connecting the unconnected

Faith Center Aloha Foursquare

2008-11-19T10:54:00.001-08:00

I heard about a local church that meets in a small commercial space and I decided to stop in unannounced to check it out. I met Pastor Rich Marshall from Faith Center (The Foursquare Church of Aloha) and he gave me a tour and talked about their experiences in the space over the past year. They had been portable for several years before finding this place.

You can view the photos here:

Possible Location

2008-11-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

The commercial real estate property in Portland is pretty bad. In the past couple weeks, Church! at bethany has received three unsolicited proposals from property managers. We are looking at one possibility and are trying to figure out how to make it happen. It would be a 5-year lease.

The rent is 3x what we are paying currently at Stoller Middle School however we would have 24/7 access and could sublease the facility during the week to a daycare or something. We would need additional monthly income in order to make it happen. It's small (5,600sf) but it could work for us if we go to multiple services. It is in a great location with 25,000 cars passing each day.

Because we are a new startup we would probably have to come up with $40,000+ buildout costs. This would be a HUGE obstacle to us but God has provided thus far and we This kind of space is a logical next step as purchasing land and building a small facility costs millions!

Please pray that God would give us wisdom and provision as we pursue this possibility.

Please consider giving a donation at: www.squidoo.com/donate2churchatbethany

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church

2008-11-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

I love that the church can make fun of itself. I found this on YouTube:

Brandon Roy's Overtime Shot

2008-11-07T07:58:00.001-08:00

I am really enjoying my Blazer season tickets! This was the best end of a game I've ever seen.

Church in a Box

2008-10-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

We have been VERY happy with our equipment from Portable Church Industries! After two years of loading and unloading there has been very little wear and tear. We set up in about 45 minutes because of their stuff!

I got this email from my friend Kendra who works at PCI: "Portable Church Industries is pleased to announce a daughter company - Church in a Box Solutions (CBS). Specializing in the under $40K equipment budget, CBS will provide full systems for New Church Plants, Missions Projects and Mobile Ministries of any kind. With Design Packages as low as $18K, CBS is designed for church planters with a vision for volunteer care, a vision for efficiency and a need for lower up-front costs. Call our offices today for more information 877.8. IN A BOX!"

Undefeated Westview JV Blue

2008-10-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Kyle is playing football again this year on the Westview 7th grade JV Blue team. He has a great team that is lead by GREAT coaches. The team won 34-0 on Saturday and finished the regular season 8-0! They start the playoffs this Saturday and are ready to win the championship!

I have learned so much about football and leadership this year watching their practices and games. I volunteered to do the stats so that I can be on the sideline and listen in to the strategy. It's been a fun season!

ChurchMetrics

2008-10-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

LifeChurch.tv just announced a new FREE product for churches called ChurchMetrics. It helps you keep tabs on attendance, giving, salvations, and baptisms through easy-to-understand charts and reports. They developed it because they wanted a simple way to monitor patterns in these areas at all of their campuses. They also wanted a simple way to input the data on the weekends without having to pass around and share Excel spreadsheets. They’ve found that having quick access to this data helps churches see where they need to make adjustments to stay on course with their mission. They also have a mobile features that allow you to both update and view information from any web enabled mobile phone.

To keep ChurchMetrics streamlined and simple, they’ve limited the app to track four core areas: attendance, giving, salvations and baptisms. So instead of trying to replace your contact management system or church membership software, ChurchMetrics is focused on giving you and your team an easy, straightforward place to add, access, and learn from the numbers at your church.

We have been using it at Church! at bethany for a couple weeks and LOVE it! The best thing is that all kinds of churches will benefit: new churches, old churches, small churches, big churches, churches with one campus, churches with a bazillion campuses. And it's FREE!

Try it out, tell your friends!

Worship

2008-10-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

I observed an amazing thing on Sunday. I saw my 13-year old son Kyle engaged in worship! I'm glad I had my iPhone handy to capture it. It's cool to see him growing as a Christ-follower!

I may be the Lead Pastor of Church! at bethany but my job as a husband and father comes first.

