James Bay United Church Website Tour, Report & Statistics

The James Bay United Church website is where you can discover a diverse collection of information about JBUC. The website brings together and publicizes who we are and what we are about. It is designed & updated to share information with congregants, newcomers, potential visitors, the neighbourhood website visitors and worldwide visitors. The JBUC website is an invitation and opportunity to join us for worship and for companionship at 511 Michigan St., at the Thrift Shop next door, and on the JBUC website. 

Since it launched in the summer of 2016 the website has been constantly updated, fine tuned, expanded and improved. Researching & documenting JBUC's past, present & future plans has expanded my knowledge of JBUC's accomplishments, activities and ongoing initiatives. I hope you learn something new and experience some surprises too! 

~ Nola Adams, JBUC Webmaster. (April, 2016-February, 2019)

Here are some of the nifty features that are available. 

• The Home page gives a broad and comprehensive overview about the JBUC community. A great place to begin your exploration. 
• Sunday reflections are organized in chronological, liturgical series. Each reflection is usually available with the speaker's name & photo, the bulletin, the audio & text of the reflection, the bible passage and photos. Included is a post with audio and text of a communion service. Over 2,000 page views in 2018. 
• A description, with photos, of a regular Sunday worship service, is an important source of information for newcomers.
• The About Us section provides visitors with an overview of who we are, inclusiveness and beliefs. 
• The Keeping in Touch email has transitioned to an integrated Newsletter that is published from the website by Rev. Dickey & Gordon Miller, emailed to the subscribers, and archived at the top of the Home page. There is a Subscribe slot on every website page enabling website visitors to sign up to the newsletter mailing list. At the bottom of each copy of the newsletter, received by email, is the legally required CAN-SPAM wording and unsubscribe button. About 75 subscribers regularly read the Newsletter. Visitors to the JBUC website can access the JBUC Facebook and Instagram pages (managed by Gordon Miller) by clicking on the icons at the top right & bottom right of every web page. There is a password protected Directory available.  
• The Leadership page includes photos and contact information for Church Staff, JBUC Board Members & JBUC Trustees. On every website page there is JBUC contact information, a location map and a link to the Board meeting minutes. The entire website is available/searchable using the search bar at the top of every page.
• Upcoming events are advertised, often with convenient online sign up forms. 0ver 3500 page views in 2018. Subscribing to the calendar on the top right of the Events page means that all posted events will appear on your device's calendar.
• The Giving page describes the various ways JBUC work can be financially supported. There is an online giving portal that automatically emails the donor a tax receipt.
• James Bay United Church supports many local, district & national ministries. Over twenty (!!) of these connection groups have been identified & described.
• Judy Langford set up The Thrift Shop pages with information & photos & posts for special events. There is also a link to the Thrift Shop's charming & lively Facebook page, managed by Franklyn Roy. Opening and closing date announcements are kept current on the events and news pages. 
• Aleksa Harkness created & established the Library & Soul Work pages as well as the JB Refugee Initiative site. 
• The website showcases the facilities of the JBUC building available for community use through rental - rentals for both ongoing programs or single events. 871 page views in 2018. 
• Health and wholeness resources are also included to share news and events about the many opportunities available for individuals and families in the James Bay neighbourhood.

At recent AGMs the church membership have strongly affirmed that James Bay United Church has a defined focus to reach out & be involved in the James Bay neighbourhood. Personally connecting with other community groups and posting their information on our social media (website, Facebook & Instagram) continues to an effective way for Gordon Miller and me to carry out this mandate. JBUC social media advertising of community events and updates enables JBUC to actively foster relationships with many neighbourhood organizations. The neighbourhood groups are always grateful for our interest and the added exposure of their information on our social media. The neighbourhood postings are an effective way to alert our regular media visitors of neighbourhood events, news & interesting opportunities and increases the traffic to our media sites. 

Website analytics show us that the ministry of JBUC is worldwide and in 2018 the website had 7,936 visitors. Over 4,000 of these visitors were from southern Vancouver Island. The majority of these visitors were looking for JBUC information and the remainder were searching for neighbourhood events we had posted on our website.