IT Report for 2025

Our church website was first created and cared for by Joey Peck. When Joey left our church to begin a new career in Atlanta, Georgia, he passed the website responsibilities on to me, Martha J. Martin. Since then, I’ve been maintaining and designing the site on my own for over 15 years. 

As our church continues to grow, so does the needs that come with it. Over the past several years, it became clear that our communication tools, website, and social media presence were no longer keeping up with the life of our parish. Managing outdated systems has become increasingly challenging and time-consuming.

In March 2025, Father John and I met online with Tithe.ly to learn more about their expanded platform and services. Our church has used Tithe.ly for online giving since 2019, and the newer tools offered ways to better support Father and simplify many of his day-to-day tasks.

I am very thankful to the Parish Council for trusting me to move our website to Tithe.ly and to proceed with the additional services included in their monthly package. This step allowed us to bring many of our systems together in one place.

In April 2025, the IT Committee officially began. Belinda Roberts joined the committee, with Kaitlyn Gallimore serving as backup support. Kaitlyn generously shared her talents by creating a beautiful new logo and helping set up our new website, Facebook page, and weekly e-bulletin. We are truly grateful for her help and creativity.

Before fully transitioning away from the old website, Belinda and I met regularly to plan the design of our new website, church app, and updated communication tools. These improvements included better email and text messaging, as well as a more up-to-date church directory.

As of January 12, 2026, our church is now using these updated systems to help keep everyone informed and connected. Belinda and I work behind the scenes to keep news, events, and other information current, often updating things at once or within a few hours. What the IT Committee has accomplished:

  • A new church website.
  • A new church app.
  • Colorful and beautiful weekly digital e-bulletins.
  • Weekly sermons are now available on our church app, along with groups that help us stay connected and communicate more quickly.
  • The church calendar of events is also in the app, making it easy to see service times and upcoming events all in one place.
  • A new, updated church directory we can send to parishioners' smartphones, eliminating the need for expensive printing.
  • Secure email and text messaging.
  • More parishioners are using online giving, making it simple and convenient to support the church. QR codes allow for quick purchases of candles, items from the bookstore, and other easy donations, while recurring giving provides a safe, hassle-free way to give. Donations can be made using a debit or credit card, or directly from a checking or savings account, and go straight to the church’s bank account. We are also grateful to Jaredt Hultink for helping J. D. Underwood with the transition of Tithe.ly donations.
  • We now manage and update our church’s Google Maps listing, which means we control the information people see when they search for our church. (And yes, I’m still working on getting that mystery photo from the Asia church removed!)
  • A dedicated Gmail account for Father John, including a new email address, which works with the new website, calendar, and church app.
  • A new Facebook page.
  • Our YouTube channel from the COVID years has been refreshed and is ready for
  • someone to step in and help with live-streaming or other uses. It also connects smoothly with our website and church app.

If you have computer or technology skills and feel called to help, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. We would love to welcome more helping hands to support Belinda and me as this ministry continues to grow alongside our church.

As we look ahead, we pray for God’s continued blessing on Holy Spirit Orthodox Church. Thank you to everyone for your patience, encouragement, and support as we work to keep our parish connected and growing.

With gratitude and in Christ,

Martha J. Martin
Chair, IT Committee
2025 Annual Report