We all use it. It's in our kitchen cabinets and sits in our refrigerators right now. Our mothers swore by it. What is it? TUPPERWARE® - of course! Patented in 1938, the company's product was not welcomed in stores at first and the company was criticized because many consumers didn't know how to work the lids. The company pulled the product from store shelves and resorted to home demonstrations and word-of-mouth to boost sales. By the mid-1950s a phenomenon had been created. According to their web site, the Tupperware® company now does $1.2 billion in sales each year and a product demonstration starts somewhere in the world every two seconds.

Like Tupperware®, BCA depends on our associates to hold in-office gatherings to spread the word about our association and its benefits. The greatest benefit new members experience is a network of over 200 individual communication resources that come in the form of co-members.

We're confident that once individuals experience the annual workshops and begin utilizing the BCA-network, they'll understand what a difference BCA can be to their communications ministry.

"To me, BCA is a constant reminder that I'm not alone. I'm part of a circle of friends and co-laborers walking along the same pathway, who constantly provide me encouragement, insight and strength," said Doug Rogers, Communications Coordinator for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. "Whether it's through face-to-face contact at the annual workshop or quick emails and phone calls through the year, such opportunities for interaction have had worth to me beyond measure. I know I am a more effective communicator because of BCA."

Don't let your membership spoil by never sharing the benefits of our association with a colleague. Become a member who takes pride in preserving Baptist communications. Tell someone about BCA today. How to Join

The following piece was written by Floyd Craig, president of Craig Communications Inc. in Nashville, Tenn.

His friends were from everywhere.

I happened to bump into Stanton for the first time some 40-plus years ago when I worked for the Oklahoma Baptist Convention the first time. He worked as the assistant to H. H. Hobbs, the senior pastor of Oklahoma City's First Baptist Church. I was across the street in the Baptist Building where I was a photographer. He was a VIP and I was very low on an organizational ladder. I bumped into him in one of the FBC hallways enroute to see Dr. Hobbs. I am not sure I ever made it to the preacher's office, because this "full-of-excitement-big-smiling face" person and I struck up a conversation that led to a friendship that lasted a lifetime.

We would meet at BPRA (now BCA) meetings and SBC conventions in New Orleans, St. Louis, Gatlinburg, Fort Worth, Miami, Atlanta, Savanna, San Francisco, Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, and a batch of other places. Then I turned up teaching at Golden Gate Seminary as an adjunct professor for three summers where Stanton was VP for PR/Development. Stanton and Joy hosted Anne and me at their home, introduced us to Greek food and I learned about some of his war experiences. He and Joy became our Northern California tour and restaurant guides.

And what a resource for my class he was -- such grand stories having almost nothing to do with PR or development. Behind all the stories, Stanton was the consummate professional. He knew how to put together a winning fund raising and/or public relations campaign. But the one detail that never left me that I got from Stanton from the beginning: MAKE FRIENDS AND STICK WITH THEM!

Whenever we were together, he would always say, "I must call so-and-so and check on them." His calls were not just to "donors," -- NO -- it was much deeper than that. He was concerned about their families, health, interests, etc. They were his FRIENDS and stretched from Honolulu to Oklahoma City and so many points between. Sure, many of these friends caught the vision he had and joined him in giving money, but that was almost incidental to their relationship.

His contributions to Baptist communicators and the institutions he served are big time and continue to this day and will for years to come. I hope every BCA member could reflect the model Stanton lived out. He would like that!

Even during the years I served the Governor of North Carolina, we kept in touch by phone. I won't ever forget his support and encouragement even as Anne and I began our communications/marketing business and then moved back to Nashville almost 20 years ago.

During 1999 and 2000, Stanton and I had the privilege of working together to raise funds for Hawaii Baptist Convention (now the Hawaii Pacific Convention) to purchase one-acre sites on which to build church buildings. As a result of Stantons fundraising almost a million and a quarter was raised from Hawaii Baptists alone. Another $90,000 was committed from mainland friends. I think it was Stanton who suggested that as soon as enough funds were raised to purchase one site -- they should not wait, but buy it then and there. And that is what happened!

Much more might be remembered, but it is the phone conversations we had during the last couple of years that I may remember most. The voice was always the same -- strong, positive, affirming, encouraging. Vintage - Stanton Nash! He talked about his love for Joy, and family and his many, many friends. I wish I had followed my hunch and called him September 25. But I didn't. It is tough to lose such a friend, but actually, I haven't. I still hear his voice. His voice -- still there -- causes me to think I should be checking on some friends.

