THE CHALLENGE OF E-WITNESSING (PART 2)

THE CHALLENGES OF E-WITNESSING (Part 2)
BY PASTOR WILLIAM BOACHIE-ANSAH
THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST
(NSAWKAW DISTRICT)

“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren… lest Satan should take advantage of us;..” 2Cor 1:8, 2Co 2:11

WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
In the previous discussion, we highlighted the modern challenges associated with the Great Commission. We concluded with the need for ministers and church leaders to learn new things in order to be able to engage effectively in e-witnessing - the new dimension of evangelism.

One of the most humiliating things in the life of the minister or Christian leader is to display crass ignorance in the presence of his members. Our church members expect us to have practical working knowledge in all fields of human endeavour. If Paul did not want any of his Corinthian church members to be “ignorant” concerning every practical issue in life, what should be his standard for the leaders?
In this piece, practical ways of setting up the enterprise of e-witnessing is the issue to be discussed. We begin with a general knowledge of the internet, and setting up of internet access. It all begins with having a PC and getting access to the internet.

SETTING UP
A PC (Personal Computer), power and internet connectivity are the basic requirements. A Pentium 3 or 4 PC cost between 150 and 300GHc in Ghana. A simple internet modem from Zain, MTN or Vodafone cost between 95 and 120GHc depending on the terms of use, although in each case, constant recharging terms are attached.
There is the need for every leader to take some classes in computing. Leaders need to study at least, Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point in addition to general knowledge of Windows and a little knowledge in browsing the internet.

ACQUISITIONS:
How do we acquire these devices? We can save to buy the PCs and modems. If any leader cannot buy these devices himself, they should let the church acquire them. The church could set aside a day and raise funds for this purpose. Additionally, the church leadership could arrange with ICT businessmen to buy in bulk and distribute to needy ministers and officers under an agreed terms of payment. Buying in bulk reduces the prices.

ELECTRICITY:
If there is no constant electricity supply, leaders can occasionally buy fuel and use a power generator; this should not be a big problem because it is common knowledge that some church leaders occasionally fuel generators to watch football matches whenever there are power cuts during important football matches.

PRACTICE TIME
The pastor in particular and church leaders in general need to determine hard in order to get themselves acquainted with the computer. A special time should be set aside daily for learning. This may be in the evening (AFTER CHURCH SERVICE) or immediately after your personal devotion. Please don’t use this as an excuse to abandon evening church service. One hour a day may be ideal for the first two or three months. Group exchange of ideas is also recommended. If you have anyone around, it helps you to discuss areas you may find difficult.

EMAIL ACCOUNT
Create an e-mail account for yourself and your ministry or Church. This will help you to maintain your privacy. The most preferred providers in Africa are Google (GMAIL) and Yahoo - creating an account with them is relatively easier. The most important thing now left is how to operate it. Many people have email accounts but they don’t use it. Try as much as possible to access it twice a week. Don’t expect people to send you mails when you don’t send mails. You may decide to send greetings to five friends within a week. This will not only help you to become abreast with the use of PC, it will also help keep you in touch with your acquaintances and sharpen your skills in typing. In extreme cases where there is no connectivity, you can plan to do it at least once a month: whenever you go to you’re the nearest town or city. Wherever you are, there are times you travel to a nearby town. Make good use of the internet cafes and other connectivity opportunities.

BASIC SKILLS YOU NEED TO DEVELOP
1. TYPING: You should become familiar with the keys on the keyboard. Whether you learn typing professionally or not, this is necessary. Install a self-tuition software such as Mavis Beacon on your computer and schedule yourself for typing sessions.
2. OPENING OF YOUR MAILS: you should be able to sign in to your account without any difficulty. This is necessary because when you get to some busy cafes, nobody may be willing to assist you in this direction. For security reasons, it is not advisable to let people help you when it comes to password and other secret codes.
3. CLOSING: You should be able to properly sign out your account. If you don’t sign out, anybody who may open the computer could access your account. That is what the "419" and "SAKAWA" fraudsters are interested in!
4. DOWNLOAD DATA. You should be able to copy data from the internet to your computer or mobile phone.
5. UPLOAD DATA: You should be able to send a copy of data from your PC to the net.
6. ATTACH FILES: Adding a document in its original state to a message that is being sent. This may be in the form of word, photo, video or sound.
7. VISIT WEBSITES: You should be able to open websites to read and copy data. If your ministry or church has a website, your ability to frequently visit the site keeps you abreast with all the major activities of the church.

All these are challenges which the contemporary minister and ought to surmount in order to be effective in e-witnessing. If you cannot manipulate the computer, then you count yourself a handicapped minister!
But it is not very difficult to overcome these challenges. The next thing that we shall talk about is the Facebook. May the Lord give you understanding as you strive to overcome any impediments in your evangelistic drive and ministry. God bless you all.

WILLIAM BOACHIE-ANSAH
EMAIL: boachieansah@gmail.com
Williestel2@yahoo.co.uk