Online Group Forming: “The Tangible Kingdom” for 8 weeks!
Onliners:
We are launching our second online group which will be going through the study "The Tangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay beginning every Monday night at 7:30 EST for eight weeks (beginning February 13th). Here's what I'm jazzed about:
- I have no interest in standing on the sidelines my whole life and missing out on what God has for me- I think this study is going to continue to help me take steps in what God has for my life and the activity He would like me to be part of
- There are millions of people that won't step foot into a church but may not realize they can "be" the Church and grow in their Faith where they are in missional community- I don't know what all it entails but in 8 weeks I'm going to learn a ton
- I'm going to shift 10 hours of my life from TV watching, potato chip eating, brainless grazing of leisure into 10 hours of connecting, learning, and taking steps to learn about something that could shift the vision of my life forever
- We get to do this from the comfort of our home, online style, while still connecting with real people from different parts of our state, country, or world! Yep, all you need is a computer, internet connection, and your favorite chair and you're good to go...
Can we "be" the church online? Absolutely, spend 8 weeks to see how it works!
What you'll want for sure is the workbook, but I also elected to purchase the book as well. Try to have in hand by February 13th and we'll get it rolling! If you'd like to help lead a group at a different time, please leave a comment here and we'll see what we can arrange. We'll be watching a video and chatting with others throughout the hour time slot. Looking forward to meeting you!
Make a Difference Online Style
Most of us now spend several hours online every week visiting sites, connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and more. There are now
over 2 billion people online! We have the opportunity to help people connect, takes steps toward Jesus, and be part of what God is already doing online. What? God is at work online? You bet.
Literally millions of people are lonely, seeking Truth, wondering what their purpose may be, abused, needing prayer, seeking friendship, unloved, suicidal, in pain, won't step foot into a church, afraid to go to church alone, and have hundreds of other issues or questions. You know some of these people. We believe and see that people can take steps online, can experience God online, and can connect and find Hope online. You can be part of it.
Currently we offer services online, are launching online groups, and will be expanding various offerings. "Being" the church is a 24/7 deal. If you haven't checked out our site, it's at : live.gccwired.com
Event Lead Hosts
- Responsible for overall event online (Services, help technical issues, monitor attendees, help facilitate conversation, online prayer, and overall experience for event)
- Coordinate and build volunteer teams for service/event time(s)- make sure all events are hosted with at least two volunteers
- Connect with volunteer team, learn best practices for shared situations, challenges, how to best connect people, and community
- Be at event 15 minutes early, open in prayer, hang-out 15 minutes after the event for continued conversation with attendees and volunteer team
Event Hosts
- Create a welcoming experience for those who attend online church
- Engage in positive chat and encourage attendees- ask questions and comment in chat to engage in conversation
- Help connect people to the online experience and other events
- Serve and pray for online attendees- help them in any way possible
- Pray for people online in private chat
Graphic Designer
- Design banners and unique needs for online site and blog
- Create templates to add unique quotes, special events, and updates for online site
- Assist with design needs for Twitter and Facebook sites
Team Social
- Be part of a distribution list that gets key information to share via online social networks (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc)Spread the word and link to key events, videos, and blogs through your normal circles
- Proactively comment on The Table, Facebook, blogs, and other venues to encourage, pray, and help connect people online
Videographers/Editors
- Assist in unique video projects for the online site
- Shoot online group facilitation
- Man-on-the-Street videos
- Edit videos submitted for various online projects
- Shoot videos with GCC drama team for special messages, feed, and unique offerings for online audience
Technical Support Team
- Review the latest technology for creating the best experience for online attendees
- Troubleshoot streaming issues and assist in creating help documents as needed for online attendees
- Create unique strategies for home groups to use technology for missional communities, small groups, and small event venues
Connections Director
- Lives to figure out how to connect people online- how can we best connect, encourage, and support someone hundreds or thousands of miles away online?
