Today we traveled to Great Falls. Along the way we stopped to get more Montana b-roll and photos. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the scenery today was even more spectacular than yesterday. We passed by Canyon Ferry Lake which is positioned at the foot of the mountains just outside of Helena. We could see something on the lake and decided to investigate. We didn’t realize how big the lake was until we got down to the shoreline...it is massive! What we saw on the lake was people ice fishing, riding ATVs and ice skating. We also spotted a bald eagle resting in a nearby tree.
When we arrived in Great Falls, we were greeted in the parking lot by Pastor JT Coughlan from Set Free Church and some of his “Soldiers”. We interviewed Pastor JT and his wife, Nona, asking them about the history, ministries and people of Set Free Church. They are ministering to the people in this community by providing dinner each week before the worship service, free clothes to anyone in need, bunks for those looking to get off the streets and even haircuts to those who were turned away from other barber shops.
We saw first-hand how Pastor JT, Nona, and the Set Free Soldiers love on the people they have been called to serve. The seven hours we spent with them was simply amazing. It has challenged me to do more to love on those I’m called to serve. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Montana - Day 1
Our adventure begins in Bozeman, where five inches of snow fell yesterday. The locals said the snow wreaked havoc on the area 24 hours ago...but today it’s absolutely beautiful! The sky is sunny, the snow is glistening, and the cameras are rolling.
After flying into Bozeman around noon, David and I spent the afternoon driving around the area’s back roads filming and photographing the scenery. I’ve seen the deserts of the Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, the harbors of Maine in the fall, the southernmost point of the US in Key West, Florida, the clarity of the beaches in the Bahamas, and many other places and sites along the way...but I’ve never seen anything quite like this.
The whole city of Bozeman is surrounded by snow-covered mountains. There are shoots of golden wheat in all the fields piercing through the shimmering snow that is covering nearly everything. There are ducks playing on frozen ponds, mule deer bedding down in the sunshine, and pheasant dancing across open fields. It’s simply mesmerizing. Although most of the roads were clear, we found ourselves looking for shots on a few back roads that hardly seemed like roads at all...more like paths. It’s a good thing we rented a four-wheel drive. We even saw several cross-country skiers doing just that - skiing across the countryside.
It has been a great day. Tomorrow we’ll travel to Great Falls (2.5 hours north of Bozeman). We will film at Set Free Church, a church plant that is ministering to bikers in north central Montana. Pray for us as we travel and pray that all goes well with the video shoot tomorrow. Most of all, pray that God will use what we’re doing to grow His Kingdom.
After flying into Bozeman around noon, David and I spent the afternoon driving around the area’s back roads filming and photographing the scenery. I’ve seen the deserts of the Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, the harbors of Maine in the fall, the southernmost point of the US in Key West, Florida, the clarity of the beaches in the Bahamas, and many other places and sites along the way...but I’ve never seen anything quite like this.
The whole city of Bozeman is surrounded by snow-covered mountains. There are shoots of golden wheat in all the fields piercing through the shimmering snow that is covering nearly everything. There are ducks playing on frozen ponds, mule deer bedding down in the sunshine, and pheasant dancing across open fields. It’s simply mesmerizing. Although most of the roads were clear, we found ourselves looking for shots on a few back roads that hardly seemed like roads at all...more like paths. It’s a good thing we rented a four-wheel drive. We even saw several cross-country skiers doing just that - skiing across the countryside.
It has been a great day. Tomorrow we’ll travel to Great Falls (2.5 hours north of Bozeman). We will film at Set Free Church, a church plant that is ministering to bikers in north central Montana. Pray for us as we travel and pray that all goes well with the video shoot tomorrow. Most of all, pray that God will use what we’re doing to grow His Kingdom.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Look out Montana...here we come!
David Hobbs and I will fly to Montana on Friday to shoot a series of videos for the Montana Southern Baptist Convention. We’ll spend a week traveling to church plants in Great Falls, Kalispell, Missoula, Billings and Livingston.
