I have been putting together a website for our church community at Quinns over the last few weeks and gradually adding content to the point where it is now ‘open for business’.
Creating a website is a really challenging task because you are trying to describe and define yourself succinctly and honestly both to those who are part of the community and those ‘looking in’.
Like other tools of this nature it’s easy for it to become a marketing exercise where the whole look and feel of the website is at odds with the look and feel of the actual church community. In doing this I hope those who know both would say that there is a fair degree of congruence between both online and real life.
In this case I have chosen a wordpress / blog format as I like the look and ease of use for others in the community. It also keeps the ‘latest news’ front and centre and easy to access.
There are still some pages to be filled but feel free to stop by and have a look. Recently I was debating whether to put Sunday teaching online and I ended up deciding to do it but in a members section which requires password access. The reason for this choice was because the learning is specific to our own community and I am also wary of letting my words loose online. Believe it or not I am very selective about what I put in print, but knowing how much I ‘freewheel’ in speaking I am reluctant to put it out there at this stage.
Anyway… It’s a website… A way of helping our church community communicate better (amongst many ways) and a window to those in the community who want to get a feel of who we are.
that link is dodgy…
http://quinnsbaptist.org
good site mate, clean, sea focused (regional) very personal, and I like your explanation of who you are, and what you are like.
As you grow, how will you deal with changing values…people wanting a creche for instance?
Hi mark – not sure if we will go that route – we may just go for smaller gatherings to allow the same vibe – but I think we will just cross the bridge when we come to it!
aaaah….but you have a big hall to fill…. ha ha ha! )
thinking missionally…for us, having a creche for parents who perhaps dont have a lot of say in how their kids are raised (think about that!) it really helps them relax and engage.
For us…having a creche is not about being shiny and happy, but about providing space for those who are not used to having their kids sit still (which is a real church thing, not a non church thing).
Hey!!! what a neat site – I Like It Alot!!
Hamo you reading Divine Conspiracy? – it’s a book I read last year and REALLY enjoyed, I’m hoping to work through it with some like minded people 1st term this year.
Hi Mark – I read it ages ago – found it hard going!! But he does hit on some key stuff for us to ponder
Hamo,
We had a Surf Club carnival down at Bunbury yesterday and on the drive back a question pooped into my mind that I thought I might ask you.
I am still involved (read attend) a local Lutheran Church with lots of great & committed people. Over the summer months I spend more time focued, involved in my local surf (lifesaving) club.
Do you think that it wrong for a Christian to put more effort into a community based group than serving in the Church?
Hi LF – I think you are the only one who knows your life well enough to make that decision!
I tend to think it’s a more nuanced issue than ‘either / or’ and there are other variables involved in a decision like that.
Having said that I think you have been reading here long enough to know that I am not one to try and keep peoples energies ‘within the walls’.
Hamo,
Having said that I think you have been reading here long enough to know that I am not one to try and keep peoples energies ‘within the walls’””.
I never thought that you would, just seems that you are moving back into a more structured Church organisation and wanted to canvass your views. It seems that the pendulum has begun to swing back a little in terms of what you are now doing. No dispresepect intended. Perhaps more órganisation’in Church has its merits … I
I’ve been involved in our local surfclub (now on the committee – kind of like a ‘deacon’!) for the last 2 yrs.
Lots of fun, and of value on several levels.
Attending church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
Another question ‘what is church’? If it is the Sunday service, then you’d better make sure you get along.
If it is the ongoing support and encouragement of believers so that you can better grow your relationship with God, and Godly relationships with others, then surfclub counts as ‘others’.
Hi Toddy,
I’m involved with Juniors* which makes attending Sunday morning services out of the question.
I want my kids surrounded by spiritual parents through church – but I also want them to have mentors at the Club – love the comm service aspect, commradeship and physical discipline that comes with being part of the club.
I am aware that well balanced kids (and people) have good role models and friends from multiple reference groups – that way they can move around and have a better perspective if they are disspointed or on a low from one reference group.
What do you do about Sunday church attendance?
Regards,
Lf
*I’m not as high up as a “deacon” but help out with water safety – which means bobbing up and down 150m from shore as shark bait for a couple of hours. Potentially I guess I am laying down my life for my little ‘friends’. 🙂
LF: I haven’t attended Sunday services for a while (except for the past week), but that’s another matter. I will be back there from March when surfclub is finished for the year.
I guess if church attendance is really important to you (I’m thinking newish Christian needing a bit of consistent teaching, guiding, mentoring, routine etc) then that should be a priority. If stepping out from the shadowed walls is something you’ve been trying to do more of, then it’s hard to add something in an already busy life. Therefore, I would suggest going to surfclub on Sundays (with the option of attending services during the mid-season break) with the other option of pursuing mentoring type relationships during the week in a more specific manner.
Bobbing on the water, ‘standing in the gap’ for the young’uns? That sounds like an overseeing role.
My GOSH!! You’re an ELDER!! (“I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy!!)
🙂
Toddy – Glad to see I’m not alone … we will back in March after the summer season. Over summer, we are attending (most weeks) a 1 hour Eucharist service on Staurday Eve at the local Anglican Church. Very High Church, but the kids love it.
I want my kids to think that it is important to get to Church regualraly on the weekends – and attending a different denomination braodens them a bit. 🙂
You are worthy … it is your skull cap that I am unfit to untie. 🙂
See in you Bunners on the w/end, LF.
I’ll be in a straw hat rather than a skull-cap, on account of the fact that my skull has no hair on it anyway!