Dear Readers,

As the new associate editor of United News, I want to take a moment to introduce myself. I’m pleased to serve the Church in this way and feel blessed to be able to get to know more of the brethren through the local church updates and announcements we print in the United News. Although I may never meet you all in person, I appreciate that this role provides a way to connect likeminded people from around the world through the news we publish.

Writing and editing has always been a passion of mine. I hold a bachelor’s degree in English and I spent my years in college tutoring essay structure, writing, researching university publication trends and editing a literary magazine called First Circle. My last year of college, I oversaw the entire editorial process of First Circle, from soliciting student content submissions on campus to physically taking the finished manuscript to the printers. During that time, I ran meetings with the editorial staff and magazine contributors in addition to editing and formatting the magazine before publication.

Last year, I attended ABC and interned in the media department as a web content editor. In this way, I was able to spend time training for this position while attending ABC. Although it was tiring at times because of the rigorous ABC schedule, I appreciated the teaching that Linda Merrick (now Dwornik), as the managing editor, offered. I hope to continue the commitment to excellence of the United News that she demonstrated.

As the associate editor of internal publications, my job responsibilities include editing the Camp Magazine, Festival Brochure and ABC pictorial in addition to the United News. This process includes seeking articles, editing text and creating the layout of these publications from start to finish. I also post the United News online each issue, as well as other updates on the members website such as Feast sites, upcoming events, featured articles, Family Study Guides or letters from the president or chairman. Additionally, I run the presenter’s notes during Beyond Today recordings.

I’m thankful for this opportunity to serve members of the Body of Christ in this capacity and will be diligent to give this work the best that I can offer. You can always reach me at UN@ucg.org, and if you ever make it to the home office, feel free to stop by and say hello.

Sincerely,

Ariana Del Signore