Get Connected Class

2008-10-21T15:14:00.001-07:00

On Sunday after church we had our Get Connected Class. It was our first class in about 9 months. We've had several new families attend over the past few weeks so we thought it would be a good thing to invite them to learn about our Vision and Values.

12 adults attended which is a high percentage of our weekly adult attendance. I think free pizza had something to do with it!

It was great hearing everyone's spiritual journey stories. From no church background to Catholic to Baptist to Buddhist. It was also good to share where we've been and where we are going as a church!

It is so important for church planters to revisit their values often. We are a totally different church than we were when we started two years ago!! It's good to be reminded of our values as we move closer to being self-supporting.

It is going to be great watching what God does through our new families!

Church! at bethany values:

The Word and the World

God's Word (the Bible) is our guide, providing us not only with a map for our journey, but also with stories of fellow travelers who have gone before us. As we journey through life, we look to God's Word for authority, instruction, encouragement, and direction. We look to the Word to guide our next steps.

We also recognize that God's Word is an ancient book, originally written thousands of years ago to people thousands of miles away. The message of the Bible is unchanging and at Church! we are committed not just to the authority of the Word for our journey, but to expressing the ancient message of the Word in ways that will clearly communicate to our postmodern world.

Maturing and Multiplying

The traditional church measures success by three things: bodies, budgets, and buildings. At Church! we believe that success is measured by a different standard: changed lives . We know that God is in the business of maturing: us, changing us from the inside-out, forming and shaping us to be more and more like his Son Jesus.

God is also in the business of multiplying. He doesn't just want us to follow Him more; He wants more of us to follow Him. At Church! we want to partner with God to make more followers, more leaders, more small groups, and more churches.

Gathering and Going

Originally the word "church" referred to a community with a mission - not to a building. At Church! we don't go to church, we want to be the church. We gather together on weekends to celebrate what God is doing in our lives and to worship Him. Throughout the week in small groups we help each person connect with God and others.

We know that God doesn't just want to work in us; He wants to work through us. He want us to bring light, love, truth, and beauty to a world that is so often dominated by darkness and despair. So we go out into our community and world to contribute-to make a difference.

High-Tech and High-Touch

Years ago finding the way involved a map and a compass - today you're just as likely to use a GPS system linked to a series of satellites orbiting far above the earth. At Church! we believe that God wants us to use technology for good. We are committed to being high-tech - not for technology's sake - but to better communicate to today's generations.

We also recognize that there's a potential downside to technology. Used incorrectly, it can isolate us from real relationships with others. The constant interruptions of cell phones, Blackberrys, or pagers can deprive us of the solitude and silence that we need in order to hear God. That's why we're also committed to being high-touch.

Our whole approach to Church! is built not just on gathering together in a large group on Sunday mornings, but on connecting in real relationships in small groups that meet throughout the week. We aim to never forget that the greatest commandment is all about love - loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

WITH Photo Hunt

2008-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Join the With Photo Hunt!

Take photos with your friends and neighbors, invite them to our current series “With”, and you could win an iPod!

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this competition is to create buzz and generate interest in our current series With. Additionally, we hope you will tell your friends and neighbors about the series as you participate in this photo scavenger hunt. Plus, it’s fun! Competition ends October 22, 2008.

RULES:

The game is open to competitors of all ages. Each category of “with pics” has a point value.
You may submit as many photos from each category as you wish. Your point totals will be compiled using your email address. You must use the same email address each time in order to get your points. We will not combine points from multiple email addresses. You must appear in the photo ‘with’ the subject.

SUBMISSIONS:

Photos can only be submitted via email to churchatbethany(@)yahoo(dot)com. JPEG images only, 5MB file size limit. Photos should be taken in 2008 only. Photoshopped or doctored photos will be looked upon with much disgrace and shame. Church! at bethany is not responsible for any risks gamers take in capturing photos for the contest.

PRIZES:

We will award first, second, and third places prizes for the top three competitors. First prize will received a NEW 8GB iPod Nano, second prize: two Portland Trailblazer tickets, third prize: $20 Starbucks card.

The competition ends on October 22, 2008 at 1pm. Winners must respond to an award email within 24-hours, or the prize will go to the next competitor. The winners will be presented with their prizes during the service on October 26th. If the winner does not attend Church! at bethany or is not available, we will mail them their prize.

Take pictures of YOU with:

Your neighbor, co-worker, or friend (50 pts) - Don’t forget to invite them to the series! We will have extra postcards to give you.
A household pet (10 pts) – Yours or your neighbor’s
A zoo animal (30 pts) - any captive animal of your choice!
A law enforcement official (40 pts) - a police officer or firefighter.
A mayor (60 pts) – the mayor of your town
Matt Payne (20 pts)
Jenni Clayville (20 pts)
TV/film/sports/music celebrity (250 pts) – current or retired*
Phil Knight (founder of Nike) or Paul Allen (Trailblazer owner) (500 pts). Must be a current photo.

*It will be really difficult to determine the famousness of the person you get a photo with. So please add in your description who they are, we’ll look them up, and if they seem famous enough to be worth these points… then we’ll award the points. But ultimately, it’s totally up to us if your person is famous enough.

Check out the photos so far: Church! at bethany on Flickr.

Happy Birthday Church! at bethany

2008-10-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we celebrated our 2nd Birthday as a church. Here is the video we put together to remember the last year. I made the video so its not great but iMovie 08 was pretty easy to use.

Giving vs Receiving

2008-10-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

As I talk to the business community I am amazed at the perception of churches in our area. When I tell people that I lead a church their immediate response is to give me an idea on how our church could raise funds. Well intentioned people believe that the Church should RECEIVE funds from the community to fund its internal programs!

This is backward!!

God asks His Church (people) to be priority, percentage givers. We use those funds to take care of internal needs and GIVE to the community. The community should RECEIVE from the church and not be asked to GIVE toward the internal needs of the Church.

Because of this belief we will be GIVING the money we RECEIVED from the Squidoo Charity Giveaway to help meet needs in our community. We won't take the money (over $900) and spend it on our internal needs even though we are a new church and have budgets to meet. We will use the money to bless our community. Our budget needs to be met by the offerings from within the church.

I Need Your Help

2008-09-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

Go to http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-charity-giveaway and vote for Church! at bethany. We get $2 for every vote. Please only vote once.

Back to Stoller Middle School

2008-09-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we moved back to Stoller Middle School. During the month of July and August we changed locations and times to accommodate the school's cleaning schedule. It was a good break for the summer but I am GLAD to be back!!

We decided to add some elements to our environment to make it look and feel better. We meet in the cafeteria which has an institutional feel to it so thanks to Beaverton Christian Church we added pipe and drape around the sides!!

Our original video screen was the one thing that was stolen when our trailer was lost and then found so for the past couple years we have been using a smaller one. Thanks to Matt Reece and The Path we have TWO new large screens that we can use!!

Another change is that Jenni Clayville is now on staff and leading worship for us!! Jenni did a great job on Sunday and I'm excited to continue to work with her!

If you live in the area come check us out at 10:30 AM at the Stoller Middle School. Click here for directions.

Video Game Church

2008-09-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Someone forwarded me this comic and said they thought of me. Starting a video game church sounds awesome!!

Go to Crtl+Alt+Del for more comics.

First Day Back to School

2008-09-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

School has finally started here in Oregon.

Kyle is in 7th grade and Ally is in 5th grade.

We've already started the craziness that is school, sports and other events. This should be a fun year!

WITH

2008-08-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

In October we are starting a message series entitled, WITH. We will send out direct mail pieces at the end of September inviting people to come check us out. Here is what the front of the two postcards look like.

A HUGE thanks goes to Joel Day at TWEAK.

Portland CityFest

2008-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Jesus Golf Shot

2008-08-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yearbook Yourself

2008-08-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

I should have been working today but I found YearBookYourself. Here is what my yearbook photo would have looked like during these years.

