It’s hard to believe that a month of 2021 has already gone by, but here we are looking at Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day and the shortest month of the year. This year we hope to do a better job of keeping up with this website (and this blog) and directing traffic here. So far, I’ve done a pretty good job of uploading the audio from the sermons by Monday at the latest. Yesterday’s sermons are already available for downloading or streaming through your favorite audio device. Keep reading for the links. Here are some technological features we intend to add in the coming months:
A Better Source of Live-Streaming
2020 was an unusual year to say the least and many of the things we did to overcome difficulties were the equivalent of shoe string and duct tape. We chose to live-stream our services on Facebook, for example, mostly because it was free and easy. The problem with that, of course, was that many of our people are not on Facebook and Facebook has some practices that conscientious people may question. For that reason we are looking to find another platform to both stream and store the video content of our services. Two of the platforms we’re looking at are Vimeo and Sermon Audio. If you have another suggestion let me know.
Sermon transcripts
Some people are more inclined to watch video, while others prefer to listen to audio. Still others would rather learn through reading. For people like that we’re looking at providing access to the written manuscripts from the sermons that are preached each Sunday. This isn’t as difficult to accomplish as you might imagine since I actually preach from a full manuscript. I still have the manuscripts for many of those sermons and am working on retrieving those that were lost in my recent tech struggles.
Weekly emails
I am going to send out a weekly email linking this blog and the website so that you can keep up with announcements and know what’s going on at church. Likely you’re reading this now because you received one. While you’re here, if you’re not already familiar with the website go ahead and take a look around. You’ll find links to the sermons, some information on the history of the church, as well as some other good information on our philosophy and beliefs. If you’re interested in joining the church we have information on how to do that as well.
Links to the podcasts
Probably the very next thing we will add to the website is a page linking the podcasts. We hope you will listen to these and also share them with other people. These are usually 30-45 minutes long and conversational, making them excellent resources for learning during drive time or laundry time or mowing time or whenever. Just download to or stream through your favorite device and go. They are also excellent for sharing with others who may have specific questions about what we believe and why or what makes us unique as a church.
Coming up this Sunday
On Sunday morning (Feb. 7) we will be looking to finish Galatians chapter one which focuses on the early ministry of Paul as he lays the groundwork for defending his apostleship and the source of the gospel he preaches. This is a tremendous passage outlining some of the earliest days of the church and reinforcing that what Christians believe today is what Christians have always believed because it is grounded in what Jesus himself taught. I hope to see you there.
On Sunday evening we will jump into Genesis chapter one and, among other things, look at some different ideas about how to interpret it, some of which are orthodox and fit with a high view of Scripture, and some of which are not. Most of all we are going to exalt God in Trinity as Creator and sovereign Lord of all. We hope to see you in both services (it is the Lord’s day after all) but having two services on Sunday is especially beneficial when we are providentially hindered from attending one of them. Worship is vital in our Christian life and nothing can take the place of our gathering together as God’s people. So we hope to see you Sunday night!
Here are the links to yesterday’s sermons: