Last month I attended the American Academy of Religion – Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia. I bought a 2015 edition of The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways by Meredith Gould and read it as soon as I got home.
It’s not a deep read, but it got me thinking about creating an online faith community for the women who lead and attend Circle of the Word—AKA Sacred Stories class—at the jail. For community formation, Gould strongly recommends Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter over blogs.
I asked the women on Dec. 2, “How many of you use the Internet when you’re not in here?” Immediately all hands shot up. Then at the end of class I asked about Facebook. Most were on it. I told them my idea of a Facebook group for us. They were quite enthusiastic and offered suggestions. So I am continuing to mull that possibility over with a growing sense of calling.
A next step is to discuss the idea with people engaged in jail ministry and reentry work. Is there a down side? A security concern?
This is the last in my series of posts from the December 2 Circle about prophets and Isaiah 9:2-7. December 2 was my 65th birthday. Here is a final “illustrated manuscript” from that memorable Circle. It captures the spirit our time together.
