1. Pray for the people in Haiti.
2. Pray for our pastor of disaster relief Jerry Davis and our team as they go into Haiti and direct our relief effort.
3. Give to the relief effort to provide water filtration systems and other needed relief supplies to the people of Haiti.
Working through the principle – What we do effects everything. We can have a positive impact on this world or the inverse – and it’s our choice. What impact are you having on the world around you? What we are doing today will eventually filter down to the next generation. It will. You can bet on it. Ripple Effect. Starting this weekend @woodlandschurch
It all starts this November 2009!
Join us for this LIVE Online Event // Pastor Kerry Shook and Woodlands Church services online! If you are in the area join us at one of our three locations in The Woodlands, Atascocita or Tomball.
Or if you are elsewhere join us for our BETA test of Church Online and let us know what you think. http://live.woodlandschurch.tv/ Saturday 6:00pm or Sunday 9:30, 11:00am or Wednesday at 9:00am.
See you on campus or online!
Wow, great article posted front page on the Sunday, October 11 Houston Chronicle Newspaper. “Praise for Technology: Tweeting during church services receives blessings from pastors.” Really excited that Pastor Kerry jumped in and is experimenting with new technologies and connecting with the congregation. I am still amazed and how church is viewed and how this sort of thing might create controversy in the public. Check out the comments and the rest of the article here: http://www.chron.com/disp/discuss.mpl/metropolitan/6662287.html
Seems to be a bit of a controversy Tweeting in church. What do you think? Cast YOUR VOTE. Also, fun note: just got off the phone with my other half and she said this is the main article on the front page of the printed edition!! Amazing. Give a quick hello to Pastor Kerry via Twitter and maybe follow Woodlands Church if you want to track with us.
Great article! Your comments and thoughts can be posted via the huge button below.
Great word this weekend from the “Pleasers, Perfectionists, Procrastinators and other people like me” series. Control Freaks is the topic. So which are you? I really identify with all of them at one time or another but recently I seem to fit into the “Worry wart“. Seriously, have I always been that way and just never noticed?
Just in the past year I have really began to experience the consequences for being a control freak. I seem to be very frustrated, fatigued and honestly feel like I am failing. So what now? Lately, I feel like God is just trying to show me how to do well with what I have been given, with what is right in front of me. Make sense, but harder than it sounds. My mind tends to stay 2-5 years ahead of where we are and if I/we are not making progress towards those goals, dreams and the vision then I panic. Still working on this and other things. Feel better just writing it down though. Peace.
Oh yes, types of Control Freaks just in case you can’t read my writing:
Are you a Control Freak? Comments from You
Woodlands Church will be joined by Trade as One September 19th and 20th for a fair trade market. Pastor Kerry and Chris Shook will be interviewing Nathan George, the founder of Trade as One, to learn how our community can make a difference in communities around the world while transforming individual lives and entire families. The Trade as One fair trade market is an extension of our Missions Ministry which is led by Chris Shook.
Trade as One is a fair trade organization that connects American churchgoers to the working poor all over the world. For three weekends, from September 20th-October 4th, Trade as One will be at Woodlands Church, giving everyone in our community a chance to learn more about how we can use our regular spending to bring hope and restoration to some of the darkest corners of the world. Fair trade allows people to give unique, high-quality gifts to family and friends— while giving hope and income to the poor.
http://tradeasone.com/blog/ or http://www.woodlandschurch.tv
Really enjoying Interactive worship and the online experience today. I went to church this morning at http://live.lifechurch.tv/ and heard from Christine Caine from Hillsong. She spoke about the tough reality of slavery today; 27 million people are caught up in slavery. She specifically spoke of sex trade of women and gave several examples of her encounter with girls and women who were kidnapped or sold into this cruel business.
This is a very tough topic and I instantly stopped to pray about what God wants us to do; wants me to do to help. I then began to be very thankful for the opportunity to hear Christine’s story. To hear the other girls story to learn through an online experience. Then I started to think about the thousands of others who have had a similar experience. This is possible because we are learning to become more interactive; engaging; we are learning to be more like Christ. He is giving favor to those who are exploring new areas to deliver the word and His hope.
I am writing all this thinking about the investment that Woodlands Church is making to be more Interactive Next weekend a whole new level of interaction will take place. You will love the leaders behind this new experience, join Kerry Shook, Justin Keller and many more passionate and driven Christ followers and experience something fresh and unique. Find out more at @WoodlandsChurch or #SundayPM. This is just the start. I feel like I want to pour everything I have into creating an online interactive experience, a place where people get excited about and will inspire action and change. I am praying for a fresh perspective and approach to doing what Christ called me to do; us to do.
Would love to hear what you have experienced recently that excited you that you want to learn more about. What new areas are you exploring in the next few months? How are you making this world a better place? I am asking myself the very same questions.
What do you feel compelled to right now? Anything? Let us know here.
Recently our Senior Pastor Kerry Shook challenged our congregation to step up and meet an overwhelming need for shoes in our community. Over 6,000 pairs of shoes were given sacrificially that weekend. Just a few weeks later we began receiving reports of churches offering similar challenges to their congregations.