Did you hear the one about the guy who walks into a psychiatrist office and starts screaming, "I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee!!!" The psychiatrist takes one look at him and says, "You need to relax, you're two tents!!"

I relay that joke because as a writer I often find myself getting a little stressed out about which tense is appropriate. I encourage you to read the following column from the Poynter Institute's web page regarding "Says vs. Said" dialogue tags.

Ask Chip: Says vs. Said

I took my son to a minor league baseball game the other day. It was his first real baseball experience. When we arrived, he wanted to walk around the stadium and see everything. "Where do we buy the ICEEs?" he asked. "Can we get one of those big, foam fingers?"

We found our seats as the public address announcer read the starting line-ups. "Wow Dad. You can see everything from here!" he said. It didn't take long for the home team to score the first runs of the game. Erik did a celebration dance in his seat. Whenever one of the opposing players struck out, he transformed into a mini-umpire shouting "Yer out!" while jerking his thumb in the air.

I'm a life-long baseball fan, but this game was special. Seeing the game from my son's perspective made it brand new again. We talked about what various abbreviations on the scoreboard meant and he couldn't believe we could put peanut shells on the ground under our seats. "Is this really okay with Mom?" he asked.

During the game, I noticed a few people who weren't there for baseball. A man two rows in front of us talked on his cell phone through several innings. A woman nearby kept her nose buried in a crossword puzzle.

Sometimes as communicators we forget what the game is all about and telling the story just isn't fun anymore. Dont turn into someone who just sits through the game. Become an active participant in the Baptist communications community by interacting with other communications professionals like yourself and by sharing your expertise.

If you're new to BCA, it's ok to look around the "stadium." There's plenty to see here. One of the biggest benefits you'll enjoy is learning from others. Like my son, be willing to ask questions. One of our officers or myself is happy to help you understand those tricky BCA "abbreviations."

If you're a BCA veteran, you can add much to our organization. Remember, the "history" of the game is just as important as the current superstar. Maybe you'd like to mentor some of our rookies. We're always looking for links to add to the resources page. Or maybe you can write a "how-to" article that we can place on the site?

Whatever your position on our team, BCA is here to help you knock the ball out of the park. Play Ball!

This was my eleventh BCA workshop and every year I have learned something new. This year during the awards banquet I learned it is very important to check the order of the awards certificates BEFORE you get up to hand them out. Otherwise, you are embarrassed and red-faced as you frantically search through a large stack of certificates for that one name the emcee just called out.

Another lesson I learned is we all can learn from each other. This year many of our seminar leaders were current or former BCA members. Sharing knowledge and experiences is what makes our professional development organization so important.

Do you know of a resource other members could benefit from? Maybe you know about a web site that explains blogging etiquette and want to pass that on to the rest of us.

Our web site is designed so you can easily share resources with other members. A resources page is already on the web site and each professional development group page lists resources specific to that group. Send a resource link to me or to Cam Tracy, BCA webmaster. Well make sure it gets posted on the web site.

One of my favorite resources is www.sreetips.com. Created by Sree Sreenivasan, a Columbia University journalism professor. He appeared as a technology reporter for ABC's New York City affiliate for six years. His articles have been published in The New York Times, Popular Science, BusinessWeek, Time Digital and Rolling Stone. Sree's site boasts all kinds of tech tips and media-related articles. He keeps it current and I always learn something worthwhile.

Although www.sreetips.com will not help you put award certificates in order, I think it is a resource you should bookmark.

BCA is currently in the midst of a membership drive and we're asking you to help us unearth qualified Baptist communications professionals. All we need you to do is make us aware of people you think may have an interest in BCA. Member benefits include: a newsletter/web site, placement registry, workshop and awards competition. Is there a church staff member you know or even a young person at your agency who would benefit from the networking help and career development? Send us their name, mailing address and email. Email me at bca.office@comcast.net. Learn more about BCA membership at http://www.baptistcommunicators.org/membership/join.cfm.

BCAers now have their own MEMBERS ONLY area. No, we aren't talking about a special place to try on the iconic jacket made famous in the 1980s.

We've constructed two rooms on our web site where BCAers can come hang out and talk shop. The MEMBER FORUM is an all-purpose bulletin board. You can post prayer concerns, share tips, post your resume, or ask questions about the upcoming workshop and awards. In the COMMUNICATION LAB share files of your work with others and ask for feedback.

Go to the MEMBERS ONLY area and create a login password now so you can begin in the discussion.