French Polynesian Communication Specialists Focus on Sharing Positive Content Online

A group of communication specialists from congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in French Polynesia gathered recently to discuss ways to share informative and inspiring content online.

At the Church's National Communication Council meeting on Saturday, 18 July, stake communication directors, all volunteers, worked on a country-wide communication plan. The group discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown have underlined the vital place in society of new technologies and media.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Using technology to share this message with the help of the Spirit is the opportunity of our time. As Latter-day Saints, we are living in a time when we need to learn and find new approaches for sharing and proclaiming the gospel in more creative and productive ways."

Elder Gary E Stevenson: “May each of you have the courage to blog, pin, like, share, post, friend, tweet, snap, and swipe up in a way that will glorify, honor, and respect the will of our loving Heavenly Father and bring a knowledge of the Savior to your family, loved ones, and friends—including your friends on social media."

Inspired by this innovative spirit, the stake communication directors agreed on a common communication plan filled with creative and productive perspectives.

"This communication plan allows us to align with both the general principles of Church communication and priorities of the Pacific Area Presidency,” declared Noelline Parker, the Church’s director of communication in French Polynesia.

Specific actions have been identified to:

1.  Invite people to seek to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives;

2.  Share messages from modern-day prophets and apostles;

3.  Encourage people to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ in their lives;

4.  Work with others to serve our communities; and

5.  Help Latter-day Saints to share faith-promoting videos and other posts online.

René Maufene, the dean of communication directors, was full of praise at the end of the training: “Thanks to this new approach and all the tools presented, we will be able to move forward in a more dynamic and efficient way and with renewed strength."

“This training has really helped me better identify what is my role as a communication director,” said Rebecca Hunter, from Mahina. “I feel more confident about how to approach and manage in my stake the many communication requests coming to me from all sides."

Pierre Utahia added: "With all these new perspectives, I am so happy to be able to work in unity without barriers between the stakes and to know that we are aligned with the purposes of our leaders."

For the next step, each communication director is keen to organize training sessions in order to help each leader and each member to be a better instrument to respond to Elder David A. Bednar's exhortation "to flood the earth through social media and sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy."