Planning for the Future

Have you ever wondered what they future holds?  What will your life look like in a few weeks, years?  What will the church look like in those same weeks and years?  

Planning for the future is one of the hardest things to do, but is still very important.  There is no real way of knowing what will happen in the future, but if you plan for some of the bigger possibilities and continue to maintain the equipment and supplies you have, then most likely you will be ready for anything.

At Word of Peace we are currently walking a very fine line with our projection system in the sanctuary.  We installed it 8 years ago and the projectors have been going strong ever since...until recently.  We have replaced the bulbs when needed and cleaned the filters every 2 months or so, and that has helped get us this far.

But recently I have been very worried about replacing them before it is to late.  We have not put this plan into practice yet, but I am hoping that the projectors last till the 2015 budget comes through so we can start in January (fingers crossed).

Here is an example of a plan to keep your projectors in good working order while replacing them PROACTIVELY rather than reactively.

1.  Projectors today are made with shorter lives than even 5 years ago.  The term "they don't make them like they used to" is true in more than one way.  PLAN TO REPLACE YOUR PROJECTOR EVERY 3-5 YEARS. 


2.  If you have multiple projectors, plan a rotation where you replace at least one projector when it's age is between 3-5 years.  

Example:  2015 - replace projector 1

                   2016 - replace projector 2

                   2018 -19 - replace projector 1

                   2019 - 20 - replace projector 2

3.  Don't get rid of the projectors.  Most churches have other uses for projectors elsewhere in the building.  Save the unit and use it in a smaller room somewhere.  The new location will give new life to the image it projects because of the smaller size and less intense ambient light.  

4.  If you have other mounted projectors in the church, consider putting them in the rotation as well.  

Example:  Sanctuary projector is replaced.  Old sanctuary unit is moved to the youth room.  Youth room projector is moved to a rolling cart.  Then repeat this process the next time a new unit is purchased.  Then recycle the unit on the cart.  

This rotation will also help you be good stewards of the money donated to the church.  Rather than dropping a huge chunk of change for a whole new system, you budget a smaller amount each year to keep the rotation up to date.

We use our projectors for every service (4) and confirmation during the year.  It is a vital part to our ministry that would be missed if it were to break.  I hope we can start the rotation in 2015 and I hope you never have to scramble to find a quick replacement. 

God Bless,

The Summer Lull

Is there really such thing as a summer lull?  It seems to me like the moment things start to "slow down" you are already ramping back up for the start of the school year.  

I was looking through the newspaper the other day and noticed that the ads for dorm room decorations and school supplies and could hardly believe it.  Summer is half over but there is still a great half left and more than enough time to be enriched and inspired for the stressful months just around the corner.

Here are a few things that I do in order to take full advantage of the summer down time.

1.  Read

This is some of the best advice I have.  There is hardly time for me to read anything during the busy times.  I alway get pulled away from what I intend to do for something more pressing.  Reading articles about visual arts, music, worship and creativity are tons of fun and very inspiring.  They help with great ideas and I have time to sit and think about them.  maybe even hash out a few details.  While you are reading don't forget to...

2.  Take notes

Write down your thoughts.  Type them out.  Draw pictures.  Whatever works for you is what you need to do before you forget those amazing thoughts you just had.  Keeping track of the different things you discover is a vital part to reading.  I go through so many different articles that I can hardly remember where it came from let alone what the idea was if I don't find a way to document it.  I love Steno notebooks and good ol' Microsoft Word.

3.  Clean and Organize

The other hard thing for me in the midst of a year and stress is finding time to organize and clean up from the multitude of messes I created during the year.  Luckily I found some wonderful friends that also like to clean and so we made it a day and a half together.  The result was freeing.  Starting fresh with organization at the end of August is a great way to start the new school year off.  

4.  Pilot new programs or ideas.

For some strange reason people seem to be more open to the idea of new things during the summer.  There is a relaxed mood and willingness to spend time on something never tried before when the weather is warm and days are longer.  Try new music in worship, find some fun decorations to use during the 20+ Sundays of Pentecost.  Be sure to get solid feedback from people as well to see how they liked or disliked what was done.  This will be a huge boost to the ideas and programs you plan to do in the fall.

5.  Visit other churches for inspiration

In the end we are all in this together and each church is different.  There are different people, communities and building as well as ways to minister to members of the congregation.  What I need to remind myself is that no church is perfect and has it all right.  They may be doing some amazing things that could be adapted for your own congregation, but don't forget the ADAPT part.  Taking a program or ministry or even a simple decoration and recreating it and then expecting the exact same result is pretty crazy.  Look at the benefits and key point in what they are doing and then se how they fit into your church's vision and mission first.  

Summer is a wonderful time to relax and dream.  I encourage you to do just that.  Otherwise there might not be time during the school year.  And that leads to burnout.  

God Bless you in your summer and take advantage of it before it's too late.