Writing & Submission Guidelines

The communication department publishes stories about God’s work in Wisconsin. These include stories about baptisms, outreach events, Pathfinders, education, or other fruitful and unique things people are doing to share Jesus with others. Submissions are shared via Facebook, eNewsletter, Website, and the Lamp Letter.

 

 

Kinds of Submissions

NEWS STORIES are generally brisk and to the point. They need to answer who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes how. Reports of special church services or programs should show how they affected people for God. Ask yourself, “Would I be interested in reading a story like this?”

FEATURE STORIES are similar to news stories, but written in a warmer style, dealing with ideas and concepts. Feature stories are often more in depth and personal.

TESTIMONIES are generally told in first person. They share how people, events, and the Holy Spirit worked together to lead the author closer to Jesus.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS of interest to the larger Wisconsin church family. Articles may be short or longer, and include one or more pictures.

 

Each Story Should:

1. Deal with events that happen in Wisconsin. Mission trips and missionary efforts of people from Wisconsin are accepted.

2. Be of interest to people in Wisconsin.

3. Avoid a promotional tone or requests for funding, allowing the Holy Spirit to prompt the reader to action.

4. Be as brief as possible, not exceeding the specified word count.

 

Writing Guidelines

1. Keep news articles for Lamp Letter and testimonies to 300-350 words, feature stories to 500-600 words.

2. Use simple words and sentences.

3. Use personal quotes. Instead of “A good time was had by all,” quote someone explaining what they enjoyed the most.

4. Cut needless words and sentences.

5. Include the author of the story, what church they are a member of, and title or position if applicable.

6. Revise, rewrite, and reread your story. A second or third draft is usually better than a first.

7. If possible, send at least one clear picture pertaining to your article. Pictures must be sent separately from your article as an attachment. They also should be in .jpg format and be of high quality (300 dpi).

 

Submission Deadlines

1. Submit stories for the Lamp Letter, eNewsletter, Facebook, or website to lcase@wi.adventist.org.

2. Web: Our goal is to post new information as it comes available to us.

3. Facebook: Our goal is to post new materials daily or weekly. Submit at any time.

4. eNewsletter’s are generally sent monthly, bimonthly in summers. Submit by last week of each month.

5. Due date for submitting Lamp Letter articles to communication department for upcoming issue:

 

DATE DUE                   Lamp Letter Issue

January 1                                  February

April 1                                       May

July 1                                         August

October 1                                 November

 

Article submission does not guarantee publication. Editor reserves the right to edit articles for content, length, grammar, style and readability. For more information, contact Laurella Case at lcase@wi.adventist.org.