- Build and lead a volunteer team of “Connectors”
- Create strategies on building an overall online community focused on our core mission, intentionally encouraging and supporting all those who attend online, and building mid-week opportunities to help people connect online
Connections Team
- Intentionally connecting with a group of 10-20 people online- encouraging them, praying for them, and helping them find their next steps to serve where God is at work
- Facilitate online forums and groups
- Create a safe place to ask questions, serve, and love 20 people intentionally
- Participate in new opportunities as determined by Connections Director
Bloggers for Online Church Blog (That would be this site... )
- Loves to write- blog notes from weekly services and mid-week offerings
- Contribute content and reflections that is aligned to Biblical teachings and helps people take next steps
- Assist in communicating the vision and mission for the online experience
- Open to edits and willing to learn
Content Explorers
- The online space is massive- where are others doing great things online? Help us find them!
- Where is there great content, a blog worth sharing, or online resources we should be aware of?
- Who should we be connecting with? What tools are out there we should consider?
- You love researching, exploring, and understand the mission of “being the church” online.
Is this a step you feel God is calling you to take? I'd love to connect with you! You can email me at mmeyer@gccwired and either myself or David Arnold, our Online Church Coordinator will connect with you to discuss next steps!
The Online Team has regular team meetings.... online of course to discuss the next steps, strategies, and training for team. You're invited to be part of it!
Join a Group “Experiencing God”- Online Style October 3rd!
Join over 1300 people at Granger Community Church already doing the "Experiencing God" study for the next few months Online Style! We'll start on October 3rd!
What does that mean?
- Beginning Monday, October 3rd at 7:30 EST, log onto idochurchonline.com and watch the online teaching with "live chat" for discussion with others all across the country!
- All you need is the workbook available here: http://www.amazon.com/Experiencing-God-Member-Book-Knowing/dp/1415858381/
- Show up at 7:30 EST online on Monday October 3rd and for the next 11 Mondays as we spend 12 weeks together learning what God is "up to" in this world our role in His story!
- That's it, about $21 bucks and 21 hours that I believe will help propel us all forward in our Faith journey and walk with Christ! How cool and easy is that? Connecting and learning all from the comforts of your home...
I'll be there... I look forward to meeting y'all as well- let's do this! Share this link to spread the word! Questions, leave a comment below and we'll assist in any way we can.
Mark Meyer @markmeyer Facebook: facebook.com/maximeyer
Online Church Launches New Platform This Week!
GCC will be launching a new platform this week as we've partnered with MediaSocial. Some cool highlights include:
- Facebook log-in to immediate connect with others if you like in the service
- Chat with others before/during the service
- Easy to share Facebook/Twitter links to invite others
- Email notes of the service to yourself
- We'll have the ability to have scheduled programming all week long, multiple service options, other online hosted and non-hosted events, and more unique, quality content
- In the future, we'll have the ability to run "Live" events through this site
- Join us Sunday's at 12:00, 6:30, or 8:30 EST to connect with others all over the world!
Here is a little peek at the new site:
When Did You Need God the Most?
When in your life did you need God the most?
Here's my story:
The time I needed God the most is when my business was crashing down on top of me. After being burned by over $40,000 from a few different customers, it led to a spiral of bills to be paid, taxes that couldn't be paid, collection calls, and at a time where the value of our inventory decreased 30%. I remember the intersection I was driving through when I yelled in my car, "God, what is the deal!?" Immediately a thought crossed in my mind saying, "Are you willing to let go of the business for Me?" Immediately I shot back (audibly), "am I willing to let go of the business for You? I don't even know if that's you saying that or if it's my own thought!"
In the 48 hours that followed, I realized the thought that came in my head was not asking in 3rd person. If it were my thought, I would have asked, "Am I willing to let go of the business for God?"... He asked, are you willing to let go of the business for Me. It hit me.
God needed to dump my boat, my business, my warped identity I had about myself in the business, and me holding onto the controls. It wasn't an easy road for the next few years... they were some of the hardest financially, toughest in our marriage, and I felt like I had to be completely broken to be built back up again.
While I said I loved God, the reality is my business had a lot more mind space, time, money, and energy going into it than anything I was doing for my relationship with Christ. God knew He had a bigger purpose in my life but had to break me, bust the business, and put my marriage through a refining fire before I could see a view of His bigger picture.