Some of the interviews we capture on film will include:
- A 99-year old pastor who is believed to be the last living person who was at the 1925 Southern Baptist Convention (where the Cooperative Program was birthed)
- A pastor at a contemporary church plant that is meeting in the same building as a traditional church (sound familiar FBC?)
- A church planter who is working to develop the strategy that will be used by the Montana Southern Baptist Convention for church plants all across the state
- A pastor at a biker church who said he’d have to stand up and make an announcement before we start filming so that those in the congregation who have outstanding warrants will have an opportunity to leave.
We’ll use these interviews and other footage we shoot throughout the week to tell the story of how God is working through church plants across Montana. Each story will be a stand-alone feature about a particular aspect of church planting, and all four of the stories will connect with one another to tell the greater story of the need for the Baker State Missions Offering.
Pray for us as we travel, pray for our families while we’re away, pray for the churches we’ll be visiting, and pray that God would be glorified in all we say and do.
I’ll be blogging throughout the week (as long as I have internet access), so be sure to check back and follow along.
Some of the interviews we capture on film will include:
- A 99-year old pastor who is believed to be the last living person who was at the 1925 Southern Baptist Convention (where the Cooperative Program was birthed)
- A pastor at a contemporary church plant that is meeting in the same building as a traditional church (sound familiar FBC?)
- A church planter who is working to develop the strategy that will be used by the Montana Southern Baptist Convention for church plants all across the state
- A pastor at a biker church who said he’d have to stand up and make an announcement before we start filming so that those in the congregation who have outstanding warrants will have an opportunity to leave.
We’ll use these interviews and other footage we shoot throughout the week to tell the story of how God is working through church plants across Montana. Each story will be a stand-alone feature about a particular aspect of church planting, and all four of the stories will connect with one another to tell the greater story of the need for the Baker State Missions Offering.
Pray for us as we travel, pray for our families while we’re away, pray for the churches we’ll be visiting, and pray that God would be glorified in all we say and do.
I’ll be blogging throughout the week (as long as I have internet access), so be sure to check back and follow along.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What year is it anyway?
Have you looked at new cars recently? You can get one with Bluetooth, a sunroof, and flat-tire proof. It seems like they come with everything…On-Star, hybrid engines, heated and cooled seats, keyless starting systems…but there’s one accessory that’s becoming harder and harder to find…a cassette player. You can’t buy a car that comes standard with a cassette player, you have to special order it…and it won’t be cheap. In fact, you can’t buy a cassette player at your local electronics store any more either.
So, if they’ve quit selling mechanisms to play cassettes (for the most part)…WHY ARE CHURCHES STILL MAKING CASSETTES? And if that ruffles your feathers, you might want to close your ears for this next part. I think we (churches) should consider not making CDs in the near future, too!
It seems like churches are always 10 years behind the technology curve. Why is that? We should be using technology to engage people where they’re at…not where they were 10 years ago. Today more than 10% of Americans own an iPod or MP3 player; that figure doubles for those under the age of 30. Over the next couple of years, I anticipate that these numbers will increase sharply. As this number grows and the process of adding audio files to your church website and iTunes gets easier, the amount of physical audio media your church produces should decrease significantly.
DISCLAIMER: I understand that there are shut-ins and those in retirement centers that are accustomed to receiving a weekly cassette from their church, and I say “keep delivering.” But as that generation fades, those technologies will also fade and you’ll be behind the ball again. Up until last year, our church was still providing cassette tapes to shut-ins. I was amazed/appalled at that when I came on board. We remedied that by buying a few inexpensive portable CD players. Now they get the sermon each week on CD. The next step will be to provide them with iPods and set up an automated Podcast download for them…you think I’m kidding?
People don’t like change, but if you could begin to acclimate your congregation to getting their sermon audio from your church website or from iTunes, you could save your Media Ministry a lot of time, energy and even money. Over the next year, we will be more intentional about making our congregation aware of the availability of our online audio files and Podcasts. I hope you’ll do the same.
