anyone in the world can see what we post. We want parents and guardians to know that their children have nothing to fear when they are with us, and so the Safe Sanctuaries Policy extends to our social media. To read our policy, click here.
