1. What are the features and benefits?
  2. What makes this directory different from any other directory program?
  3. How easy is it to install and set up?
  4. How much time is needed to set up and maintain the database?
  5. What equipment is required?
  6. What can be done for those members who do not have computers?
  7. How can this benefit churches where most of the members do not have computers?
  8. Can members update their own records?
  9. What is the next step in evaluating this product?
10. What is the price?

11. How can I contact ACWAS?

12. Is the data secure?

A Learning Center. Here members are able to learn all about fellow members by playing Games. Each game uses photos of fellow church members as the questions or clues. The questions or clues ask for a pictured member’s name, hobby, or job. The six different games include Crossword, Word Jumble, Puzzles, Wheel Of Texts, Bible Quiz, and Member Quiz.

Two Types Of Photo Directories Easily Updated Every 3 Months With Minimal Time Requirements.

A Family Photo Directory Never Out-Of-Date. Digital photos are taken each week at church or members can submit photos and information via floppy disk or email. Each week the directory is easily and quickly updated with the changes. CD's are burned every 3 months thus assuring that your data is always current. New attendees will appear in the next quarterly update instead of needing to wait two to five years to be seen in the next professionally printed directory.

An Individual Photo Directory Never Out-Of-Date. Displays all the information members wish to share about themselves: Address, Phone Number, Hobbies, Job or Profession, Personalized Message To Fellow Members, Languages Spoken, Church Offices Held, Church Sponsored Clubs And Teams On Which They Participate, Favorite Things, etc.

A Powerful Database You Can Search Using Multiple Criteria. The ability to search for full or partial Name(s), City, Zip, Gender, Age, Job or Profession, Church Offices Held, Hobbies, Church Sponsored Clubs And Teams On Which They Participate, Pets, etc.

Built In Email so you can email any group or individual selected from the database.

The Ability To Create Fun Pages And A Church Annual showing a collage of photos and text chronicling church events and activities that starts today and builds upon itself over the next 50 to 100 years.

go to top...

A Church Without A Stranger is a Member Driven photo directory. Most computer directories are stored at the church office and unavailable to church members whereas A Church Without A Stranger is burned onto CD's that are given to church members to be used at their homes or offices.

The Concept Of Playing Games To Learn All About Your Church Family is the heart of the program. Most people do not like to study but most people like to have fun. Therefore, by combining common games that people like to play with various church members’ photos that act as the questions and clues, learning becomes a pleasurable experience.

go to top...

This process is Extremely Simple. For members, Detailed Demos have been created illustrating how to easily and quickly install, set up, and then successfully use the program. For the Database Custodian, a Special Demo was created that details how to set up and maintain the database, a process that will only require a few minutes per week.

go to top...

If the Database Custodian needs To Type an individual’s data into the database, it takes an average of 4 to 8 Minutes to create an initial record. Thereafter, it only takes a few seconds to make updates whenever needed.

If the Database Custodian is able To Import a member’s data via floppy disk or email, it takes an average of 1 to 2 Minutes to create an initial record. Thereafter, it only takes a few seconds to make updates whenever needed..

go to top...

Required: A Pentium class PC with 198 Meg or more of RAM, 1 Gig of available disk space, color monitor, CD burner.

Optional: Photo quality printer, digital camera having at least two megapixel resolution, scanner, speakers.

go to top...

Print a family photo directory
Print a telephone directory
Print a names and addresses report
Print a complete profile report

Have a Dedicated Computer or computers available for members to use in the church library, etc.

go to top...

Our experience has shown that in some of the more rural churches about 30 % of the membership will have a computer. This number continues to grow each year as the price of computers continues to drop and the number of schools and businesses requiring computers continues to rise. We have seen that in most churches the New Members get an immediate benefit from the ACWAS program. They are able to integrate quickly into the church body because they can lean about your membership from their own home. It has been said that in order for a person to feel comfortable in a group they need 5 friends. Your church growth can be greatly improved by the new members being able to quickly identify with your current members and quickly build these friendships.

Many churches have utilized the Directory Services of various companies and had a printed directory made. The problem with these services is that they require your members to make sitting appointments so that they can get all the membership photos in at one time. This often is not convenient for your members and many do not get their picture included. And since these directories are created every 2-5 years, they become out of date right after the next new member comes into the church.

The ACWAS program eliminates this problem by having a new directory be created every 3 months. You do not need to have set times for taking the photos. Photos can be made by a digital camera at church, submitted via email, or the photos can be handed to the database custodian and scanned into the computer. A printed directory can then be placed in the foyer, church library or church office each quarter. By placing the directory in a prominent location at church, all members can look up current information while at church. A printed directory can either have 9 photos or 20 photos per page. Using the 20 photos per page option, a 225 member church will print on 9 pages. Many churches print the 20 photo version once a year for those members who do not have computers. They do not have to provide a directory for members with computers as they can print their own. Also, some churches will make available a printed directory to any member for a small fee to cover the printing costs.

go to top...

Yes.  Members Are Able To Submit Data Three Ways
        1) By using the five page Directory Information Sheets
        2) By using the update personal profile program to Create A
            Floppy Disk
        3) By using the update personal profile to Send The Data
            Via Email
go to top...

