Spring 1997

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#2 You will discover what the future holds for Christian education and technology
Kevin Compton, a futurist and venture capitalist in the field of computer technology, will be showing us what is around the corner in technology and how that will impact our teaching.


#3 You will have opportunities to exchange innovative ideas that are working on your campus
Bring packets of material that you can share with eight people who are working on campuses similar to yours. Come prepared to not only share your success stories, but to seek answers to current problems you are facing in your teaching ministry.


#4 Your mind will be stretched through three tracks of development: personal growth, professional growth, and church practice
You'll be able to choose options from each of these tracks to meet your personal development needs.


#5 You will have opportunities to fellowship with others who share your passion for Christian education
Dress casual--we are in a wonderful retreat setting. Come prepared to play. The resort provides opportunities for golf, tennis, biking, walking trails, basketball, and roller skating.


Join me in retreating to "Main Street," to our center, where our hearts are uplifted and our minds catch a glimpse of the creative powers of God at work in our world.

Main Street inside the Radisson Grand Resort Charlotte connects the resort rooms and the convention center. Shops line the street, and in the evening the sky darkens to simulate night.

A New Look for the NAPCE Newsletter

Mark Simpson, Newsletter Editor

One of the objectives of NAPCE is the networking of its membership for purposes of collegial development and the advancement of the theory and practice of Christian education. Each year at the annual conference, networking groups are formed with this goal in mind. Over the years some of the networking groups have been successful in exploring topics of mutual interest. Members of these groups have maintained an ongoing dialogue between conferences via fax, mail, e-mail, and phone. But many of the networking groups have struggled to keep a dialogue going between conferences. Members in these groups usually have had good intentions and a desire to dialogue about a topic of mutual interest, but the networking always seems to end with the closing of the annual conference.

However, NAPCE is itself a network. The annual conferences provide us with the opportunity to catch up on developments in Christian education theory and practice, renew and make new friendships and professional contacts, and refresh ourselves in and through the collegial Christian community. Between

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conferences, our Newsletter networks our membership through the dissemination of information about the upcoming conference and special events, current issues and research concerns, book reviews, and news about members. Three times annually--Fall, Winter, and Spring--the Newsletter is printed and distributed through the generosity of the David C. Cook Publishing Company to help us build and maintain the NAPCE network.


Newsletter Goals for Increased Networking
When I accepted the responsibility for editing the Newsletter, I wanted to enhance its networking potential. I envisioned this as a long-range objective accomplished through a two-fold process. The first step would be to create a new look for the existing hard copy by introducing color to the masthead, adding digitized images to articles when appropriate, and modifying the layout to make the text-heavy content easier to read. But even an upgraded hard copy of the Newsletter would remain a limited networking tool because it is a static document--it cannot be added to between editions without additional printings and mailings. Hence, the need for the second step: the creation of a dynamic edition accessible through the Internet. This edition would allow the NAPCE membership to disseminate information between printed editions, and perhaps expand the newsletter to include a news group for ongoing dialogue on topics of mutual interest.


The Need for a New Logo
My long-range objective became short-term when I began to work on the first step and explore the introduction of color to the masthead. The existing logo, a complex black and white shield, was developed by a freelance media technologist in the early 1980's at the request of Executive Administrator Dennis Williams. At that time NAPCE did not have a logo to communicate its professional identity. The black and white logo was adopted and served its purpose, but by the early 1990's the NAPCE Board decided that new logo designs should be explored. I discovered rather quickly that the complex shield did not lend itself well to multiple colors, and as a result, it would look dull when used on the colorful world of the Internet. Therefore I began to experiment with developing a simplified design with color that would symbolize the mission and purposes of NAPCE. After much trial and error I came up with a design that I presented to the Officers of the NAPCE Board in February. The new logo was approved, as were the new hard copy design and the networking goals for a web edition of the newsletter. This issue incorporates for the first time the new logo, digitized images, and the new hard copy design changes. Read on for details on development of the web edition!

The book and globe symbolize our commitment to the Word (the open book), Christ's model of servant leadership (the carried cross), and the Commission to develop men and women for Christian education for the World (the globe, starting with our North American orientation).

An Internet-Based Edition of the Newsletter
The NAPCE Board has long desired to have an Internet presence for NAPCE. Our past-president, Michael Anthony, established a NAPCE home page and web site over a year ago. The long-range goal at that time was to make the Newslett