FINKmonthly - A Faith Inkubators eNewsletter
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 9   Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - September 2008  
No! I Can't Worship With That Screen!
Technology in the church
by Debbie Streicher

Tech in the Church
Most churches have used modern technology in some way for at least two decades. Without it, messages may not have been heard and special events would not have been recorded. There are microphones, cameras, organs, tape recorders, and more.
I think the challenge today is the visual challenge. The screen, the projector, and computers as tools have moved us into an entirely new era of sharing God’s Word for learning and worship today. It can challenge the best of friendships when it means change in the way we teach and in the way we worship.
Some people who disagree with using visual technology in the church see it as entertainment. Let’s take the word apart and reference it in the setting of the church. En means to draw into, ter means land, tain is to hold as in retain.
Our goal when someone enters through our doors should be to draw them into our land and hold them while we teach scripture and share the Good News. Both quiet reflection and clear messages can be done effectively and well with audio and visual technology.
My mother used to say, “Things done by half are never done right.” If we want to truly entertain and draw our people into a relationship with God and with one another, we need to get our technology right and do it well.
Visual technology is part of our world. Can we reach the next generation without it?
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Just Launched! Free Online Bible Song Games
Name That Story; Name That Verse; Memory Match: Cartoon Art; and Memory Match: He Qi Art

Bible Song Games

Four new online games are now available for each Bible Song theme. Current members of Bible Song currently have access to 60 themes.

Go online today and give them a test run.

You can find the "FINKlinks" box on the left-hand side of the front page at www.faithink.com. Enter the unique four-digit FINKlink code for the lesson you are interested in.

FINKlink codes are found in two places. On the hand-out sheet for each lesson and in each chapter of the Bible Song Home Journal.

Once you get to the lesson's FINKlink page, scroll to the bottom and click on “Launch Game” in the Online Games box. If you are not currently a Bible Song member, take a sneak peek at the games from the first theme of The Good News. Click here for a sample set of games.

The online games are a wonderful addition to connecting scripture introduced each week at church to families.  Families are able to play games and reinforce the lesson at home. Dream about how else you can use them. Perhaps at Sunday school in front of the crowd or as a station in a rotational computer lab.

Here is a more detailed description of each game:
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It's the System
News from Head to the Heart Confirmation
by Monty Lysne

James Carville, Bill Clinton's political strategist in the 1992 US presidential election, placed a sign over his desk in campaign headquarters that read, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
 
If anyone needed a reminder about the central theme of the campaign, this brief phrase summed things up. (The past repeats itself, huh?)
 
This month, I’ve taken a few dozen calls and emails from pastors and youth workers across the United States, Canada, and even a few from Australia. Much of the conversation has centered on use of the Head to the Heart (H2H) materials: loading the CD-ROM, getting PowerPoint files to play correctly, etc. I have fielded very few calls about the system or set up of Head to the Heart. So, lest we all forget, a little reminder may be in order (with apologies to Mr. Carville):
 
It’s the system, stupid!
 
OK, I’m a good and proper Midwestern Lutheran, so I won’t be quite as pointed. Just let me say that when summing up the focus of Head to the Heart I would remind all of you:
 
The Faith Inkbuators Membership Community
An online discussion area for members and non-members alike

Faith Inkubators Membership Community

Now that the new year has started, we want to remind you about the Faith Inkbuators Membership Community.

It is an online message board designed to facilitate discussion on a large number of topics.   Feel free to ask questions regarding any of the Faith Inkubators curricula as well as general questions about children- and youth-ministry.

You do not need to be a Faith Inkubators member to participate.   You can browse through the comments right now.

If you would like to leave a question or comment, registration is quick and easy.  (We found that requiring a simple registration has eliminated a lot of the spam that the formerly wide-open message board was attracting.)

Faith Inkubators staff and other ministry experts will take part in discussions and regularly answer questions.

The following discussion areas are currently available:

Head to the Heart Confirmation: Use this area to ask and answer questions related to Faith Inkubators' Head the the Heart Confirmation Ministry, confirmation in general and youth ministry.

Bible Song Sunday School: Use this area to ask and answer questions related to the Bible Song Sunday School Ministry program, Sunday school in general and children's ministry.

Faith Stepping Stones Family Ministry: Use this area to ask and answer questions related to Faith Inkubators' Faith Stepping Stones and Family ministry.

Faith Inkubators Seasonals: Use this area to ask and answer questions related to Faith Inkubators Seasonals including Stewardship, Advent and Lent.

Tech Support: Use this area to post your questions for Tech Support.
 

An Emmy for the Most Challenging Confirmation Kid of My Career
News from the Melheimian Sabbatiblog
by Rich Melheim

Stick around youth ministry long enough and you'll see it all.

Last week I watched my most challenging confirmation student step onto the primetime Emmy Award stage and receive the 2008 award for best drama with his cast of Mad Men.

Rich Sommer was the classic drive-the-pastor crazy kid as a pubescent. He had a smart answer for everything, a mischievous smile on his face at all times (like he was up to something... which he always was), and an endearing way of driving you to consider changing professions or picking up the nearest lead pipe and pummeling him within an inch of his life on regular occasions.

Mad Man describes me pretty well whenever he was in confirmation class or on a youth outing.
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finkMonthly ARCHIVE
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - August 2008
Vol. 6 Issue 8
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - July 2008
Vol. 6 Issue 7
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - June 2008
Vol. 7 Issue 6
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - May 2008
Vol. 6 Issue 5
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - March 2008
Vol. 6 Issue 3
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - February 2008
Vol. 7 Issue 2
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - January 2008
Vol. 7 Issue 1
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - December 2007
Vol. 6 Issue 12
The Faith Inkubators eNewsletter - November 2007
Vol. 5 Issue 11
FINKMonthly - October 2007
Vol. 5 Issue 10
finkMonthly - September 2007
Vol. 5 Issue 9
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Copyright © 2008 Faith Inkubators, Stillwater, MN 55082. All rights reserved. For information on any article in this newsletter, please call Faith Inkubators at 888-55FAITH.
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