weekly update, 7.27.09

Hello! We're updating you a little differently this week! Still using the blog, but instead of a bunch of words, we're trying a video. Just click on the player below!

weekly update, 7.22.09

Hey everyone.  Glad to see so many of you turn out for our last All Team meeting just a little over a week ago!  Thanks for spending a little extra time with us and taking all of it in.  In case you missed it, here are the highlights:

PLANNING CENTER ONLINE - We are now using a web software called Planning Center Online to manage all of our scheduling and rotation teams, as well as to deliver charts and music files for our bands.  So far, the report has been good.  Hop on to www.planningcenteronline.com and block out dates you're not available.  Again, thanks for your cooperation!

A WATERLOO CAMPUS - Beginning February 28, 2010, Prairie Lakes Church will be a church of not one campus, but two!  If you missed this announcement and what it means for our teams, send Shari Ford an email at shari.ford@prairielakeschurch.org.  She can give you a packet and a copy of the Inspired booklet that were handed out this past Tuesday as resources for you to begin to understand what we're doing and why.  Any questions, let Jesse know at jesse.tink@prairielakeschurch.org.

Ok.  Here's what we have for you this week:

P&P ALL TEAM RETREAT

Again, the date is Saturday, August 22.  We'll meet at the front doors of PLC at 8:00 a.m. and caravan over to Pine Lake Christian camp near Eldora, just 45 minutes away.  

What will we be doing?  Well, a few of the things that characterize our retreats are good food, a relaxed atmosphere, guided personal times and spaces to be with God, group times of teaching, discussion, and vision, and some intimate worship.  

How long will we be staying?  Just for the day.  We'll be back before suppertime, right around 5:00 p.m.

Will transportation be provided?  Kind of.  We'll gather at the church together as a group, then see who will be willing to drive to Eldora, and pile into cars so everyone doesn't have to drive.

What will this cost?  Just your time.

Why should I come?  You'll want to be there with us because God is going to speak to us about what is next.  The theme that he's grown up in us for this retreat centers around the story of Israel as they were coming out of Egypt and making their trek towards the Promised Land.  They found themselves on the road to freedom, but the road wasn't without challenge.

We're in a similar spot in our ministry during this current season.  We've got a destination that God is pushing us towards, and some pretty clear steps to get there.  But it won't be without challenge, and we need to be unified, taking steps together in the same direction.  The more folks we can get to commit to being together at this retreat, the better off our ministry will be in this next season as we take off after God.  That's why you should come.

PLANNING CENTER ONLINE TECH TIPS

If you serve on one of our technical teams, you can use planning center online for more than just scheduling.  For example:

if you are video directing, switching, or operating a camera:  take a look at the service order and familiarize yourself with what we're doing and where we're going in the service.  Download some of the songs to familiarize yourself with the feel and the environment that we're creating.  If you do this, you'll walk into a service better prepared to create and to hit cues.

if you are engineering front of house: download the music that we're going to play for the service you're mixing.  Listen to it during the week, so that you have a good idea of what instrument is featured at different parts in the song, and what type of feel we're shooting for during moments in the service.

REMINDER: DRESS CODE

If you're on stage, remember these simple rules as you choose your clothes:

1. No extremely bright colors, including white.  It makes it too hard for our shaders to manipulate the irises of our cameras for an appropriate brightness on our screens.

2. Limit your stripes.  Shirts and tops with a small, repeated striped pattern are difficult for our cameras to display, especially when you move.  Your shirt will appear blurry on the screens.

3. Modesty.  This one is mainly for our women: things that are cut even a little low or are more form fitting tend to be exaggerated on camera.  Generally speaking, we do a very good job at being modest.  But, just a gentle reminder to continue to be a little more conservative, especially during these last few summer months.

weekly update. 7.13.09

Hello friends!

Man, did we have a great weekend at PLC or what?  If you missed it... well, you missed something amazing.  Streams of people coming to Christ.  People that we have been praying for, people that met him for the first time, people that were running from him and turned back to him... just unbelievable.  Praise God for creating a place like PLC where we have the freedom to create for him and with him!