Church Marketing Plan

2008-08-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

We are trying several marketing things this Fall. I thought I'd share what we are doing. Portland is definitely a tough market as 87% of the people do not attend church.

I remember hearing that it is better for a church to spend the majority of its yearly marketing budget within a 3-4 week time period as opposed to splitting it up evenly over the course of the year. As you can see below we are doing that this year.

1) Direct Mail. We are sending two postcards to every household in a 3-mile radius. This equals about 28,000 households. We have sent 9 postcards out to this area in two years. It has been 9 months since our last mailing. We have found that Fall is definitely the best time to send them out. These postcards have raised awareness of our new church in the community. We have no building or permanent signage yet when I talk to people they know about us because of the postcards. We do have several families who have come as a result of the postcards. $10,000 budget. We would like to do 3 or 4 postcards this Fall but don't have the money to do it.

2). Signage. The Somerset Christian Church has allowed us the past couple months to put 3 big signs on their property. We will keep these signs up for the next couple months while we are mailing the postcards. The signs have caused a little confusion as some have thought that we took over their church. We haven't! :) We will also blanket the community with yard signs during the time we send out the postcards. The cost: $800

3) Beaverton Chamber Map. The Beaverton Chamber puts together a Beaverton map ever 3 or 4 years. This map is given to people when they are inquiring about the area. The map highlights the school boundaries and since the boundaries have just changed there is high demand this time. The schools will be passing the maps out to all the families in the school district. We have a business card size ad on the map side. We are the only church advertising. We also will have a link to our website on the Village Profile community map. $1000.

4) Westview Football. We are sponsors of the Westview High School Football Team which is the largest high school in the state. We will have a sign on the football field during the whole season. We will also have a business card size ad on the football team poster as well as a link from their website. We are the only church advertising with the team. Football season coincides with the timing of our postcards. $500.

5) Westside Young Professionals. We are sponsoring the September meeting of this group of young professionals. Cost $300

6) Bethany Village Concerts. We had a table setup during both nights of the concerts. We had tattoos for the kids as well as a bean bag toss game with candy rewards. We passed out over 700 bookmarks with our logo and website. Cost. $350

Total cost: $13,000

If you would like to help us connect the unconnected in Bethany please consider going to our website and clicking the Donate Now button at the bottom of the page.

Summer Slump

2008-08-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

Last year we faced our first summer as a church and it nearly took us down. We lost a staff member as well as several families. We dropped from 150 average attendance in May to 40 in August. I had several people meet with me and express their concern that the church wasn't going to make it. I assured them that what we were going through was normal and that come Fall things would pick up. After my meeting with them I would pray, "PLEASE God help things pick up in the Fall."

This summer we have experienced a drop in attendance again but we have handled it differently. Through our transition to Sunday night we now meet in a smaller location so it doesn't feel as bad as it did last summer.

Another thing we have done this year that we failed to do last year is schedule opportunities for community service. It has sometimes been difficult to get people to participate because of their busy summer schedules but it has been a great experience!

The big thing I have done differently is in my communication. Last August I was discouraged and let it show. I let the morale drop. Since the middle of July I have been talking a lot about the Fall. We have had meetings in the downtime of summer to plan for the future. My message series in August is all about preparing us as a church for the Fall. This forward focus has allowed us to look up from the dog days of summer and get excited about what God is going to do in September.

It has still been discouraging at times but we are in a much better place than last year!

Welcome Jenni Clayville

2008-08-07T10:30:00.001-07:00

I am excited to announce that we are hiring Jenni Clayville part-time to be our Director of Worship!! She brings an amazing amount of talent, experience and passion for leading people in worship. She has been the Director of Student Worship at Sunset Presbyterian. Her husband is Brian and her son is Chance. She is also expecting in November so she will fit right in!

She is a blogger and Twitter user. Click here to follow her.

3-Day Vacation

2008-07-30T18:54:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from our 3-day trip to the Oregon Coast. What a beautiful place!

2008-07-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

One of the many reasons its great to live in Oregon. The circle is where I live. Starbucks just opened one more store in this area.