Pastor's Blog: Streams of Living Water
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Technology is something most of us are constantly chasing to stay up with. Whether it be the latest entertainment gadget or some new means of communication, about the time we become proficient with it, a new generation emerges and we have to start all over again. But of course, we do so, regardless of the effort required. Not to give it our best only puts us behind the curve even more.
Not only is this true for us as individuals, it’s also true for churches. While in the past, the necessity of technology was pretty much confined to microphones in the Sanctuary, today there’s not an element of worship, whether traditional or contemporary, that doesn’t require the latest upgrades to make the experience complete. Of course, our church has done its best to make sure we have remained technologically relevant in our worship
Now comes the next innovation, which is video streaming of our traditional worship service. Yet another effort to make our Vision 2020 plan a reality, this initiative will allow people not in our Sanctuary to join us “in time” for the 9:00 service each Sunday, along with an “archived” version for those who can’t watch at that time, but will want to do so at a time that is more convenient for them.
Think about the possibilities of this latest technology for the ministries of our church. For the homebound members who are no longer able to attend church, the church can now come to them. For those who are away on the weekends, they can follow along wherever they may be, or they can watch at another time. For those would-be attendees who would like some way to preview our church before actually attending, they can check us out and see if the Spirit speaks to their hearts through our worship. And perhaps most importantly, because we are a church that desires a global footprint, our missions ministry is immediately extended to any place on the planet where an Internet connection exists.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Kely Hatley for spearheading this effort along with members of the Technology in Worship ministry team, comprised of Bob Berryhill, Stan Breaux, Jeff Calvert, Jesalyn McCurry, John Lee Taylor, Joe Wells, and Ed Wills. Marty Lloyd also assisted the group as a part of her role on the Vision 2020 Implementation Team. Because of their good work we now have the capability to connect with anyone who wishes to participate with us in worship at Mountain Brook Baptist Church.
Now, we need you to help spread the word about the availability of this video stream. Think of folk in your relational orbit who might be blessed with this good news. Then tell them to go our church website, www.mbbc.org, and look at the top of the page to the far right, where there is a “Watch” tab. When people click on that tab, it takes them to place on our website where the video stream can be accessed. It’s a very easy process, and when people get the hang of it, they will go to it like it’s second nature.
We have actually had these capabilities for two weeks and have enlisted some of our folk to watch previous video streams and give us their feedback. We’ve incorporated their suggestions, tweaked the stream, and are comfortable with “going public.”
One other need we have going forward is volunteers. Presently, Tim Sanderlin and Ben Winder are operating the system, and they are prepared to train others who might join them in this new ministry opportunity. The system is easy to operate and is done remotely through a booth in our balcony. Contact either of them or our church office if you’d like to add your name to the volunteer pool.
Join me in praying that God will honor our latest effort to extend our church’s reach to the world. After all, everyone else in the world is utilizing the latest technology for their purposes. There’s no good reason why we shouldn’t be doing so for kingdom purposes. As the old hymn puts it, “Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.”
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1).