Thirteen years after it was launched by PCC web pioneer Rev. Michael Farris, the PCC Web Daily is read by over 64,000 subscribers around the world, and has archived over 4,000 devotions on its website.
Rev. Robin Ross attributes the daily’s success to a team of committed volunteers. After teaching himself computer code and taking over the reigns of the fledgling e-publication, Ross found himself juggling the demands of an increasingly popular devotional service and a full-time ministry in B.C. But others, even those he had never met, stepped in to help. Today, Ross is part of a team of editors and technicians scattered across the country.
“Robin was on the west coast and I was on the east coast and both of us were in full-time pastoral ministry,” said Rev. James Hurd, devotional editor, who ministered in New Brunswick for 10 years before accepting a call to Parkwood, Ottawa. “I often did work on the devotional between 11 p.m. and midnight.”
Through reader’s letters the group knows their work is having an impact. “So many times people have said, ‘this is exactly what I needed to hear,’ or ‘I was struggling with this problem and that’s just what the devotion was about,’” said Ross. “Periodically, people will have doubts about their faith and will write to the author, and they’ll have an interchange that makes them think about their spiritual journey and come to real assurance about their faith in God.”
Currently, the devotional is available in a number of formats including webpage, email, text feed, podcast, or in a simplified version intended for PDAs. It can be found at daily.presbycan.ca.
The PCC Web Daily is not officially associated with the Presbyterian Church; though it does use the church’s web server.
