Hello, Friends and Readers of fish, 

 It is difficult to believe we’ve been around for 11 years. We continue to appreciate the ways the greater Chattanooga area has supported our efforts and helped us by volunteering to deliver fish, sending us announcements, helping us write and sending us your business. We still do not have a paid sales staff, and yet we continue on. 

Give us a call and consider joining us in some way, even if it is only to help us deliver a few issues to an area requesting copies. Every little bit helps. And of course, we are always looking for special events, activities and programs being planned for families here. We print those announcements free. So send them to us. It’s why we exist.

As the economy has struggled, so have we, and we ask you to consider making fish magazine a small part of your marketing budget, whether you are a church, business or ministry. We designed fish to be affordable to all, and we are one of the least expensive print media here. We have made an impressive impact here, from communications and teaching to advocacy and leadership. I'm proud of the fact that our supporters also help lift up an effort here that is making a worthwhile difference.

In our very first issue, April of 2000, we quoted the end of Matthew 28, which represents a directive to all Christians to "Go into all the world." We are to teach and glorify God, as Christ taught us, in whatever way you are convicted to pursue that task. One big reason fish is here is to remind us of this directive.

We all need reminding. It's easy to get stuck in a rut that might only include a job, mowing the lawn, school and a little church on the side. If you take spiritual inventory of your life this week and realize that you've not been following the heart of this prime directive, consider looking through these events and activities and be open to stepping out of your rut. You'll find volunteer opportunities, fund-raisers by ministries who need your help, all sorts of needs and all sorts of groups. Get out there. Someone is waiting for you to connect with them. It's why we are here.

Sincerely, David Hamilton, publisher

• Learn about us from our monthly column

Each month, I write a short piece, called "Learning to Swim," linked to what we are trying to do as a magazine here. We have got more roles and goals for impacting our community than you can possibly imagine. Did you know we will train, for free, anyone interested in volunteering for your church or ministry as a communications officer? Since we've just now got the website online, we'll probably not go back in previous years and include the columns here. But each month, I will add one. All you need to do is visit the fish organization page (found HERE or click on column logo to right) in order to keep up with old ones. New columns will be available from the calendar during their own respective months only.

• Need to contact us?

Listing emails on the website gets us into trouble because of these crazy Internet search engines that harvest the emails and use them for spam. Our old readfish.com domain has been terrorized by all the spammers, and we literally receive thousands a week. But one must communicate somehow, eh? So, for the moment, go to the submit event button (above, right) and send us a note, question or event that way and we'll respond. We're working on it to make it easier. My apologies. Of course, feel free to call. Or drop by our offices. Or email at the address below, which we've written rather cryptically. All listed below.

(423) 899-2009  •  6960 Lee Highway (click 4 map)  •  Chattanooga  •  events{at}readfish{dot}com

 Our purpose:  For more than 10 years, our goal has been to expand communication within the Christian community by providing a free entertainment magazine offered to any group wishing to promote fish.  No single publication offers one place for area Christians of all denominations to seek events, activities and programs that are likely to appeal to their family's need for wholesome entertainment and diversion.  Churches, auditoriums, civic organizations and business can connect with regional Christians.

Our goals:  We believe more communication leads to a variety of opportunities.  fish is a resource — pointing families to activities that can rejuvenate their spiritual engines, connecting ministries with volunteers and support, directing families to wholesome events. fish is an alternative marketing tool for area businesses seeking a different audience.  fish is an outreach tool, a subtle example to the unchurched here about the vibrant, rewarding lives we lead.  fish is a source of ideas.  Discover what other churches and groups in town are doing to support membership or teach the community about Jesus. We have no agenda beyond simple communication. 

Our name: Christ taught man to become fishers of men, a fundamental tenet of Christianity.  Families are fishing for healthy things to do here in the Tennessee Valley. The fish symbol has become synonymous with contemporary Christianity, and we like the fact that it is an action word as well because every article in the magazine or on our website should represent a call to action to our family readers.

Our content:  Regional groups of all sorts send us events and activities that appeal to families here — organized nature hikes, arts and craft festivals, handbell performances, symphony orchestras, gospel programs, revivals, youth camps, vacation Bible schools, fund-raisers, support groups and so on.  We seek healthy family diversions that help our readers connect with community.  Our editorial content is activity-driven and not necessarily religious in nature. We are not a church or Christian news magazine. We are an activities and events publication that area families seek out in order to find healthy, rewarding things to pursue.

Our fees:  We're free. We deliver copies to area businesses, churches and other groups seeking to promote the magazine.  We're in just about every type of denomination in the region. If you have fish at your particular ministry, we only ask that you place the magazine in a visible, high-traffic area so that the magazines are all picked up and not wasted.  When you make sure that all your fish are getting into the hands of area families, you are ensuring the success of your own events and programs inside each issue. Help us help you. Our articles are also free, if they fit our editorial role. If not, we do not run them, though we have some clients who pay for ad space to run their own columns or articles in fish from time to time. One cannot buy a "fish story." We still do not sell advertising on our front page of the printed edition. We do charge for advertising and sponsorships, our only source of revenue to pay for the magazine.

Our beliefs:  What is the definition of Christian?  Even among mainstream Christian churches here, the answer to that question varies greatly, and among individuals within any Christian group or church, that definition evolves as they continue to grow in Christ. We are attempting to offer a communications' forum that offers as broad of an appeal to area Christian families as possible, and we chose not to adopt a single Christian creed that might encompass all who might find the fish resource valuable.  If the lack of a published, Christian creed makes you uncomfortable or suspicious, we understand.  If you must judge, look through several issues and consider our content.  Remember, our primary goal is simple communication among those in our community who identify themselves as Christian.

The staff:  Our staff represents volunteer editors, writers and distributors from around the region. David Hamilton, publisher, began developing the magazine with friends in 2000 after working for the past 12 years in the newspaper industry. Before fish, he was the assistant managing editor of a small daily community newspaper in Dalton.  He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in 1993 with a double major in journalism and English and has won numerous newswriting and design awards from the Georgia Association Press, the Georgia Associated Press Association and others.

Volunteers:  Fact is, we could not exist without them, and we need them now more than ever. Editors of copy submitted to fish. Distributors for various routes around the region. Folks fluent with the Internet who can help us post stories to our website. Writers who can work with us to identify events and activities our readers need to know about. Do you have a particular talent you would like to share with us? Give us a call. We can use you!

Article by The Chattanooga Times Free Press