Item 2008.011P/5064 - Bob Smith congratulating the local arrangements committee for the 30th General Council.

The Communications Unit, previously named the Division of Communication, was formed in 1968 resulting from studies, consultations and debates cumulating in the amalgamation of the former Board of Information and Stewardship and the former Board of Publication. The original mission was to promote the Christian gospel as well as the work and life of the Church to church members and the public utilizing contemporary media. As a result of General Council restructuring, the Division became the Resource Production and Distribution Unit in 2002. The Unit had a similar mandate to its predecessor: to support General Council Office presentation of the United Church to the public through appropriate media; respond to the needs of congregations and partners for resources of various media; and provide effective distribution. However, under this new division, aspects of work moved to the General Council Support and Services Unit: Staff members from the area of information services and media relations moved there and General Council Ministers had the responsibility for development of an overall communication strategy for the church. The remainder of the Division moved to six interconnecting parts: United Church resource distribution, Berkeley and UCTV, Resource Coordination, Graphics and Print, Marketing, Wed Design and Production. In 2010 the Unit was renamed Communications [Unit] and like the Division’s mission in the past, it is responsible for supporting the General Council Office and the denomination by presenting the public face of The United Church of Canada through a variety of media and services. From a more modern perspective the unit helps to foster congregational life, personal spiritual formation, and effective administration of the church through social media, web services, public and media relations, statistics management, and the production and distribution of print and multimedia resources.