Back from Innovate and a note...

So we went to Innovate 2009 last week at Granger Community Church in Granger Indiana.

Man - go to YouTube and look at GCCWIRED videos - 154 from the church. Probably something to offend everyone :)

High points:

I LOVE the children's areas of GCC - they have slides from the main floor to the kids' rooms (which are pretty awesome for adults to slide in too - heh) and they're decorated amazingly - Under the Sea, 321 Penguins, Jungle, Farm, etc. But it's not just aesthetics - we talked to them about curriculum and process and volunteers and...well, let's just say they really have Children's Ministry all together.

The worship was great, of course, but not just because the music was cutting edge (okay, cutting edge for church music) but because it wasn't just about the songs - we prayed, we read scripture, we even had a time of blessing God for the way He's working in a bunch of churches in attendance. I really love the flash that they have going (robotic lights and five - yes FIVE - screens up front - heck their STAGE is as big as our SANCTUARY) but strip that all away - which they did a couple times - and it's still honest and Spirit filled worship of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The speakers were very good. I particularly appreciated Tim Stevens saying that we don't have to be original all the time. In fact, he basically said that originality can become an idol for us - or a point of pride (lookie lookie at what *I* did). Recycle ideas that help to communicate the GOSPEL TRUTH well in your setting. Some won't work for you (I saw a series once that was called Entourage - and the visuals were of clubs and red carpet and velvet ropes and stuff - not exactly Warren County stuff, you know?) some things (many things) SHOULDN'T be done (I don't care how important you think a series on sex is - there are many, many, many bad ways to advertise it and "brand" it for worship - and, really, only a few ways that I would...). But there's a lot of good stuff being done that is, really, just window dressing. I know many churches have riffed on the VH1 show I Love the 80s - opening with an 80s song or something - but taking that idea - of our warm, fuzzy reminiscing of the decade - and pulling out some of the hollowness of the 80s and how that has shaped who we are now...and how God speaks into that in our lives with hope and the Holy Spirit.

Oh, yeah, Shannon O'Dell of Brand New Church was particularly inspiring - with his 31 minus 12 equals 2000 session. Good stuff.

Okay - this is getting long. If you're still with me,

The Low Points:

They have no significant youth ministry - at least not as I think of youth ministry. If any Grangerites read this (FAT chance), correct me if I'm wrong. I guess you have to know your target demographic...but it's just plain weird to me to not have a youth group...

The Film Festival was a little flat for me this year. The entries were all pretty professionally done - but they were a little...cold for me...

A Note:

I promise to post other stuff this week. But if you're bored with this, I've just started a new blog for our church (to begin covering the Big Idea stuff that we're doing - but it may become something else). Anyway, you can surf over to it here.