Rebuilding a Church Website for Trinity United Church of Christ in Gettysburg, PA
Trinity United Church of Christ is a local church located in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with many members actively involved in preserving and sharing the area’s Civil War history.
They were referred to MAjor Designs by another client and were looking for help with an existing WordPress website that had become difficult to manage.
The site was built on a pre-made theme that had been patched and modified over time, leading to ongoing issues and limitations for staff trying to update content.
Developing a Custom WordPress Theme for Easier Content Management
To resolve these challenges, I created a new WordPress environment and developed a custom theme built specifically around the church’s needs.
This included:
- A clean, responsive design tailored for their content
- Custom post types for sermons, newsletters, and announcements
- A simplified backend experience so church staff could manage updates without frustration
The goal was to replace a difficult-to-maintain setup with a system that was intuitive and reliable.
Implementing a Custom Online Donation System with Authorize.net
A major enhancement to the website was the addition of a custom donation system.
Rather than relying on third-party platforms, I developed a fully custom donation form that integrates directly with Authorize.net using API calls.
This system allows the church to:
- Accept secure online donations
- Process payments directly through their existing gateway
- Automatically send confirmation emails to both donors and church leadership
The result is a seamless and controlled donation experience that fits their existing workflow.
Training Church Staff to Manage Content Independently
To ensure long-term success, I created video tutorials showing church staff how to:
- Add and manage sermons
- Post newsletters
- Update site-wide announcements
The website also includes a prominent announcement section designed for important updates, which the staff now actively uses as an ongoing communication tool.
Providing Ongoing Hosting and Support for a Non-Profit Organization
Since launching in 2020, MAjor Designs has continued to host and support the Trinity UCC website.
Understanding the needs of non-profit organizations, I provide:
- Reliable website hosting
- Ongoing technical support
- Reduced hourly rates to help keep costs manageable
This ensures the church has a dependable website without unnecessary financial strain.
Supporting Community Organizations with Practical, Reliable Web Solutions
This project highlights the importance of building websites that are not only functional, but easy for real people to use on a daily basis.
By combining custom development, training, and ongoing support, Trinity United Church of Christ now has a website that serves both its congregation and the broader community.