Why is this relevant to me at this time?

We are getting a new vicar later this Spring. I would like to approach him about the opportunity to use our website for more than a virtual church sign. I believe we can also use it to build a following of prospective visitors and perhaps even church members. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube. There are a few names most people who are online will recognize. Even if you aren’t, the name will sound familiar. Are we looking for the technology have’s at the expense of the have not’s? No. We simply reaching all prospective visitors by different means. We have events on our campus that invite the surrounding neighborhood. Those events, along with the online effort are in addition to the tried and true method of simply talking with people and inviting them to church.

No one has all the answers. I am just looking for more ways to fulfill the Great Commission.

• Youth asking others to come and volunteer unload pumpkins at our pumpkin patch
• Someone else at the pumpkin unloading saw my post with a photo of the front lawn before the pallets went down
• Former church member commenting on the pumpkin patch from New York after seeing the next photo I uploaded after the front lawn was covered in pumpkins
• Fellow church member comment about life after the priesthood
• My sister disparage Coke for pretending sugary drinks play no part in childhood obesity

Individually, all of these things may never be connected. But, in my life, it has kept me close to several different people who may/may not know one another. This has got to be a good way to communicate and evangelize to folks. It just has to be.

So where am I beginning and what will it look like?  It has been a long time since I opened my mouth to speak/write the words that God has inscribed there… so long that I find myself hesitating, cringing almost, as I type, a thing I never dreamt I would struggle with.  Recovering from an illness several years ago has kind of robbed me of my voice, my confidence, even in every day living. Yet, those who love me most (especially my husband) believe that I have a story to tell.

What story shall I tell?  I tap my fingers across the keyboard as if it will spell out the answer.  Shall I tell the story of how I was born, raised, adopted and reunited with my birth family and all that came with it?  Or shall I tell the story of how my husband and I came to adopt our own two children?  Or shall I share how God has acted throughout His Story in each of our lives to continue to invite us into a love relationship with Him?  Maybe, it has everything to with all of the above….

• Volunteerspot
• Stafftool
• Famundo
• Churchdirector
• Planningcenteronline.com

At this point, our coordinator has decided she wants to try Churchdirector. I will be creating an account and testing it out over the next few days.

Here are the youth’s websites:

Godfather410
King Productions, Inc.

Their talents never cease to amaze me.

Do we allow homosexual marriage? (In my opinion there is no such thing. You can’t redefine something. Marriage is defined already. Use another term.)

Do we allow homosexual ordination of priests and bishops? (Well, we already have a homosexual bishop, so that is our answer. The followup is whether we continue the trend or stop it.)

Do we continue to litigate disagreements or work for amicable resolution? (I tithe to my church. However, if I leave, I can’t take the building with me. I just won’t worship there any longer.)

What of the new/proposed province in North America? (I understand their unhappiness. But, I stayed and think they should have also.)

I will wait and see what our deputation can accomplish. I believe in participation and earnest discussion. I also believe God has spoken on several of these issues and it is not for us to disagree.

1. It’s sometimes hard to control the program you used to make the video.  We used iPhoto for the second one and we could not identify how to move a picutre’s sequence.
2. The video file is quite large, especially if you want a good size for visitors to view.
3. It takes a LONG TIME uploading.  Be prepared.

That’s all for now.  I will post a link to the new one when YouTube finishes processing.