Pastor sparks spontaneous shoe giveaway for charity
CHAPIN, SC (WIS) – Hundreds of people in Chapin are helping others survive in ’09, donating shoes to a local homeless shelter. The congregation took the phrase ‘give someone the shirt off your back’ literally. Dress shoes, tennis shoes, sandals, flip flops, boots. Shoes of all shapes, all sizes and from all walks of life. It’s the result of a challenge from a pastor. “Not someday, but today. We’re going to do something right now to conclude this service that is a today action,” says Pastor Jody Flowers. Flowers encouraged the congregation in Sunday’s sermon to take action that would affect their community. The mission was to provide shoes to the Oliver Gospel Mission in Columbia. But rather than walk away from church with a plan to do it later in the week, he encouraged them to do it right at that moment. The staff supported the challenge. “Someday, I’m going to do this. Someday. And talking about that someday today, that you go ahead and do it right now. There’s nothing stopping us doing it right now,” says Pastor Paul Allen.
And then Pastor Flowers took off his own shoes and laid them at the alter.
“To really capture the opportunities of doing things now and not putting them off and doing things that truly are meaningful and touch people’s lives,” says Allen. Then one by one, members of the congregation walked up to the alter, took off their shoes and gently set them down, knowing someone in need would later put them on.
“Yesterday, we took it to a new level of not what can we do this week, but what can we do right now, immediately,” says Allen.
The motivation behind the challenge coincides with a series the church is focusing on right now called “One Month to Live,” based on the book.
Read full article and watch video here: http://www.onemonthtolive.com/news.asp
Walk the Talk Challenge Info Here: http://bethemessage.com/shoes/
Jury is still out but so far I really dig the ripples soulpancake.com is making. Very cool use of social media blogging, etc. Truly worth a visit. @WoodlandsChurch has been posting great discussion questions there. Jump in, it’s fine.
Here’s a quick screen grab of Rainn Wilson’s SoulPancake.com #soulpancake. The site encourages deep, real discussion. Love the angle. Mostly, I am seeing a lot of bickering but some really good comments here and there. Careful not to confuse “spiritivity” with following Christ. Fine line. Know where it is.
The summer internship that is hotter than your mom’s dog. NO LIMITS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2009. If that makes no sense to you at all and you still want to jump in and contribute/learn design, marketing or internet (and ministry), begin shopping here: http://www.woodlandschurch.tv/nlip – Apply early and often, three spots go quick. Cya.
Oh yea, be ready to submit your work online. If you don’t have an online portfolio you can upload some images or art to any one of these: http://www.creativemyk.com or http://www.flickr.com or http://www.tumblr.com/.
Still compiling notes from some outstanding talks with amazing leaders this week. To quickly summarize the things that stood out the most are vision, energy, strategy and execution. They all have it, they all live it and they all expect it. If we are going to be effective in the marketplace, ministry or anywhere for that matter – we need to lead. Check out the line-up below, blog posts to come this week.
Part I
Glenn Gienko
Motorola
Executive Human Resources – Retired
Topic: “Leading with Strategy & Integrity” – (Talk plus Q&A – Half Day)
Part II
Bobby Gruenwald, Terry Storch, Craig Groeshel, John Otjen
LifeChurch.tv
Pastors, Digerati & Innovation Team
Topic: “Innovation, Technology, Church Online & More” – (Round table and Tour 2-Days)
Part III
Kerry Shook
WoodlandsChurch.tv
Senior Pastor and Best Selling Author One Month to Live
Topic: “Capturing the wonder of an untamed God.” (Staff Refresh 1-Day)
Stay tuned. Can’t wait. Peace.
Check out this great article on Church’s going mobile by Daniel Darnell at Collide Magazine.
Whether you’re an iPhone hater or an avid user, you must admit it is one of the most revolutionary devices of our time. With its innovative multi-touch screen, simple user interface, App Store, and Internet capabilities, the iPhone has forever changed the mobile phone market.
With this change comes a whole new way of communicating and accessing information on the go. It’s never been easier to check the weather, contact a friend, or find a cup of coffee near you. The question, then, is how the Church will respond to this easy accessibility of information?
A few churches, including LifeChurch.tv and New Hope Christian Fellowship, are leading the way by creating iPhone-friendly applications and websites. Though the idea may sound simple, the current popularity of the iPhone (and smart phones in general), along with the exponentially growing market, make the mobile Web an important tool to help reach and inform the people of your church and beyond. Apple reports that more than 10 million iPhones have been sold worldwide (not including this holiday season’s sales), while their App Store has facilitated more than 300 million downloads. The new mobile frontier holds great potential and must be utilized by the Church.
http://www.collidemagazine.com/article/177/the-mobile-friendly-church
Series art for “Where The Wild Things Are” Capturing the Wonder of an Untamed God. We had a ton of fun shooting for this one. The original story was written by Maurice Sendak. You can check out the new movie trailer here http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/. Woodlands Church is kicking off the new series right after Easter! The video team is working on the promo video now and we should have a link soon to preview. By the way, the kids in the shot are Blakers and Savannah, they did an amazing job. Also, we had a seriously talented team involved in this project: Justin Keller, Roy Ford, Toby Canning and Charles Booth. Very very fun. Here are some shots.
