Not finding what you’re looking for?

You may be visiting our blog right now and wondering to yourself “Self, I wonder why there are very few posts recently?”.  Well, you’ve posed an excellent question, and we’re happy to break into your self-musing to give you an exciting answer:

Worldwide Challenge has a new Web site!

That means all of the exciting stuff that used to be found here can now be found on our Web site, http://www.worldwidechallenge.org

This also means that there is no need to visit this old blog anymore as all of the new content will be on http://www.worldwidechallenge.org.  So thank you for your service blog, and farewell…

Head over to new Web site now, and let us know what you think!

-Worldwide Challenge-

Vote now for the May/June cover image

We want your vote on what image to use for our May/June cover.

Head over to our Facebook Fan page, take a look at our two cover-finalists in the “Which cover do you like best?” album, then leave a comment  or “Like” the one you prefer (and if you’re not already our fan on Facebook, you might as well do that while you’re there too!)

Voting closes at the end of the day Monday, February 22nd, so vote now!

Twenty Tweetable Truths About Magazines

Found this great video from Magazine Publishers of America, take a look:

-Justin-

“The Newbie”

As the newest member of the Writer’s Team, I’ve had my fair share of this is terrifying, can I go home now please moments. Working alongside the literary juggernauts of Erik Segalini and Becky Hill only exacerbate these feelings. Thankfully, these emotions come from my own insecurities and are in no way a reflection of how I’ve been received by the other writers. In fact, working alongside Erik, Becky, Hayley, Rich, Katie, and Jan has been one of the most welcoming atmospheres I’ve ever been a part of.

There are so many highlights/events since being a member of the team that its hard to pick one particularly that captures the seemingly-fluid transition.  Maybe it was when I received my official Missionary Journalist coffee mug, or perhaps when I suffered my first office prank at the hands of the quiet storm that is Hayley Newsom. But if I were to be honest, I would have to say the most exciting highlight so far was our Pizza Lunch.

The Pizza Lunch is a time where all of us who work on the magazine get together and review the previous publication over a delicious smorgasbord of pizza . Discussion ranges from layout design to journalistic quality, but the time itself was incredibly sharpening. I’m a huge fan of the art of journalism, and to be around such professionals while engaging with them is an amazing blessing. I found myself not intimidated, but incredibly grateful.

As a recent college grad, I’m a long way away from the expertise and experience offered by our team, but I felt the freedom to speak openly and contribute during our Pizza Lunch. It wasn’t because I had anything terrific to add, it was because the people here have established an atmosphere of acceptance and opportunity.

I’m so excited to continue this journey with everyone here. I hope that our work and how we do it is encouraging to you, and glorifying to our most Holy God.

-Jonathan Moynihan

A New Beginning…

From Writer Katie Croft
(Written November 13th)

Today, I write to you from a musky auto parts store in sunny Orlando, Florida.  The last 48-hours have been filled with excitement and farewells.  I spoke with my editor on Tuesday and was cleared to return to my office and continue my work as a missionary journalist for Worldwide Challenge magazine!  God has answered our prayers!

It has been a whirlwind.  I booked my ticket Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Orlando at 1:30PM today, Friday.

First stop?  Swinging by the office to pick up my car and give it some much needed TLC.  As I waited for security to jump-start my car, I had a short conversation with my editor, Erik.

Not wanting to alarm or burden me in the first hour of my return, Erik tip-toed around the announcement of my first travel assignment- following a nurse in the midwest who has a heart and a plan to reach her co-workers and patients for Christ.

I am honored that the editorial team has such confidence in me and my writing.  The twist is that the timeline is shorter than normal.  I will be leaving… Wednesday.  Just four days from now.

How is that for jumping in with both feet!?!

As I sit here, soaking in the smell of oil while trying to make the most of my time: I can’t help but think–I am in need of a tune-up myself.  It has been months since I have taken part in the ins and outs of a busy office.  And, I certainly didn’t expect to be leaving my new “home” so quickly.

In some ways the gears of my mind are grinding against the sudden change in direction.  But I wouldn’t miss the adventure for anything!

