wfn.org | Committee hears communication associate director

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

03-July-1996 
 
GA96074 
 
Committee hears communication associate director 
 
ALBUQUERQUE--The General Assembly committee on Stewardship and 
Communication, taking seriously the second half of its title, heard a 
report from Gary Luhr, associate director for communication of the General 
Assembly Council. The office was created after the 1993 "Shape and Form" 
restructuring of the General Assembly Council into three ministry 
divisions.  In his position a little less than two years, Luhr spoke of the 
challenges of sharing information and inspiration in a period of great 
change. 
 
    During his brief tenure, Luhr has presided over several major shifts in 
the six-part "package" of communication delivery: 
 
    *  the tripling of the distribution of News Briefs from a circulation 
of less than 4,000 to more than 15,000; 
 
        *  the change of Presbyterian Survey into Presbyterians Today; 
 
        *  the selection of Houston Hodges as new editor of Monday Morning 
magazine, with many other changes in store for that journal, including paid 
subscriptions; 
 
        *  the expansion of Presbynet, the church's computer on-line 
service, onto the World Wide Web  (the PC(USA) Web Page is currently 
averaging  5,000 "hits" a day); 
 
        *  the continued expansion of the toll-free telephone information 
service called  Presbytel, as well as of  Voiceline, the church's recorded 
information service; and 
 
        *  the development  of a church and public relations office. 
 
    Luhr mentioned that future projects include a newsletter for elders and 
its possible development into an every household publication.  The projects 
will be undertaken despite great budget restraints, said Luhr.  His office 
is facing a reduction of $200,000 from 1996 to 1997. 
 
 
Dee Wade 

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