One more. Kinda blurry but still cool.
Geoff McFetridge did all of the hand-drawn title sequencing for the upcoming release of Spike Jonze’s, “Where The Wild Things Are” full length feature film.
Kind of cool to bump into similar design work every now and then but this one is way to close to call. Here is our theory on how this happened. Several months ago our Creative Director Justin designed some concepts that were influenced by the movie “Duplicity” but his concepts look nothing like the art style above.
Several months later, I threw together a quick design based on some influence by Hillsong.com and Justin’s new direction and came up with the design above (right) for Men’s Backpacking 2009. 360′d back to the original art, almost.
Funny stuff. What’s your take on the whole deal? Stealing or subconscious flow of creativity?
Check out the request for proposals for creatives. Interesting projects and grants for organizations investing in expanding the creative arts; film, photography, design and more. The site also covers projects for technology, research and development, government, professional; all kinds of cool stuff. I bet Woodlands Church could apply for the $15,000 short film grant for creating educational programs promoting film. Anyway, good stuff, good site.
Check it out here: http://www.rfpdb.com/view/home/category/Creative
Highway 242, The Woodlands, Texas – Waters Receding, on my way to Saturday Night services just after Hurricane Ike moved north.
Hurricane Ike Hit us Friday Night with about 70 to 100 MPH winds; trees fell, power went out and life seemed to stop for about 24/48 hours. Woodlands Church however pushed forward and held services as promised Saturday evening at 6:00pm. About 400 brave people decided join us for services (without power) in the Chapel in The Woods. Pretty cool service actually. Afterward we held sign-ups for those who needed help with trees, food, water, ice, etc and those who were able to get out early and start helping. Since then we have cleared over 100 homes of trees and debris, distributed over 50,000 meals, hundreds of thousands of bottled water, not sure about the hot meals, I think about 15,000 to 20,000 so far and we are just getting started.
Check out more information on what we are doing to help the community get back to par.
http://www.fotw.org/main/connect/churchimpact/
Yes, we are open for Church services this weekend. Our Church is located just north of Houston, Texas. During the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina($41 Billion in damage) and Rita we had hundreds and thousands of people come across our campus seeking shelter, food, water, restrooms and just a break from the gridlock traffic on I-45 north.
In the past twelve hours Hurricane Ike decided to take a turn pointing directly at the Galveston and Houston area. This morning Pastor Kerry called an emergency meeting and we quickly worked out an action plan for the predicted impact and devastation. We have listed six areas on the website at www.woodlandschurch.tv, we also integrated a church staff text communication process that will allow us to communicate internally regarding action items and updates. You can track with us on the website and also via twitter http://www.twitter.com/woodlandschurch.
Overall the evacuation is going well, much more organized. Mayor Bill White and Houston city officials have done an excellent job with communicating and evacuating appropriate areas. The storm is expected to make landfall early Saturday morning about 1:00am. My grandmother and Aunt have decided to stay at home in League City, Texas. I think they will be fine, but this will be a rough storm to ride out that close to the coast. What’s interesting is that we just move my Aunt Carol from Texas City, Texas (just north of Galveston) here to our neighborhood. Well she is actually staying with us for a couple of weeks until her house closes. Always fun to have a hurricane party!
If you would like to make an impact with us; large or small; you can check out areas where we are focusing relief here: http://www.woodlandschurch.tv/
Related: The Weather Channel
On Twitter: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=hurricane+ike
It is time. The Woodlands Church Northwest Campus preview service is tonight 6pm at Concordia High School! Myra’s family is excited about the new church opening there in the Klein/249/Tomball area. They have visited the Fellowship Campus off and on for the past 4 years and they have always said, “We just wish you guys were closer.” We’ll now we are! Going to be very cool to launch the new campus on the Northwest side of town. We have over 800 people join us at the Woodlands Church East Campus launch in Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita area this time last year. We will see what tonight looks like! God is amazing, He get’s all the credit. It is just amazing to see the vision come to reality! Good work guys.
Keep up with the updates via http://www.Twitter.com/WoodlandsChurch or http://www.woodlandschurch.tv! Very very very exciting. Pray that this new location reaches thousands for Christ this year!
Excellent new series at Woodlands Church. Fresh, Reviving Stale Faith. To the ancients, daily life included spiritual disciplines such as meditation, silence, fasting and confession. Our modern world has all but abandoned these time-honored principles, giving way to overcrowded agendas, busy schedules and a fast-paced existence. In this powerful new series, Pastor Kerry Shook explores these ancient disciplines and reveals the irony of how old patterns of the past can become new practices that promise to revive a faith that is stale. Come hear how a return to the past can bring great reward to the present!
Link here: http://www.woodlandschurch.tv or http://www.fotw.org
