The Episcopal Church "NewsLine" provides reporters and other representatives of public and church-based media with services ranging from interview scheduling and media credentialing to story "backgrounding" and answers to frequently asked questions.

"The NewsLine staff works proactively to offer story leads, and to help the Episcopal Church tell its full story locally, regionally and internationally," said Canon Robert Williams, the Episcopal Church's director of communication, in announcing the new service.

"Our story is the mission and vitality of the church, not the sort of conflict that has tended to grab headlines in recent years," Williams said. "It's time for a sea change in telling our story, and for Episcopalians churchwide to pull together in this effort. NewsLine will help us in this effort."

NewsLine is online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline.htm. It is coordinated by Neva Rae Fox, communication specialist at the Episcopal Church Center, who is also available by telephone at 212-716-6080 or toll-free at 800-334-7626, ext. 6080.

All media inquiries -- including those for the Presiding Bishop and other Episcopal Church leaders -- are now routed through NewsLine, Williams said. "We appreciate the help of reporters in following the new procedure."

Concurrently, "InfoLine" assists members of the Episcopal Church or general public by providing answers to questions received by email or telephone.

Continuing the work of the former "Info Desk," InfoLine is online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/info. It is staffed by Lisa Webb, communication specialist at the Episcopal Church Center, who is also available by telephone at 212-716-6136 or toll-free at 800-334-7626, ext. 6136.

Williams said the new initiatives bring helpful clarity to the role of the Episcopal News Service (ENS), whose staff will no longer be tasked with fielding reporters' inquiries or credentialing media representatives for major events. "Those functions are now handled by NewsLine," he reiterated.

ENS will now focus fully on its mission of providing news coverage, primarily through the "top stories" section of Episcopal Life Online and its daily email postings.

Pending projects in the Communication Office also include the future launch of "TechLine," a service through which Episcopalians can place inquiries about technology services with specific applications in church life.