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(Revised 05/08/09)
Spring Greetings to our Daily Encouragement friends, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber For our regular Daily Encouragement readers interested in our ministry let us take this opportunity to share an update about our current personal ministry through May 2009. We continue to give a heavy focus to our online Daily Encouragement ministry which we consider our main ongoing ministry. Through our various internet writings and podcast we are touching many people all over the world and are so grateful for the continual feedback indicating this to be true. The entire daily project normally takes us all morning and often into the early afternoon to complete as we both work on it together in our home office on two separate computers. I generally start studying and writing either the night before or very early in the morning. When I have the message essentially ready Brooksyne edits, adds her thoughts as she studies the text. She writes the daily prayer and often adds a personal note. While she is doing this I work on the graphics, search for suitable music supplements and possible supplemental resource links or materials. Then we record it for the podcast which often gives us occasion for additional sharpening and edits. Then I convert the text to html and format the message as you will see it in the email, website and blog. After this is done Brooksyne again proofreads (mistakes are still looming, in part because we often seek to improve the message on the fly just before it's sent out!!!). It takes another hour or so to complete all the technical work in the various means of distribution; website, email list, blog and the podcast (audio edition). Additional resources - We are increasing the preparation of special resource helps for the family and church available for direct free download. Our analysis of web site statistics indicate that these special pages get a lot of traffic, perhaps due to search engines as well as a direct link from the daily messages. Examples include information on writing tributes and samples (over 1,500 pageviews per month), a sample prayer for pastor (over 600 pageviews per month). An interesting example is also the page of sympathy messages that people sent in for my mom when she passed away in November 2005 which regularly gets over 500 page views per month apparently due to searches for help in writing sympathies. Although we can't respond to each comment message we try to do so when a specific need is addressed and this is often done by Brooksyne. It's an extension of the many years we pastored when she regularly listened and prayed with others who came with need. Also she's a little quicker since she's a real typist; I'm just a pick and click pecker! Finances: We want to thank those who have supported our ministry; either by praying for us, by telling others about our internet ministry, or by your financial gifts to our ministry. Asking for financial support is not something we have ever felt comfortable in doing. We choose never to whine because God is always good to us!! We trust Him to lay on the hearts of His people the desire to support our ministry according to the difference we've made in their lives, along with a shared burden to reach others with this internet ministry. We seek to be a blessing to all and never want financial giving to be guilt driven, but rather a response of affirmation and support toward our ministry as the Lord directs. If you would like to donate to Daily Encouragement Net please see this page. This page also has some foundational fundraising principles we follow. For current YTD offerings to this ministry see the daily email post (in the footers) or the main website. Other income sources: We consider ourselves purposefully "multi-vocational", having several part-time ministry roles and sources of income. Part-time pastoral: Beginning in January 2009 we began a temporary part-time pastoral role at Discover Joy Church, a small country church in Mastersonville, PA about 10 miles from our home. We have been enjoying this aspect of our ministry and seeking to bring health and stability to church that had been considered for closing. Corporate chaplaincy: We serve several local companies as part-time corporate chaplains as well as an assisted living center. In this role we regularly visit the companies, walking through, greeting and briefly visiting one on one with the employees. We also provide offsite care such as hospital visits, funeral visitations, and counseling. For more information about this aspect of our ministry see our chaplaincy website. We presently serve the following companies and assisted living center in our corporate chaplaincy role:
Current online ministry stats: Average daily pageviews to the Daily Encouragement website: 3,200 (this is the most meaningful web statistic. It is a record of each html page requested from the server. The same visitor may view several pages as they "surf" through the site). Average daily unique visitors to the Daily Encouragement website: 1,350 (This is a record of different unique visitors). Average daily "hits" to the Daily Encouragement website: 21,000 (This is the least meaningful but frequently used statistic recording each file, photo, image, html page, audio file etc. requested to the webserver). Subscribers to to the Daily Encouragement mailing list: 2,550 Average daily downloads of Daily Encouragement podcast shows: 1,000 Average daily visits to Daily Encouragement blog pages: 500 (We have a blog presence using the daily message on wordpress as well as the material in the supplemental blogs mentioned below.) Be encouraged today! Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Should
you have a leading to support our ministry financially you can give
online through my mission agency with a credit card or send a check.
Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my
chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Here is a
separate page with more information.Practical ways to use this ministry. Click
here for a template to make business-sized cards that can be
distributed promoting this ministry. All you need is business card
stock available at any office supply. You can distribute these cards as a witnessing and encouragement aid. (Word document)
Click
here for a poster that can be placed on a bulletin board promoting
this ministry. (pdf)Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "Clear Minded" - I plan to write and post longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and the church. "A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views. "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.
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