So, if they’ve quit selling mechanisms to play cassettes (for the most part)…WHY ARE CHURCHES STILL MAKING CASSETTES? And if that ruffles your feathers, you might want to close your ears for this next part. I think we (churches) should consider not making CDs in the near future, too!
It seems like churches are always 10 years behind the technology curve. Why is that? We should be using technology to engage people where they’re at…not where they were 10 years ago. Today more than 10% of Americans own an iPod or MP3 player; that figure doubles for those under the age of 30. Over the next couple of years, I anticipate that these numbers will increase sharply. As this number grows and the process of adding audio files to your church website and iTunes gets easier, the amount of physical audio media your church produces should decrease significantly.
DISCLAIMER: I understand that there are shut-ins and those in retirement centers that are accustomed to receiving a weekly cassette from their church, and I say “keep delivering.” But as that generation fades, those technologies will also fade and you’ll be behind the ball again. Up until last year, our church was still providing cassette tapes to shut-ins. I was amazed/appalled at that when I came on board. We remedied that by buying a few inexpensive portable CD players. Now they get the sermon each week on CD. The next step will be to provide them with iPods and set up an automated Podcast download for them…you think I’m kidding?
People don’t like change, but if you could begin to acclimate your congregation to getting their sermon audio from your church website or from iTunes, you could save your Media Ministry a lot of time, energy and even money. Over the next year, we will be more intentional about making our congregation aware of the availability of our online audio files and Podcasts. I hope you’ll do the same.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I've moved!
www.wiredforservice.com
Thanks.
Friday, February 13, 2009
How does the DTV transition affect the local church?
Most wireless mic systems manufactured before 2008 occupy the 700 MHz band…actually 698-806 MHz. Analog TV stations also fall within this range. When the government-mandated DTV transition occurs on June 12, 2009 (originally scheduled for February 17, 2009), the 700 MHz band will be occupied by Public Safety stations and new commercial wireless services (awarded by competitive bidding). All analog TV stations must switch to a digital transmission and all wireless microphones within that range are required to cease operation by the June 12 deadline.
So how does that affect us? When we installed new Yamaha M7CL digital audio consoles in our Worship Center and Fellowship Hall (secondary worship venue) a little over a year ago, we replaced the wireless systems with Sure UR2 Beta 87C systems. The wireless systems that were in those venues were migrated to our Chapel and Student Ministry Rally Room (The Pit). We knew that we would have to replace these systems, but decided to wait until we were a little closer to the DTV deadline. We are currently in the process of replacing those systems to meet the government requirements.
For more details on DTV and wireless mics, visit Sure DTV information page.
So how does that affect us? When we installed new Yamaha M7CL digital audio consoles in our Worship Center and Fellowship Hall (secondary worship venue) a little over a year ago, we replaced the wireless systems with Sure UR2 Beta 87C systems. The wireless systems that were in those venues were migrated to our Chapel and Student Ministry Rally Room (The Pit). We knew that we would have to replace these systems, but decided to wait until we were a little closer to the DTV deadline. We are currently in the process of replacing those systems to meet the government requirements.
For more details on DTV and wireless mics, visit Sure DTV information page.
Monday, February 9, 2009
New Missions
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I love that serving in First Media allows me to be a part of so many other ministries. Last night it was Missions. “Laugh All Night” was presented by New Missions, an organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the people of Haiti.
Comedians Bean & Bailey and David Dean had me laughing so much that I could barely direct the camera crew. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll/King of Pop skit was hilarious. But in the end, we were there to learn more about the work being done by New Missions.
My wife and I were so impacted by New Missions’ ministry that we decided to sponsor a child. Thamara will be 5 years old next week, just a few weeks earlier than our own daughter’s 5th birthday. We hope that through giving to Thamara, we will be able to teach Walker the value and the blessing of giving to those in need. So, thank you New Missions for your work in Haiti and in the life of my family.
