We Need Your Help!

This website was created three months ago.

Is UBFriends having an impact? You bet it is.

One way to measure impact is to examine the traffic flow. Our webmaster, Mary J., installed a nifty counter that records the number of times each page has been viewed. Each of our articles has read by hundreds of people. One of them has been viewed nearly 800 times.

And as of today, our readers have contributed more than 360 comments. Many comments are lengthy and detailed, showing a level of interest, depth of thought, and heartfelt conviction that is rarely seen on a public website. Genuine communication is taking place here. People are learning from one another. They getting to know one another, and friendships are forming across boundaries of distance, age and culture.

As this website was starting, some UBF members expressed concern that it might become a forum for complaining, arguing, and uncivil behavior. To guard against that, we developed a commenting policy and have been closely monitoring the website to make sure that the rules are being followed. In our first three months, not a single comment has ever had to be removed from UBFriends. Let me say that again: Not a single comment has ever had to be removed from UBFriends. This speaks volumes about the quality of our articles and character of our readers. You have demonstrated a level of charity and maturity that is rarely found on public blogs. Our authors do not expect everyone to agree with what they write. Dissenting views are welcome on UBFriends. We encourage people to disagree in gentleness and respect, so that we may truly learn from one another.

In our first three months, we have posted 25 substantive articles by 13 different authors. Two or three new pieces have been appearing each week.

But you may have noticed that last week, we did not post any new articles. What happened?

We ran out of material to publish.

Some of you sensed this and responded by sending us new articles. So we now have three new pieces in our queue, which will keep us going until the end of next week. But after that, the well is going to run dry again, and we may have to pause until new material comes in.

If UBFriends has intrigued, blessed, or edified you in any way — if we have made you think, smile, frown, or pray — and if you would like to see this website prosper, grow, and bless people, then please help us.

What can you do to help UBFriends?

First of all, you can pray for us. Our administrators, editors, authors, and commenters are not profiting from this effort in any way. We are paying for the material costs (the subscription fee for the domain name, the server space, purchasing stock photos, etc.) out of our own pockets. We are happy to donate our time and money to this project because it is truly a labor of love, borne of sincere desire to bless the members of the Body of Christ. We are not asking you for money, but for something much more valuable: your sincere prayers that God will inspire all who contribute to UBFriends and continue to bless and use this website.

Second, you can leave a comment. The majority of you who have been reading UBFriends have never left a single comment. Why not? Perhaps you don’t feel confident enough to express yourself. Perhaps you are wary of being seen as “endorsing” or “supporting” the content of this website. If that’s the case, please remember this: Our contributors hold diverse views on all sorts of issues. UBFriends is not an organization, and it takes no official positions on anything. All views expressed here belong solely to the individuals who make them. We are not promoting causes; we are fostering friendship and open discussion. If you have been reading, why should you be ashamed or afraid to let other people know it?

If you are an occasional or regular reader of UBFriends but have never left a comment, please leave a comment now, just to let us know that you are out there. If you don’t know what to say, then just say “Hi.” Please do this as a small gesture to encourage our authors and editors, to let us know that you appreciate our efforts. We are human beings, after all, and we need some affirmation and encouragement. By leaving a comment now, you will send a strong signal to potential contributors that their efforts will not go unnoticed.

Third, you can contribute your own material to UBFriends. We are willing to publish just about anything that satisfies our guidelines. It doesn’t need to be sophisticated or even well written; our editors can help to revise and improve it.

Thanks for stopping by UBFriends. Come back soon!