Website Policies

Approved by the Board of Directors August 8, 2006

The responsibility for the editorial policies and practices of the church website ultimately rests with the board of directors. The webmaster is responsible for the production and maintenance of the site and for implementing board policies, including making reasonable discretionary decisions relating to the content and design.

The primary functions of the website are to inform the congregation and visitors of church issues, programs and activities, and to provide information for prospective members and visitors about the culture and philosophies of our church and denomination, as well as other basic information that will help them find and be comfortable visiting us.

Website content includes:

Monthly updates reformatted from the church newsletter, including:

Sunday Services
Columns by minister, DRE, president, FIA, stewardship, building, capital campaign
Calendar and UUpComing events
You Are Invited
Splinters (board meeting notes)
Gallery Wall
Sunday morning music
Appreciations
RE Star
Church meetings, programs, or party announcements
Articles from committees
Adult classes
Interviews and personal stories
District, UUA, de Benneville, and UUSC events or announcements
Church history
Past events
Letters to the editor
Events in other congregations or districts
UU biographies
Filler

(Privacy Note: Newsletter items not used on the website include Turning Points, New Member bios and other features which may include personal information that should not be made available to the general public. We also do not include the names of children shown in photographs, or personal street addresses, phone numbers or e-mail addresses without permission from their owners. Any such information that is included in newsletter items is excised before the item is posted on our website.)

In addition, we have less-frequently updated sections outlining church policies and organizational information, location and contact information, our Music, Religious Exploration, Small Group Ministry and Faith in Action programs, and a Get Involved section listing various volunteer opportunities and social groups in which members and friends may participate. We also post a comprehensive list of all sermons delivered in our church (with full texts of sermons by the Rev. Judith Meyer), as well as Chalice Lighting texts, when available and approved by their authors. Finally, we provide a collection of links to other local, national and international UU institutions and programs.

Sunday Order of Service announcements are not usually included on the website, unless by special request. Classified ads and literary contributions are not accepted. Other appropriate items may be submitted to the webmaster for approval and inclusion.

The webmaster may edit material for length, style, grammar, etc., and refuse material that is not appropriate.

Any questions or problems concerning the website should be addressed to the webmaster at webmaster@uusm.org. Disagreements about what should be published will be resolved by the minister, the president, and the webmaster.

All material on the website is copyrighted and is the property of the church.