Here's a couple of things for you:

ALL TEAM MEETING - THIS TUESDAY, JULY 14, 6:30 P.M.

Seriously: good food, good conversation, good people, good environment, good community, good training... you need to be at these every month.  But let me say this: you REALLY need to come to our next all team meeting this Tuesday.  We'll be exposed to some incredible developments in the life and direction of Prairie Lakes Church... developments that will have a direct impact on our ministry in the very near future.  You won't want to miss out on this opportunity to hear it for the first time.  So, mark it on your calendars.

Also: at our meeting Dan and I will be giving a Planning Center Online live demonstration--including an overview of its features and a tutorial on how to use it.  So, whether you serve on the technical or musical side of our ministry, you'll want to be familiar with how to use this new system.

FACEBOOK

Do you use facebook?  Don't give me the "I'm too old" business.  You're not.  I know every single one of you, and can confidently say that there are people much older than you who use it all the time.  So, if you do, you should check out Prairie Lakes Church's facebook page.  On it are some of the moments we've created in our services, created videos, and photos of our stage look and feel.  Once you're on it, click "Become a Fan," and go back often to check out what our ministry is up to.

RETREAT

Hard to believe that the school year is almost upon us!  So, before the busyness of the fall ensues, plan on joining us for our fall P&P retreat at Pine Lake Christian Camp on Saturday, August 22nd.  It'll be a one day retreat filled with worship, times of teaching, connection, discussion, and guided spiritual direction.  We'd love for you to take advantage of the opportunity to be refreshed and refueled in time for the next season of our ministry.

weekly update, 7.6.09

Hey everyone,

Thanks for your patience with us as we continue to make a few changes to our communication process.  We're still trying to make the transition to regularly updating this blog, and delivering information to you that way!  We'll send you the link every time we update, so that you can keep current.

ALL TEAM MEETING

We've got some very important information to give you at our next all team meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the cafe.  Over the last couple of months, God has moved our leaders a little further down the path towards Vision 2018.  These new developments will directly affect the way that our teams do ministry in the not-too-distant future.  Come and see what we mean.

Also, we'll be holding a tutorial of our new web-based software that we're using to schedule and deliver charts and music to you--planningcenteronline.com.  I know that a number of you have had questions about it.  Here's your chance to ask them, and to get some training on how to use the software.

So, come and enjoy some food cooked on the grill.  See you then.

ALL TEAM RETREAT

Save the date: Saturday, August 22nd!  We'll be heading over to Pine Lake Christian Camp for a one-day retreat that Saturday.  It's just 45 minutes away, which makes it a convenient location for us to gather off-site without the burden of a long trip.  AND, it's the Saturday before our Outdoor Service on August 23rd, so no worries about any conflicts with your team's rotation.

In case you've never been to one of our retreats before, here's what you can expect:

1. Great food in a comfortable, come-as-you-are environment.

2. Intimate, authentic worship.

3. Pointed times of teaching and discussion.

4. Guided individual times with God.

5. Important times of connection with the vision and future of Programming and Production ministry at Prairie Lakes Church.

6. A chance to form relationships with some good people in a way that you normally don't get a chance to.

More specific details are on their way soon.  If you decide to join us, you can plan on still having your evening free; we'll be back before supper time.  Let us know if you're coming by RSVP'ing to Shari at shari.ford@prairielakeschurch.org.

NEW ROTATIONS

Our current round of rotations for both music and tech teams ends on the weekend of July 18-19.  We'll have the new schedule finalized this week.  We'll send it to you via email, and also make it available for you to be picked up at our July all team meeting.

PLANNING CENTER ONLINE

Like we already mentioned above, we took another step towards using our web-based software, planningcenteronline.com.  We'll be using this site to:

1. Manage our scheduling calendar for both programming and production teams;

2. Deliver charts to our music teams; and

3. Deliver music to our music teams.

Each of you received a welcome email about a month ago from the website which gave you your login information.  If you need that email resent to you, just email Shari at shari.ford@prairielakeschurch.org.  Once you use that info to log in, you can change your password to something that you can remember.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation and patience with us as we make this transition.  In the long run, it'll be much better for our ministry as we continue to grow and get better.