He is faithful, Thank you Jesus for not leaving me in my busy, stressed out, off purpose, and self centered life I was living.
"We need God the most in the detours of our lives... God is in the detour..."- Mark Beeson
That's my story of when I needed God the most, how about you? Feel free to leave a comment here with your story to encourage others...
A Mob Boss and Church Online
This was posted last night from a family doing church online- imagine this!
What an incredible story of former mob boss, Michael Franzese... Great sharing the weekend with all of you online!
People are not Projects
You want to really annoy someone or tick them off, let them know they're a project you're trying to fix. Far too
many people, are focused on trying to "fix" people rather than loving them right where they are... I've made many mistakes in my past trying to "fix" people- I'm sure I came off judgemental, holier than thou, looking like I had an agenda, controlling, or simply an idiot.
How do you feel when you feel "targeted"? People are not projects.
But our motives are good, right? We want them to change for the better, we want them to get out of an unhealthy relationship, we want them to know Jesus, go to church, get help for their marriage, stop abusive drinking, and on and on... Often we have great motives but wrong methods.
- Love is a choice, it's intentional. Think intentional relationships, not projects.
- Remember the old adage: "I won't care about what you say to me until I know you care about me..."
- Relationships are marathons, not fast-food drive-thrus
- Unfortunately, many people don't and won't change- you're not responsible "for" them, you're responsible "to" them
Questions I'm asking myself:
- Do I focus more on what I want to say to people or do I focus on genuinely caring for people?
- Am I living a life that is attractional? Do people see something positive and different in my life?
- Do I really spend time praying for those in my circles?
- Do I invite people to engage in a greater purpose- maybe as simple as a fundraising dinner or a small work project?
- Am I even reaching out to meet new people? When was the last time I had a new person or couple over for dinner?
- Would people say I'm encouraging and a "tank filler" or am I self aborbed or a "tank drainer"?
God, help me to genuinely love people as You have loved us.
Essential Relationships and Church
Think about the people in your life. Who do you spend the most time with? Who is it you're connecting with on 
a regular basis? It could be:
- Family members
- Co-workers
- Neighbors you get together with on the weekends
- Friends you're connecting with in your "like-minded" interests: the business community, your kid's little league team, Halo gamers, neighborhood association, book club, Boy Scouts, skate boarders, motorcyclers, your sorority, tail gaters, or men that are blue... You name it...
Chances are, these are the people you would call in a crisis, many are already pretty good friends, and if you look at your time spent week after week.... it's who you're hanging out with.... These are the building blocks to the "essential relationships" in your life. Who is that for you?
In our societies, there are literally tens of thousands of like-minded groups of people usually rallying around natural interests, proximity, generations, and more... It's from these groups which lead to "essential relationships" where "essential Churches" can form.
Within these "essential Churches" people can learn from each other, grow together in their faith in Christ, lean on each other, give to a common purpose, give Hope to those who would never step foot in the four walls of a Church, and rally around big visions to make an incredible impact in their communities and world.
We're all uniquely positioned to "be" the Church right where we're at, right where we live, and with whom we already do life with.... Who is that in your niche' of society?
Ashley Smith Robinson
Hostage Victim: Ashley Smith Robinson
Known around the world as the single mother who was held hostage by Atlanta's courtroom killer, Brian Nichols. Ironically, it was Ashley's less-than-angelic past that helped to convince him to surrender to police.
About The Rest of the Story series:
You won't just learn more about these people but from them. You will hear The Rest of the Story, right here, straight from the source. No middle man.
The headline stories aren't always very good. Sometimes they even get depressing, but train wrecks always draw a crowd. Are there stories of hope to find behind the scandalous headlines? Are the wrecked lives we hear about ever healed?
Here's your chance to hear The Rest of the Story-- right here, straight from the source. Join us for a new 'ripped from the headlines' experience where you won't learn more ABOUT these people but FROM them. Because the best stories are from the people who were there.
The Rest of the Story. No middle man. No censors.
Join us online at live.GCCwired.com on Sundays at noon, 6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. (EST)
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