Mid-Week Mind Dump

It's funny how often I've got several little thing rattling around and I need to jot them down somewhere. I think this just became my new somewhere :)

• Tonight we had a wildly enthusiastic response from our newly formed "Youth Smallgroup" that they want the group to continue. It made Steph smale...and that made me smile
• We had our highest ever "regular attendance" this Sunday. Is it just because I'm talking about sex? :)
• I'm crazy excited about our new "Hunting" series in November. Invite cards, yard signs, and the banner are almost done, stage themeing, and all the parts of the hunters pancake feed are in place...I can't wait to see our church full of guys in blaze orange! Check the Graphic!
• I currently have 12 more loads of laundry to do before the weekend...yup...it's gonna kill me.
• Prayer tonight was rockin...but we need more person-to-person prayer in our services, I'm going to have to work on that.
• Several sources are pushing me towards taking an offering on Sunday mornings...I hate it but that doesn't mean that it's the wrong decision.
• The YOUversion of the Bible online is awesome...and it's about time someone did those pieces right.

See you guys Sunday (or maybe Friday Night around the bonfire :)

Christian Telemarketers?

It's funny all the things you learn when you start a church. I had no Idea that the average church attendance and giving drops by half in the summer. That the most non-traditional people expect churches to be the MOST traditional place on earth, and that most churches get 4-12 telemarketing calls per day. When I actually started sitting at the church office working (something I loathe to do, but sometimes must) I discovered that the phone rings A LOT. Each time my naive cheery greeting is met with a cold scripted nasal voice expounding the virtues of some chair or carpet or curriculum that is supposed to have my city lining up at our doors. To date, all of the products have been as unimpressive as the telemarketing firm that pedals them. All except one that is. A month or so ago, I got a friendly call from a representative from bluefishtv.com. The guy was warm, personable and actually interested in our church. He had surfed to our church website and was asking me questions about our events and programs and I actually believed he cared. After a brief intro he offered to send me a large package of videos to help with our church and said if I liked them I could pay for them and if not they would send me a free shipping label. I reluctantly agreed, got the videos, watched them and then called to get the label, mostly because I didn't want to find the budget for a large box that I might only use part of. when I called back to get the label, the next guy told me to KEEP THEM! Wacky...this one is one of their best...I'll be watching this company....