"Working with ConnectSouth is like talking to a member of the family. They feel real to me because every time I call their office I get immediate attention. From quotation to installation, they did what they said they would do when they said they would do it. That's important to my organization."

First Baptist Church Round Rock is a 150-year-old church that is an integral part of the Round Rock community and provides numerous outreach ministries to area families. As the community has grown physically, the church's membership has grown technically sophisticated. (Dell Computer is headquartered in Round Rock). The congregation -- today some 2,000 members strong -- is largely comprised of and influenced by professionals in the high tech industry. The church is proactive in enabling its staff to serve the needs of younger, high tech church members by using the Internet for research and communications and by incorporating high tech elements, such as Powerpoint presentations and creative announcements, into worship services.

Situated in the heart of Texas' growing high tech community, First Baptist Church Round Rock had 15 administrative and support staff, each with a computer but no Internet access and no connection between computers. By spring 2000, it was apparent that in order to communicate more effectively among themselves and with the community they serve, church administrators would need to go online. First Baptist wanted to work with a company that was local, could offer a long-term relationship and understood how churches and other volunteer organizations operate. After contacting numerous local companies, First Baptist was frustrated by bureaucratic runaround. No one took the time to understand how churches are different from commercial businesses and, equally frustrating, no one offered clear answers or proposals.

ConnectSouth listened and provided a proposal on the same day requested. In April 2000, the company established DSL service for the church's main office and for an auxiliary building not part of its main campus phone system. ConnectSouth worked with the church to find a viable alternative to laying expensive fiber optic cable to the building and resolved the issue by proposing an affordable satellite link. ConnectSouth also set up e-mail service for all 15 staff members, with ample capacity to increase service as the staff grows. Within one month of placing the order, the DSL installation was completed when promised.

First Baptist Church Round Rock is now online at www.fbcrr.org and all 15 computer users have e-mail. The church has reduced the amount of time and money spent on postage to communicate with members and volunteers and has increased volunteer participation. All computers at First Baptist have Internet connections and Intranet service has been established so interoffice communications are more efficient. Being connected to the Web has opened the door to instant research on other ministries in the region, allowing First Baptist to reduce the cost of printed literature, mine good ideas faster and enhance their ministry program ten-fold. With a little help from ConnectSouth, First Baptist Church Round Rock is meeting the needs of a new generation of worshipers.