Vote on the January/February Cover! (Voting Now Closed)

We need your vote!  For our upcoming January/February cover we’ve narrowed it down to our two favorite photos, and we figured, as this will be showing up in your mailbox, we should give you a say in which option you like best.  All you need to do is vote in the poll below before Monday, Oct. 19th at 9AM (EST) and tell us which cover you’d most like to see.  If you’re really pulling for one, feel free to coerce your friends to get on and vote as well, or leave a comment describing why you made the choice you did.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing what you think about our January/February cover.  See you at the polls!

Here are your two choices:

Option 1:

And Option 2:

Voting is now closed. Thank you to the many people who gave their opinion, stay tuned for the January/February issue to see if your favorite cover won!

Redesign Preview, part 3

We wanted our first cover with the redesign to reflect a lot of energy. This image of a skateboarder, who is part of Student Venture, Campus Crusades’ outreach to high school students, works.

Our title at the top reflects the new fonts. And we’ve changed the box that points readers to other stories so it retains visibility while not interfering with your enjoyment of the photo.

Our covers will continue to take you into the midst of our ministries or transport you around the world. (India will be featured on the cover of our next issue.)

– Mark –

Redesign Preview, part 2

Our Outlook section  will show the greatest change in our redesign.

Outlook opens with a large photo accompanied by a small story that describes something about Campus Crusade’s work in the country or city shown. Previously the photo filled the page and the text would run over the photo. In the new look, the photo is smaller so the text runs beside it. The words are easier to read and you have a clearer look at the image.

We’ve also added a small spot map. While you likely know where Los Angeles is, are you as sure about Mongolia, Rio de Janeiro or Uganda?

The rest of the pages in the Outlook section feature more room for photos, more color, and easier-to-find notes about where you can go for more information about each ministry profiled.

– Mark –

Redesign Preview, part 1

Over the next week our September/October issue, which will be the first with our redesign, will be finished, printed and mailed. In light of that, I want to show you a bit of what that will look like.

I’ll start with the table of contents. We moved it to the first page inside the issue, and simplified it—it now fits on one page. This will allow you to quickly see what is in the issue at a glance, and find the parts that are most useful.

Of course, we hope you’ll go back and read the whole issue, but this will allow you to set priorities.

On that page you’ll see our new fonts—Mercury and Prelo—chosen to make the issue easier to read and more interesting. You’ll also see an icon to help you quickly find the main cover story. In this issue it starts on page 38.

– Mark –

The Delightful Dozen

I just got home from the Florida Magazine Association awards banquet. It was a treat to go and represent our team’s work for the year from May 2008 through April 2009.

We won awards for writing, photography, design and an award for the magazine as a whole—12 awards in all.

FMA received more than 600 entries.

For most of the categories we competed against other association magazines—those that represent organizations similar to Campus Crusade for Christ.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

• (Charlie/First Place): best overall use of photography among association magazines.
• (Charlie/First Place): best single color photo for “Togo herder” by Ted Wilcox (May/June 2008) among association magazines. (Photo below)
• (Silver/Second Place): best single color photo for “Girl in Togo at night” by Ted Wilcox (May/June 2008) among association magazines. (Photo below)
• (Silver/Second Place): best cover among association magazines for our Togo cover by Ted Wilcox (May/June 2008). (Photo below)
• (Bronze/Third Place): best photo essay for “The Forgotten Ones” by Ted Wilcox (May/June 2008), among all FMA magazines.

 

DESIGN:

• (Charlie/First Place): best overall design among association magazines.
• (Charlie/First Place): best feature design among association magazines for “People of the Land” (July/August 2008).
• (Bronze/Third Place): best feature design among association magazines for “The Forgotten Ones” (May/June 2008).

WRITING:

• (Charlie/First Place): best written association magazine.
• (Silver/Second Place): best feature among association magazines for “People of the Land” by Chris Lawrence (July/August 2008).
• (Bronze/Third Place): best feature headlines among association magazines.

OVERALL MAGAZINE:

• (Charlie/First Place): best overall magazine among association magazines.

I’m most happy with the gold awards for overall writing, photography, design and for the best overall magazine. Our team is working together to glorify God through the stories of what He is doing around the world.

If you’d like to know about the Journey Group team, who handles design, production and printing for us, and plays a crucial role in our award wins, go to www.journeygroup.com. And if you’d like to see more about he FMA and the awards they offer, go to www.floridamagazine.org.

– Mark –