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My Vimeo Likes

Vimeo is addicting.  Really you could spend all day viewing.  One of my favorite ways to find the top videos worth watching is to track the "my likes" trail.  Find someone who has created an amazing video and explore the videos they have liked.  Drill in a couple layers and you normally can find their sources of inspiration.  Also, setting up a Vimeo account and liking some videos as you go along is an effective way to catalog videos that you want to file away for your own inspiration.  Click here to see the videos I have liked over the years. 

Epic10 Recap

Epic10 was an idea that we experimented with in December 2010.  We wanted to do a design marathon with the goal of developing resources for churches. The big idea was to get 10 creatives together, for 10 hours, to take 10 themes, and create 10 designs.  It started at 10:10 a.m. in morning as a grand experiment. Ten hours later, at 8:10 p.m., it ended as an experience of a lifetime and delivered more value than we could have ever anticipated. What we ended up with was a palette of ten really great design concepts for every type of church.

As one of the organizers, I was most moved by the deep meaning this experience had for those who participated. Some reconnected with friends for another adventure together. A few entered the day at a crossroads in their life. They found other creatives who understood their perspectives and affirm their talents. It was clear that the Lord used Epic10 to both build into the church and into our designers.  You can see a video of some of the designers here: http://vimeo.com/18333427

You can get more information about Epic10 here: http://creativechurch.com/

Here are the ten designs that came out of Epic10

Valley Family Church - Kalamazoo, MI

VFC is probably one of the sharpest churches that I have been around.  Everything just seems to be done with this nice blend of excellence and authenticity.  Often times that's really hard to pull off, but I believe they are able to because it's really a natural overflow of their leadership.  I love seeing churches in places like Kalamazoo who are just being used by God to reach their community.

VFC just got into their new building about a year ago and it is very well designed and thought out.  I especially liked their stroller parking area, the visible kids security, the baseball stadium style worship venues (where you walk in on the top level), and the creative touches that went into the building.

Their kids class rooms were set up in unique stations that the kids rotate through during the service.  The lights had motion sensors that automatically turned off after a while.  And their sanctuary backed up to the side parking lot, where backstage a full garage door system allowed for easy load-ins.

Get more information about VFC here: http://www.kvfc.org/

Life Fellowship - Olive Branch, MS

One of the very first clients I was able to work with was Life Fellowship in Olive Branch, Mississippi.  It's exciting to hear all that God is doing through the church.  On one of the trips to Memphis we were able to visit their midweek service and the youth service - UP the movement.  It was so cool to see the church packed with young people.

One thing unique about Life Fellowship's vision, is that they want to launch an almost exact campus as to their current location.  It's also a partnership with a local preschool, Faith Preschool Academy, that we got to tour.  They are just busting at the seems because of their unique and effective approach.

One cool idea that the Life Fellowship kids department is experimenting with is offering tutoring support for kids at the start of their midweek service.  They found that one of the biggest reasons people were hesitant about attending a midweek service is that it somewhat competed with kids getting school work done.  By offering tutoring Life Fellowship is partnering families and offering something that's really a value add in addition to the spiritual benefit of the service.

Check out this great church at http://www.mylifefellowship.com/