Come join us for New Media for Ministry Pastor’s Roundtable 1.0
Saturday, November 8 @ 10am to 12noon
(Click on Image to watch video)
New Media for Ministry Pastor’s Roundtable” 1.0 (“one point zero”) will be the first in a series of discussions exploring the growing world of technology, social media and New Media as it relates to effective congregational ministry, outreach and community impact. New Media is a term that defines the convergence of “old media” such as graphics and print with “new” digital media such as Internet based content, digital video-audio, social media. Pastors and their key technology staff/leaders will both share and gain valuable insights. Helpful information and solution resources will be shared.
Schedule for Saturday, November 8
9:30 am Get acquainted: Sign-in, Pick up free materials
10:00 am Opening Prayer | Introduction by Pastor Bryan Hudson, “Do we need New Media?”
• Meet Panelists (Show info on screen)
• Opening statements from each panelist
10:15 am General Discussion Topics:
- “What is the state of the Church today in relation to new media and the Internet?”
- Are we maximizing the use new media for God’s purposes?
- What forms of new media are most effective for “inreach” and “outreach”?
- How can pastors lead congregations to adopt new media tools? Is this necessary?
- What are the benefits of social media like Myspace and Facebook? Should we promote it or avoid it.
- We are some effective productivity tools and techniques?
10:50 am Focus Topics (About 20 minutes per topic including Q&A.
- Pastor Clary Butler: “How can we leverage the power of social media such as Facebook and MySpace for ministry impact?”
- Pastor Al Jennings: “Using new media and technology to more effectively serve our church and community.”
- Pastor John Posey (Via Skype): “Harnessing web-based services for networking, training and entrepreneurship”
- Pastor Bryan Hudson: “Concepts and best practices for doing cost-effective video and web production?”
11:50 am Wrap Up: What topics would be valuable to discuss in a future roundtable?
Closing Prayer | Refreshments Served
Register at www.NewCovenant.org
Call (317) 205-6000
Here's my take on the failure of the $700 billion rescue bill in the U.S. House of Representatives today (That is wrongly perceived as a "bail out" for wealthy people): I think the angry public is cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives must respond to districts of voters, especially since they must run for office every two years. Senators are less influenced by smaller districts since there are only two senators per state and serve for six years. In my view, the U.S. House is more susceptible to leading by emotional consensus than is the Senate. House members who hold office for short two-year terms become overly concerned about re-election. This causes representatives to choose to satisfy ill-informed constituents, more than make decisions based on larger concerns like the overarching national necessity for a properly functioning market.
I think that President Bush offered a workable solution.
Many people are upset with "Wall Street" in terms of greed, corruption, executive pay and such. There is a perception of "Main Street vs. Wall Street," but this is not exactly the case. Many folks think the $700 billion deal is designed to make rich people richer. Everyone wants a "cut" of that pie.
I think that doing the deal is more about protecting our investments such as our home values, savings, retirement accounts, college loans, home mortgages (for qualified borrowers!), small business lines of credit, etc. Most folks haven't looked into how financial markets work, so that news of abuse in financial institutions or failures make "Wall Street" appear entirely corrupt.
Then there's the whole problem of people thinking the deal is about "socialism." Again, as with financial markets, a lot of folks don't know what socialism is, so rather than respond with informed statements, we react with fear.
If public opinion is going to drive this process, we may have to endure a serious financial market crash that makes the public feel the pain. Then, the same people who opposed the deal will enthusiastically support it.
Some say that the "market will correct itself." Yes it will, but this won't punish Wall Street more than it punishes us. Wall Street is not a person with a mortgage to pay or kids to raise. The "fat cats" might become a little slimmer, but they have the resources and expertise to survive any financial crisis.
Under any scenario, I think it is only the lower and middle classes of citizens that will suffer without this, or another form of financial rescue bill.
We need to pray for wisdom for our congress, and that God would allow the spirit of discontent, unforgiveness and anger to lift from our national consciousness.
Bryan
It is callous and unwise to make light of community organizing, which is a subset of the professional field of social work. Community organizing requires a broad range of competencies, empathy, and a high level of planning to manage both small and large operations.
Community organizers are responsible for "meals on wheels" type efforts, reforming ex-offenders, church ministries, at-risk youth programs, revitalization projects, and more. Our government actually does far less in comparison to what people are doing for one another in the community.
People who circle their socio-economic wagons to separate themselves from others are usually clueless, as we have seen. If it were not for the work of community organizers, a lot of the troubles and troubled people in the city would spread more aggressively into suburbs and small towns.
So rather than belittle community organizers, we should thank God that they do a job to benefit our society as a whole. The work is worthy of anyone who aspires to executive or political leadership. I believe it is a moral imperative to serve before asking to lead.
Finally, community organizers and the millions of people they have served are also voters who pay attention to callous messages.
On Monday, as Hurricane Gustuv threatened to devastate the Gulf Coast, John McCain released a statement from Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband about the pregnancy of their 17-year-old daughter.
Sarah and Todd Palin stated their strong support and love for their daughter, as well as her intentions to marry the teenage father. We would expect this response from loving parents.
What I don't understand is why the Palins chose to expose Bristol to the harsh limelight of a national campaign during a crisis in their daughter's life. Looking back at Sarah Palin's introduction by McCain, we see Bristol hiding her abdomen with her infant brother and his blanket. Is a political stage the best place for her? The governor's decision to bring her 5-month-old special-needs baby on the campaign trail seems like another odd choice.
Obviously, these decisions were the Palins' to make. However, I think this sends the wrong message on family priorities at a time when promiscuity among teens is sometimes a cry for deeper parental engagement.
McCain has taken the theme "Country First" for his convention, but I suggest that home and family should trump opportunistic political ambitions when special needs arise.
On August 16, my youngest son, Jonathan, and I had the opportunity to travel with Pastor William Bumphus and his team to Danville Kentucky for an outreach at Northpoint Prison. Bringing video cameras into the prison was a rare privilege that required special permission by the Warden, against the wishes of others in the institution.
We produced this video to share a little of the experience of watching God move behind prison walls. More than 70% of men now incarcerated will be released within a few years. Of those released, more than half will be re-incarcerated (recidivism). As believers, we know that it is only the power of God that breaks this cycle through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Men who are born again and live according to the Word not only cease committing crimes, but become powerful agents of change and salvation for others.
In this video, you will see men who have been delivered from crime reaching back to share their testimonies with other men. This cycle of ministries presenting Jesus to offenders who get saved, and then reach out to others, is doing more to save lives and reduce recidivism than any other factor, in my view.
I encourage you to pray for and support my friend, Pastor William Bumphus and the "Jesus House" discipleship and aftercare program. Jesus Inside Prison Ministry operates this program at their 40+ bed facility here in Indy.
You might consider obtaining one or more high quality DVDs to view and share with your church or group. A High Definition Blu-Ray compatible DVD is also available.
Click here to visit the JIPM website and view this remarkable video.
(Note: Signed releases are on file for inmates clearly shown in this video. This video may be updated as needed.)
