"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19 NIV).

A simple sign on a file cabinet in the office says, “Look at what God is doing.” That is where we focus our attention. We look to see what God is doing in our union, and then we try to inform others. It reflects our mission statement: “To tell the stories of what God is doing in the lives of His people in order to encourage, inspire, educate, advance, and unify the church in the Lake Union Conference.”

We communicate in two areas: informing members and informing the public. Some refer to this activity as public relations. For the world, that means to always present the company in the best light possible while promoting its product and personnel. But we are not a company—we’re the church. What we do is different. It is our responsibility to present Jesus in His true light while promoting His kingdom and exalting His character.

Our objective is to be an integral instrument in the work of evangelism, and nurture and accurately represent God’s chosen leadership of the Lake Union Conference. We serve Lake Union members and institutions by providing communication resources, professional guidance, and training.

Our new focus precipitated a change in the Lake Union Herald in 2003. We expanded the features section to provide room for short stories and experiences to illustrate the theme for each issue. We also added a number of columns to nurture our members: "Adventism 101," "Sharing Our Hope," "Youth In Action," "One Voice," and most recently "ConneXiones."

Since 2004, the Lake Union Herald has been produced electronically using new web-based technology, allowing greater participation and involvement in the creation process. As editor, I have full access to every article, column, and photograph during the writing and production stages from anywhere in the world. The editorial team is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan; Noblesville, Indiana; and Condon, Montana. The proofed, print-ready file is sent to Color Press in College Place, Washington, where it is printed, labeled, and mailed directly to your home.

The Lake Union is working closely with TAGnet to provide a free church website for every church in the Lake Union that will include contact information, schedules, directions, personalized messages, additional resources, and announcements updated daily with little or no effort. This new service, provided by netAdventist, gives the local church automated access to information provided by the local conference, union, and division offices. Additional components are available to subscribers to enhance evangelism outreach and provide easy, effective ways to involve more members in the process. This new service will be available to every Lake Union church by the Union Session, April 2, 2006.

Through Adventist television and radio stations, our message is now broadcast to a number of communities. In addition, several churches stream video and create Podcasts of their services, opening doors to people around the world. The communication department also provides video production and editing services to conferences and churches to help accomplish new communication initiatives.

What an exciting time in which to live where every member can literally participate in sharing this gospel of the kingdom around the world!

Gary Burns is the Lake Union Conference communication director and the Lake Union Herald editor.