Step 1: Observe Our Brief Overview of A Church Without
            A Stranger's capabilities by clicking the Overview Button.
Step 2: Download The 8 Minute Demo by clicking the
            Demo And Update Button.
Step 3: Contact Us by clicking the Contact Us Button to
            ask whatever questions you need answered, to request
            more information, or to order a copy of A Church Without
            A Stranger for your church.

go to top...

As of March 2003, a Special Price Of $395 Per Church is being offered. This is a Savings of $200 off the regular retail price of $595. Purchasing the software will give your church One Year Of Free Access to all updates and upgrades. After the first year, if you wish to purchase the next year's updates, there will be a $40 renewal fee.

go to top...

How can I contact ACWAS?

By Email -  Info@ACWAS.Com
By Fax-     (321) 234-0245
By using the Contact Us Form

go to top...   

Is the data secure?

 It is important for us to reassure you that A Church Without A Stranger's software program and your personal information is safe from identity theft and from Internet fraud. Let us explain why this is so.

A Church Without A Stranger contains two programs within one. The first program, entitled Friends, is A Church Without A Stranger's Photo Directory program. Within Friends are two Photo Directories. The first directory is a Family Photo Directory. The second directory is an Individual Photo Directory. All that is required for any church member to participate in the Friends Portion of A Church Without A Stranger's software program is to provide their name and a picture of their choice, or alternately, a picture that the church has taken. No other personal information is required to appear in the Photo Directory. Therefore, no identity theft or Internet fraud is possible beyond that which could occur with any other photo directory. The second program, entitled FriendBuilder, is A Church Without A Stranger's Powerful Database and Learning Center program. Within FriendBuilder comes the opportunity for members to share as little or as much information about themselves as they feel comfortable sharing. It is the FriendBuilder Portion of A Church Without A Stranger that allows members to get to know each other as well as they know their own families. However, it is the FriendBuilder portion that is often misunderstood by individuals worried about identity theft and Internet fraud. Therefore, we would like to explain why FriendBuilder is safe for everyone to use.

1)  Our software program stores information about church members on each church member's hard drive or on the CDs given to them by the church's Database Custodian. This personal data is never submitted to an Internet address nor is it stored on any Internet site in any form. The church's Database Custodian is the only person that has the key to enter into and maintain information about fellow church members. All information contained in the Database Custodian's records or on a CD about any person is optional except for that person's name. And though the CDs themselves could be recopied, they contain no "vital" information that is necessary for an unsavory character to obtain in order to commit identity theft or Internet fraud.

2)  Many people do not understand that their name, address, email address, telephone number, and credit history are already publicly available for anyone to see. Because this information is already public knowledge, supplying this same information to the Database Custodian will not make a member any more susceptible to Internet fraud or identity theft than he or she already is.

3)  Some people are concerned that the birth date field can be used for identity theft and Internet fraud. This is only possible if a person's birth date is used in conjunction with a matching account number or Social Security number at the time of an attempted fraudulent activity. No private or sensitive personal information is provided on A Church Without A Stranger's software or on the CDs provided by the Database Custodian to fellow church members. Members who are still concerned about this matter can be further reassured about the security of their identity by not entering the year they were born. By just entering the month and the day they were born, members will still be able to be displayed on the Birthday List though they will not be shown on any of the reports that display a person's age. Many women prefer this option even though they are not concerned with identity theft. If a member is still concerned, the birth date field can be left blank because the birth date field is an optional field.

4)  In today's world, unsolicited email advertising, better known as SPAM, is unfortunately one of the negatives that accompanies all the positives that the Internet provides. The ACWAS program has eliminated this problem by never displaying or printing email addresses. The only SPAM you could possibly get from the ACWAS program would be SPAM from members within your own church, something that is improbable indeed. However, in the unlikely event that it does occur, you will know the source and therefore you can kindly ask them to stop. In addition, because the email field is an optional field, if you are concerned about others knowing it, you do not have to supply it to the Database Custodian.

5)  The fields entitled "Hobbies, Jobs or Professions, Church Offices Held, Gender, Marital Status, and Languages Spoken" pose no threat as to identity theft or Internet fraud. They have been provided through FriendBuilder to help members in your church have a way to get to know each other better.

 So in summary, you can now appreciate that A Church Without A Stranger's software programs, Friends and FriendBuilder, are safe for you and your church family to use. Unfortunately few things in life are free from all risks. Determining risk to reward ratios is something each of us must do on a daily basis whenever we are presented with something new. Our staff knows huge rewards await you by using A Church Without A Stranger. We also know these rewards will far outweigh any infinitesimally small risk that may exist, either real or perceived. It is our experience that some churches have an occasional church member or board member who is fearful and therefore too afraid to recommend or use A Church Without A Stranger and who will try to block their church from using this powerful tool. However, the majority of church members will not share these same fears because they realize A Church Without A Stranger is not an Internet program and that it contains nothing in it to steal that is not already available on the Internet. For this reason, church boards are electing to make A Church Without A Stranger with its FriendBuilder software available to their general membership while advising those members more fearful of using this type of program that they do not have to participate at all, or that they can enter as little or as much information as they want. And for those members who are even more conservative and concerned, churches are advising them that they can still be pictured in Friends, A Church Without A Stranger's Photo Directory, but that they do not have to participate at all in FriendBuilder, the program's Database and Learning Center.

go to top...