Latest Work
2011-2012. This seventh year of CMI is focused on a radio campaign with WCPT "Chicago's Progressive Talk Radio," 820 AM, 92.7 in the north, 92.5 in the west, and 99.9 in the south.
WCPT's Mark Earnest and CMI have developed "Food for the Soul," an hour-long program on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m., broadcasting sermons, worship services, testimonials, discussion of social justice issues dear to the hearts of Unitarian Universalists, and music. Broadcasts began March, 2011 of the worship experiences of Third Unitarian Church, DuPage UU Church and Unity Temple UU Congregation.
Website
The website features the work of our congregations in the aras of music, children's religious education, worship, and social justice (the top areas of interest to seekers). Photos feature several of our congregations at work and play.
A directory of congregations allows a visitor to locate the UU congregation nearby and visit their website, where a more specific welcome is presented. A Google map shows the location of all the CAUUC congregations, and manipulating the map allows a visitor to obtain transportation directions, Google-fashion.
The UUA video "Voices of a Liberal Faith" is mounted through the UUA YouTube site. The site has capacity to mount other video productions at later dates. A selection of sermons from area ministers is available for listening or downloading to an MP3 player.
Radio
The staff of the Central Midwest District challenged CAUUC to mount a local radio ad campaign with Progressive Talk Raadio, WCPT 820 AM, offering to fund half the cost for four weeks of ads, if CAUUC could fund the other half. Funds from CMI and the Clarence Darrow Fund allowed CAUUC to begin. The District asked CAUUC and CMI to solicit some kind of record of whether visitors heard the ads.
Members of four of our congregations wrote and recorded minute "spots" which were aired the middle two weeks of December (8-20) and January (5-18), one ad each week. Those four congregations agreed to solicit feedback from visitors as to whether they heard the spots. Informal report has up to ten visitors in each congregation reporting having heard the announcements.
Public relations with Mike Murschel
Mike Murschel continues to work with individual congregations in developing programs of public relations and outreach.