Are you a pastor, church leader or parishioner looking to spread the news about what’s going on in your church? Are you a community member interested in writing about religious issues in Lutz or our nation? Patch is ready to help!
We are not just a news portal, but more of a community hub for you, your family and your friends. But we can't do it without your support.
Here's how you, your church or other religious group can get the most out of Lutz Patch:
1. Start a blog about your church, religion, local issues and other topics.
Pastors, you can post previews of your sermons or share them for those who couldn’t make it to church. Or perhaps you want to give your perspective on an issue in Hillsborough County, in our state or nation. Community members, you can blog on our site too, whether on religious issues or any other topic of your choice.
Clicking this link will navigate you to the new blog post form where you share what you know, think and feel. Blogs with photos can be included on Lutz Patch’s homepage and are sometimes featured in Patch’s daily newsletter.
2. Upload pictures of your church or group to our gallery.
We love getting photos and videos sent to us, especially those posted by you—the community—to our gallery. It's a place where everyone can quickly see images and films you all hold near and dear.
3. Make announcements about church happenings, personal accomplishments and more.
Announcements can be about anything you want to tell people. We want you to feel invested in Patch and the community, and this is an easy and quick way to do it. Add a photo, as well. It helps your announcement stand out.
Perhaps you want to give out details on the upcoming bake sale. Or maybe you’re looking to share the news of a pastor’s ordination or the start or end of their tenure at your church. Or maybe you’re looking to announce an engagement or wedding. You can post any of these examples and more in our Announcements section.
Simply click the Announcement option under the News tab on the homepage. On the right side of the screen you’ll see the button “Add an Announcement.” This will you take you to Patch’s new announcement form. When you’re ready, click “publish my announcement” and it will go live to the site immediately.
Other things Patch allows and encourages you to post include births, school or community awards, job promotions and more.
4. Place events, such as revivals, concerts, etc., on our calendar.
Want to invite the community to a gospel concert, revival, fundraiser, Vacation Bible School or other happening? That's where event listings come in. You pick the date it runs, and voila! Navigate to the Events page and click “Add an Event” on the right side of the page. Tell us all the details about your upcoming event, then click “post my event” at the bottom of the page. If you include a photo, your event may appear on the front page.
5. Submit opinion articles or letters to the editor.
We accept submissions, which may appear as featured stories on our homepage and in our newsletters. We reach tons of people in the community, and we know they'd love to hear from you. Email these to Sherri.Lonon@patch.com.
6. Place an advertisement for even more exposure for your church.
If you want more visibility on our site, place an advertisement on Patch. Contact Andrew Walton at Andy.Walton@patch.com for more information.
Your choice of words speak loud and clear, Sheri. You clearly use the words "church", "pastor", and "parishioner" amongst others which are only associated with Christianity. More often than not, the Lutz Patch's articles are exclusionary and often out right lies (during the election periods, you continually called The Heritage Foundation a non-partisan organization when they clearly state they are a conservative think-tank on their website). It's all shody reporting, especially when you all clearly state your leanings in your bios but profess to being "journalists" who don't bring their beliefs into their reporting. The least you could do is be honest and just admit that your reporting is slanted in the same direction as your beliefs. The Carrollwood Patch is much more inclusionary but that may be because Carrollwood has a mix of races, religions, and ethnicity that Lutz doesn't seem to acknowledge nor care about.