ChurchTechToday.com

Sitting here on my desk is the new July-August issue of Rev! Magazine with the feature article I wrote on Hope Bible Church in Washington, D.C. Hope has been able to leverage their use of technology to connect with members in fresh ways. Although the article isn’t available online, I’ve scanned it in here for you to read.

If you’re looking for:

1) Ways to connect with your congregation
2) Effective solutions for day-to-day communications
3) Build community
4) Make better use of staff member’s resources

Then you certainly want to check out my article for some recommendations!

Are you surviving the changes in ministry that have been brought on by technology in recent times? I think most of us feel overwhelmed at times by the rapid advancements our world seems to undergo daily. I wrote a freelance article for Your Church Magazine’s May/June Issue (a Christianity Today International publication) called, “The Technophobe’s Survival Guide” that unpacks some of the technology quandaries you might be experiencing.

In this article, I unpack how to get started with Twitter, Facebook, social networking, blogs, websites, and online giving. It will take your ministry some time to get up and running in these areas, but rest assured that these technologies can have a positive impact on your ministry! To view and read the entire Your Church May/June issue online, go here.

On a side note, I want to apologize for the short break I’ve taken from blogging. I’m 7 1/2 months pregnant with my fourth child and my energy levels come and go like the wind, especially as the weather heats up. Please pray for me during these summer months as I get closer to my Aug. 21 delivery day. Many thanks!

These days, when you talk about “going green” it can (and should) mean two things: cutting back on energy and use of natural resources AND saving money. So many times helping the environment can mean more damage to your wallet than the rainforests experience. Over and over again I hear Suze Orman counceling people NOT to spend money to retrofit their homes with solar power when they can’t afford it.

Well, I wrote an article for the May issue of Christian Computing Magazine on EventU Green, a great solution for churches to realistically “go green” while cutting down on their energy consumption AND cut overall energy costs up to 20%. I was delighted to interview Dan and Dave over at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, CA about their church’s successful attempt to go green. In addition to cutting costs on heating and cooling through their use of EventU Green, they also have an awesome recycling program that should be an inspiration to anyone.

To read the full article, click here. For more info on EventU Green, visit http://www.eventugreen.com.

Here are a few quick benefits to using EventU Green for churches:

• Single online calendar system for managing events, rooms, resources, and HVAC
• Real-time control of all HVAC zones for an entire campus, church, or facility
• Reduces energy consumption and costs by an estimated 10- 20% or more
• Higher “user satisfaction” since room temperature is automatically controlled
• Frees up valuable labor time currently spent manually managing HVAC controls
• HVAC control continues even if the internet is down

In light of my last post about churches using Twitter in positive ways, I came across this “tongue in cheek” article today on TechRadar.com entitled, 10 Signs that Twitter is Screwing Up Your Life. My favorites are #4, #7, and #10.

Enjoy a good laugh and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! My husband and I are dropping our three kids at Grandma & Grandpa’s house, then heading down to Carmel, CA to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary!!!

4. Everyone around you is on fire
If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, you’ve completely misjudged the severity of the situation. If the people around you are on fire, being attacked by space lizards or turning into flesh-eating zombies, sending a tweet really shouldn’t be at the top of your to-do list.

7. You know too much about people you don’t know
Alexei Sayle once said that your brain is like a warehouse, and there’s only so much room inside it - so if somebody tells you something inane, you might forget how to breathe. If you know Stephen Fry’s exact location but aren’t entirely sure where your kids are, what they’re called or how many you have, you’re proving his point.

10. You think in 140 characters
Your wife has been attacked by a shark in the middle of the high street. “How can I make this poignant but funny in 140 characters?” you think. “This would be a lot easier if it weren’t for all the screaming.”