“Who are you thanking?” asks a new YouTube video.

WINNIPEG – The popular video sharing site YouTube is once again providing Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) with a platform to help focus a national holiday. A simple 60 second video suggests that since all good gifts come from God, perhaps it’s time to thank Him in person at a local Lutheran Church–Canada congregation. “At this time of year we hear people giving thanks for everything,” explained LCC’s director of communications, Ian Adnams. “I have often wondered who they are thanking. So I wrote the video to ask that question.” The church’s Thanksgiving video is at www.youtube.com/whatyoubelieve

The church produced a video for YouTube at Easter which is nearing the 3500-views mark. “People aren’t coming to the church, so we’re taking our messages to where they are—on line” Adnams said. Less than three hours after posting, the Thanksgiving message had received almost 200 views. The church promoted the video through Twitter, Facebook and its e-mail list.

Using online media is nothing new for the Winnipeg-based church. LCC established its first e-mail list-serve in 1996, a website, www.lutheranchurchcanada.ca in 1997, and now engages members and non-members with a Facebook account, Twitter (LCCInfoTweet) and a bi-weekly newsletter which reaches more than 1900 recipients. In 2007 it created a site where people can explore their own beliefs in light of what the Christian church believes. Thousands have visited www.whatyoubelieve.ca.

Adnams thinks that this year “Lutheran Church–Canada gives thanks to God for the creativity of those who have made these new communication vehicles possible.”

Lutheran Church–Canada is Canada’s second largest Lutheran church body with 326 congregations and more than 76,000 members.

Print this article