WRITER GUIDELINES FOR THE CHARACTER COUNCIL WEBSITE 1-Minute Announcements or Testimonials Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky December 2, 2001, Rev. July 1, 2004 Introduction to the Faith Community Portion of the Website The general purpose of the Faith Community division of the website for the Character Council (www.charactercincinnati.org) is to assist individuals, parents, faith leaders, teachers and others in encouraging the practice of the monthly character qualities in accord with the national schedule of monthly qualities published by the International Association of Character Cities. The organization of the content of the Faith Community division of the website includes a general section and separate sections for Christian, Jewish, and Other Faiths. Included in the Christian section (and hopefully in Jewish and Other later) is a subsection concerning character in general, as well as a subsection for each of the 49 character qualities. Each of the character qualities include Character Helps, References, Sermons, and other materials pertaining to the specific character quality--including materials specifically designed to help congregations and schools committed to being a "Church of Character" (or Synagogue or Temple) or "Faith-Based School of Character." These latter materials include, for example, monthly newsletters introducing the character quality, 4-minute sermons and sermon outlines, announcements illustrating the character quality through testimony, bulletin inserts, and 5-minute studies for groups, classes, and meetings. These materials provide suggestions and ideas and can be downloaded if desired for modification or direct use. **If you are interested in submitting an article for publication with Character Council or writing monthly articles, please review the Writer Guidelines below and contact Michael Lyons, Editor of Faith Outreach, at s1211349@cedarville.edu Writer Guidelines for 1-Minute Announcements for Weekly Congregational Services Purpose: The purpose of the 1-minute announcement/testimony offered during a weekly church service or mass, school assembly or other time is to encourage people to practice the monthly character quality through the example of others. Goals of 1-Minute Announcement: The goal of the 1-minute announcement is to encourage the practice of the monthly character quality through a motivating, real-life example from the following (but not limited to only the following): - Church History - The Congregation - Family - Other History - The Community, Nation, World - Sports - School - Business - Scripture The testimonial announcement should endeavor to illustrate the character quality in the person clearly and identify the resulting benefits to the individual and/or others The purpose is to encourage readers and listeners through the life of a real person or persons who exhibit the specific character quality: it is not the place for preaching. it is not primarily a place for laying out principles or teaching. The highlighted people are to be real people, contemporary or historical (including Scripture). they are not to be fictional, no matter how classical or well-known (e.g. Tom Sawyer). they are not to be "general" people described in parables. Focus on helping the audience get a sense of the character quality in the highlighted individual. Help the audience understand the benefits which resulted from the highlighted individual's practice of the character quality. Audience: The expected audience is adults and students (grades 7 and higher) in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Do not assume your audience has a strong background in the Bible. Do not use "in house" terminology understood only by informed church attendees, if possible (e.g. "at the foot of the cross", "cleansed by His blood"). Provide enough information to help people understand your message. Keep in mind your audience may not be familiar with all the major Bible stories and characters. Be aware that "ye, thou" and other language from the 1600's can unnecessarily create a sense of distance for the contemporary listener, and form a possible conclusion in their mind that these truths are archaic, irrelevant in today's culture, and therefore irrelevant to their own lives. Please consider replacing those verses in your articles with renditions from other versions of the Bible which are true to the wording of the original text, but expressed in contemporary English. Please indicate what version is used in the article. Length of Text: Please limit the text for the 1-minute announcement to 200 words maximum. Convention for definition of character qualities: Please be consistent with the definitions in the Pocket Guide to Good Character published by the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Click here for a link to definitions of each character quality and their corresponding "I will" statements. Heading: Please include a heading on your document having the following form: [Character Quality]- A One-Minute Testimonial Announcement Faith Committee, Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Contributed by [Name of contributing author] [Position and affiliation, City, State] [Date submitted or created] [TITLE] *** Example of One Minute Testimonial ENTHUSIASM - A One-Minute Testimonial Announcement Faith Committee, Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Contributed by Bob and Trisha Hicks Missionaries, Helping Hands For Him, Panama City, FL February 1, 2001 THEODORE ROOSEVELT Theodore Roosevelt became known by his enthusiastic smile. As a child he enthusiastically exercised to overcome his illness. When he started exercising he could barely do one push-up. He worked and exercised with his whole heart, and never gave up. Eventually he was able to run and play outdoors. These times not only strengthened his physical body but also his character. Years later Theodore Roosevelt became a leader of American troops fighting the Spanish in Cuba. He realized his task would not be easy. Even in the face of insurmountable odds, his men felt encouraged as they followed his bold and courageous leadership. Theodore's example gave energy and strength to the tired soldiers. In the face of danger his smile from ear to ear gave them hope that they may possibly see victory. Theodore and his men continued to pursue the Spanish, and finally the Americans won the war. Theodore became famous for bravery as "Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Riders." He had become famous not because he won, but because he never quit. He continued in the face of all odds. He led other people to victory because he was himself a winner. Preparation before Writing: Good writing that glorifies God takes hard work. Pray earnestly for God's hand in your writing. Seek His counsel before beginning a new piece of writing. Submission of Text: Please submit the announcement in text form. Specifically, please submit it in a document created by Microsoft Word, if at all possible. Further, we request that you use: Times Roman, 12-point font. 1 inch margins (sides, top and bottom) Indentation: None. Block format is to be used for all paragraphs. Single space. Double space between paragraphs. No hard returns, except to end a paragraph. Let the program automatically wrap words to the next line. Use underline, bold and/or italic text sparingly (for necessary emphasis only). Use the tab key for any indentation or tabbing, not the space bar. Please mark all verse citations as following: (Matt 5:44 NIV*). Use the asterisk if all the following verse references will be with the same version. If so, do not include the version in later citations. Notice: All documents are subject to editing at the editor's discretion. Please submit the document as an attachment to an e-mail message to Editor at s1211349@cedarville.edu. Schedule: The target date for submitting the contributed document is two months before the beginning of the month in which the character quality is to be featured as the character quality of the month. This gives time to get it onto the website and make it available to interested parties at least 6 weeks before the month of implementation. 2005 Annual Schedule of Character Qualities - Target Date for Submission January Orderliness November 1 February Forgiveness December 1 March Sincerity January 1 April Virtue February 1 May Honor March 1 June Justice April1 July Gentleness May 1 August Faith June1 September Responsibility July 1 October Patience August 1 November Initiative September 1 December Self-Control October 1 Assistance and Ideas: Please feel welcome to contact Michael Lyons at any time with any ideas or questions you have and for any assistance with preparing and submitting your documents. Michael Lyons, Editor of Faith Outreach 251 N. Main St #4556 Cedarville, OH 45314 Telephone: 937-766-3357 Email: s1211349@cedarville.edu Thank you very much for your contributions! We believe your investment will have multiple returns both in our community and beyond! This material is published by the Faith Committee of the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Reproduction and Adaptation is encouraged.