I sit here typing to you from my couch. I'm still wearing what I wore to bed last night, and haven't yet taken a shower. So far, it's been an exceptionally wonderful down day. Unfortunately, this is the first time it's happened in what seems like months, and I'm not alone. Leslie, Mike, Jack, Matt and I seem to be heading in a thousand different directions in our lives, and scheduling a time to get together (via conference call) and put some more life into the Church is Alive proved to be difficult.
But we finally did it. In fact, we even had a follow-up brainstorming session a week later. Considering our individually hectic lives, I personally consider it a notable accomplishment. We are aware, however, of our on-again, off-again relationship with you. Sometimes it seems we're in your inbox every day, other times it seems like weeks since you've heard a peep from the Church is Alive. Please know that we're aware, and that we plan on doing something about it.
We're growing. At least, we're in the initial stages of growing. In addition to accepting submissions (we'll always do that!), we plan on having a group of 8-18 regular contributors, each posting every few months or so. This should keep things fresh and exciting, as well as holding to our roots as a user-generated content platform (buzzwords!).
So, what do you think? Could this evolving concept of the Church is Alive fly? Are you itching to to be a regular contributor? We don't wanna be falling off the face of the earth anymore.
Some of you might have noticed we've been a little lax in posting lately, but while we haven't been writing we have been doing quite a bit of thinking! Two topics have been on our minds this summer: 1) the 219th PCUSA General Assembly and 2) the question of what we - and you - want the church to be.
But what does this mean, you ask? Well, here's the rundown on how these topics will impact The Church is Alive:
Firstly: The 219th General Assembly - a.k.a. "GA" - of the Presbyterian Church (USA) - a.k.a. the PC(USA) - kicked off 2 days ago in Minneapolis. This is a big deal for us at CiA (that's our fun acronym - use it :D) as many of us call this denomination home, but it is also a real-world example of a group of people deciding what they want "church" to be. To clarify: GA is a gathering of people who want to keep the PC(USA) alive and well by deciding on its future endeavors. This, of course, affects all of us, including other denominations - we all pay attention to and learn from each other!
Naturally, we here at the CiA wanted to be at the center of this actions. As such, we placed a few friends of the CiA on the ground at GA who will be sending us updates and reflections from the GA floor for the next couple weeks. (Hopefully we'll get a few of those up soon! Check back!)
Secondly: We don't want to just hear from the PC(USA) General Assembly - we want to hear from YOU! We'll be posting a whole slew of blog posts on this topic all summer (and, if you want to submit a blog post yourself, click here and let us know!), but we encourage all of you to check out the right side of the Church is Alive homepage. Just click on the question mark and send us a few words on what you want church to be. We really hope this will generate some great discussion about different aspects of the church and the ways in which 'church' can be experienced. You can put your name on your submission or respond anonymously, and we'll periodically post responses here on the blog. In fact, we've already received a few awesome responses. Have a look see:
"A community of faith that embraces, emulates, and empowers others to live as disciples of Christ." - Dan W. Boles
"Home. For all. A place of peace love, and justice, personally as well as communally and globally." - Anonymous
"A place where difference is valued and isn't used to divide or oppress one another." - Anonymous
"Church: Anyplace Christ's Body gathers to Worship Him Fellowship together with Him Serve others with Him Grow together in Him Tell others about Him In the power of the Holy Spirit" - Laurie
"Church should be home. It should be an atmosphere in which you are welcomed home like the prodigal son (whether or not you ever left the church in the first place). It should be a place and atmosphere that you can pour out your heart and soul in. Finally, it should reach out in christian love into the community. This can be applied to local congregation, the Presbyterian (U.S.A.) denomination, or the entire Christian Church."
Your generosity is a testament to the kingdom of God! By giving of your selves, your resources, you are proclaiming God's providence for those in need. The church is ALIVE because people like you are committing to transform the world around and to be transformed.
Let this practice of giving also open us up to new relationships during this Lenten season. May we continue to be open to how God speaks to us through giving and may this lead us into a deeper relationship with our faith.
THANKS for the donations, we're at $1,540 now! Help us spread the word. Talk to your church or youth group about it. Tell your family and friends. Keep coming back on Mondays and Fridays to read inspirational posts during this Lenten journey.