Comedians Bean & Bailey and David Dean had me laughing so much that I could barely direct the camera crew. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll/King of Pop skit was hilarious. But in the end, we were there to learn more about the work being done by New Missions.
My wife and I were so impacted by New Missions’ ministry that we decided to sponsor a child. Thamara will be 5 years old next week, just a few weeks earlier than our own daughter’s 5th birthday. We hope that through giving to Thamara, we will be able to teach Walker the value and the blessing of giving to those in need. So, thank you New Missions for your work in Haiti and in the life of my family.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Confessions of a control freak
Do you feel like you're in continual learning mode? I do almost all the time. As soon as I think I've got it figured out, God shows me that I have a long way to go. He's currently educating me on how to utilize those around me to accomplish the ministry He's called me to. This is a tough one for me. I'm very much a control freak.
I know that He has called me to be a full-time vocational minister...specifically a media minister. But that doesn't mean that I'm the only one in the media area that needs to be doing ministry. He has called many others to be media ministry volunteers...and we have a great team of volunteers...I have to be willing to give them more opportunities to minister.
So that's what I'm working through right now...I'm not saying that I'll be able to flip a switch and change my control freak personality before Sunday, but I'm certainly working on it.
1. The less you do, the more you accomplish.
2. The less you do, the more you enable others to accomplish.
I know that He has called me to be a full-time vocational minister...specifically a media minister. But that doesn't mean that I'm the only one in the media area that needs to be doing ministry. He has called many others to be media ministry volunteers...and we have a great team of volunteers...I have to be willing to give them more opportunities to minister.
So that's what I'm working through right now...I'm not saying that I'll be able to flip a switch and change my control freak personality before Sunday, but I'm certainly working on it.
1. The less you do, the more you accomplish.
2. The less you do, the more you enable others to accomplish.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Montana Project...Take 2
Last September I was planning on traveling to Montana to shoot a series of four videos for the Montana Southern Baptist Convention. That trip got cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. I glad to say that we've finally worked out all the kinks and I'll be flying to the "Treasure State" on February 27.
David Hobbs and I will spend a week traveling between four of the highest populated cities in Montana. We will interview church planters in each city to learn more about what God is doing through their ministry. We will use this footage to create four Dateline style pieces to be used by churches throughout Montana. We'll also shoot additional interview footage with one of the churches to create an information video that they can share with prospective members.
The purpose of the video is to help Montana Southern Baptists see Montana with missional eyes, consider various ministry strategies for reaching Montanans, and receive God's vision for His Kingdom in Montana.
A few stats about Montana:
- 62% of Montana's population lives in seven cities.
- The unchurched/unreached population is as high as 90% in some of the seven cities.
- There are only 32 SBC churches which have a combined weekly average attendance of 2,869 in the seven cities. That's one SBC church for every 18,569 people (0.0048% of the population)!
- Montana is now the number one state in the United States for suicide (22 suicides per 100,000 people).
Please pray for us as we prepare for this project and as we're traveling.
David Hobbs and I will spend a week traveling between four of the highest populated cities in Montana. We will interview church planters in each city to learn more about what God is doing through their ministry. We will use this footage to create four Dateline style pieces to be used by churches throughout Montana. We'll also shoot additional interview footage with one of the churches to create an information video that they can share with prospective members.
The purpose of the video is to help Montana Southern Baptists see Montana with missional eyes, consider various ministry strategies for reaching Montanans, and receive God's vision for His Kingdom in Montana.
A few stats about Montana:
- 62% of Montana's population lives in seven cities.
- The unchurched/unreached population is as high as 90% in some of the seven cities.
- There are only 32 SBC churches which have a combined weekly average attendance of 2,869 in the seven cities. That's one SBC church for every 18,569 people (0.0048% of the population)!
- Montana is now the number one state in the United States for suicide (22 suicides per 100,000 people).
Please pray for us as we prepare for this project and as we're traveling.
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