Wow. I'm floored. Floored by the generosity of the community here. This Charity:Water thing is incredible.
In just 14 days, we've had 35 donations totaling $1,314. The money we've raised thus far will provide clean, healthy drinking water for up to 65 people in need of it. This is a real, tangible difference we're making. Thank you.
We'll try to provide a weekly update, and if you feel so moved, be sure to share our progress with your friends, family, and co-workers. You can check up on the progress of the campaign at any time by visiting our Charity:Water campaign page at:
Over the past three weeks, the Church is Alive team has been working on a major project! We cannot wait to share it with you. Stayed tuned to the Church is Alive site in the coming weeks for news about the project along with the BIG announcement on Ash Wednesday, February 17th!
That title is a little more positive than I felt this morning, when I realized that the Church is Alive website was broken in Chrome and Safari. The method I was using to mask the blog was broken by an update to web kit (I think), so for the time being we'll be on blogspot. Don't cha worry though, you can still send your friends to thechurchisalive.com! Sorry about the mess!
Grace and Peace - Josh.
[UPDATE 11/21/09] Everything should be A-OK now, including any image caching issues you might have had. Things still look wonky or did you find something I missed? Shoot me an email: joshutk(at)gmail.com
We've got something new in the works, folks: we've started writing!
That's right, the Church is ALIVE team will now begin posting blog updates one-to-two times a week. Just like your videos, our aim is to report on different parts of the church that we think are alive today. In so doing, however, our hope to promote dialogue and discussion about the important issues that effect the modern church. We invite and encourage all readers to respond to articles by using the comments section below each article, although we would also encourage all responders to be respectful.
But it's not just us: YOU can be a writer too! Starting sometime in the next few weeks, we will begin accepting applications to be a Church is Alive blogger. Just like we accepted - and continue to accept - videos from all over the world showcasing how the church is alive, so too will we except your prose! So get your pens and typing fingers ready, folks - we want to hear from you!
This will be a phased process, so bear with us during the transition. The website will be updated and given a fresh facelift over the next few weeks, and there will be some restructuring as well. In other words, "pardon our dust."
Anyway, don't misunderstand: we still want your videos, so if you've got any - OR if you want to make a video in response to one of our articles - send it along!
We look forward to these new additions to the Church is ALIVE website, and we hope you will too!
Hello and welcome to thechurchisalive.com, where our mission is to exhibit, connect and inspire!
Firstly, make sure you take a gander at our invitation video above (it’s a good one).
Secondly, we know what you’re thinking – so what is thechurchisalive.com? In a nutshell, The Church is Alive project stems from an idea that the Church is more than what some currently believe. We have heard the worries and anxieties that say that the church is "dying" or "already dead", but instead we believe that the church is alive, vibrant, and a powerful force for good in the world. We believe that the Holy Spirit is breathing new life into all corners of our denomination, and that our body of believers is rich with stories of giving back, exploring fresh approaches to community, and discovering new ways to worship God.
So why have a website? Well, In order to capture how the church is alive, we thought it best to go to the source: YOU! We want to hear your stories, so we are asking you to submit your own videos of how you think the church is alive. These could be examples of service projects, new forms of worship, new attempts at community, or other ways people are bringing life and vibrancy into the church. We only ask that you keep these videos to about a minute and a half in length. Once we receive these submissions, we will select some to exhibit on this website, along with a brief description of the project and the people involved – so keep checking this blog!
For more info on what we do and why we do it, check out our About page.
Now, if you’ve already got a video that you think exhibits how the church is alive, then simply follow the instructions on our Submit page and then shoot it our way!
To connect to other thechurchisalive.com visitors, pay a visit to our Connect page (it’s pretty barren now, but there will be more soon!)
Otherwise, take some time to explore the videos we already have on our front page. If you like the content, make sure you click the links underneath each video. Think we’re missing something? Make something on your own!
We know that there isn’t a lot on this website right now – we’re leaving that up to YOU. YOU are living congregants of a new age. YOU are the creative force that will forge a new, brighter era within the church. YOU are what keeps the church alive today – show us how!
This project cannot be a success without you. Speak up. Film it. Be heard.
The Church is Alive is a group of passionate bloggers and videographers dedicated to showcasing and exploring the Christian church as it is today - join the community! Find out more >>> Twitter | Facebook
