Archive for August, 2009

I-Heart… Coming to a Theatre Near You in November

by Tim Schraeder on 08/30/2009 in Movies, Reviews with 4 Comments

Ok, I’ve blooged about this for awhile now and I’m seriously so excited.

It’s official, Hillsong United’s full-length movie, We’re All in This Together, is going hit theatres in the USA for one night only in November.

The film has been years in the making and will be for the Church what Call + Response was for everyone else.

The movie is part of a movement started by Hillsong United called the I Heart Revolution.

I-HEART is a movement of people helping people – showing the love of God in practical ways, wherever need exists. Right here, real soon, you’ll find an online community with the sole purpose of offline action – sharing ideas, being inspired, shoulder to shoulder, part of the solution – transforming local initiatives into a collaborative global impact. But in the meantime, let’s take time to look beyond ourselves and truly see others…Their worth, their needs, their future. Because it’s together that we love… and think… and act. As one, I-HEART.

The concept was first introduced through the I Heart Revolution CD + DVD from Hillsong United last year and the movie will serve as a springboard for a broader global movement that is going to be launched by Hillsong United and Hillsong Church.

On the I-Heart blog, Hillsong United frontman Joel Houston shared,

I-Heart is part apologetic, part documentary, part call to action, the film is a story made up of many stories, told by many voices, no individual voice any more or any less important than any other, yet every voice working together to ultimately tell the ONE story – A story that involves everyONE; that seeks to capture our collective and idiosyncratic purpose in ONE.

And so… WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER will officially be launched this November. We’re taking it into cinemas for ONE night only – our prayer; that the Church across the earth would rally together and do whatever it takes to see as many people as possible gather at the same time in cinemas everywhere and be stirred and inspired by the message of Christ, to ultimately work closer together in seeing the real needs of humanity collide with a love that can only be found in God who by definition – IS Love.

W.A.I.T.T. isn’t for a second about Hillsong UNITED.. It doesn’t serve to document the music and the adventurous nature of travel, nor has it been designed even to quench our thirst to be entertained.. This is a ultimately about YOU -  It’s about all of us.. And so our hope is that we would ALL get behind it..  We never had a big budget.. No corporate sponsorship or professional help.. It has been pulled together by a small team of incredibly selfless and dedicated people who have tirelessly given of themselves and persevered to make it a reality.. And our prayer is that we all as individuals would play our part and take it upon ourselves to see as many of our friends, youth, churches mobilised to be a part of this event.. It has the potential to be HUGE!!

More details including locations + theaters will be posted soon, and I will of course post them when I find out more.

Joel’s closing comments on the blog were:

I don’t know where this is all headed.. But I’m convinced, that if we all choose to play our part and continue to work together in loving God and loving others with everything, that there is no end to what we can see established for the Kingdom and the glory of God in our lifetime.

I couldn’t agree more.

Stay tuned.

The Facebook Page

by Tim Schraeder on 08/28/2009 in Personal with No comments

Michael Hyatt did a great post on Facebook Pages that got me thinking…

I have a lot of Facebook friends, and many of them aren’t so connected to my life as a church communications person… and aren’t very interested in what I have to say, professionally, but still care about me on a personal level.

Michael’s reasons for deleting his Facebook friends and building out a Page were because he wanted to have a closer knit community connected to him on Facebook. He went from a couple thousand friends to like 100. A little dramatic, maybe… but I get it.

I’m not about to delete and friends or reject any friendships… but at the same time I’ve avoided connecting my Twitter account and my blog RSS feed to my Facebook profile because I didn’t want to clog my non church communications friends with endless drivel about thinks like Snow Leopard, conferences, etc.

So, all that being said … if you want to follow the madness via Facebook, join my Facebook page. I hate the word “fan,” but I can’t help that… and while you’re at it feel free to add me as a friend, too!

Just one more way for you to stay connected…

MinistryCOM… DIY Church Communications

by Tim Schraeder on 08/28/2009 in MinistryCOM, Notes with No comments

I attended MinistryCOM for the first time four years ago. At the time I was a young buck who was still figuring out all of this church communication stuff. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience for me on many levels. I think the biggest take-away was realizing that I wasn’t alone.

I think all too often most people who do communications for churches are on their own. Be it a lack of staffing, resources, or volunteers, the majority of us are doing our jobs on our own… by ourselves.

And what MinistryCOM did for me is show me I’m not alone and what I do really matters.

So, it’s pretty crazy that in two weeks I’ll be attending MinistryCOM not as a delegate, but as a presenter.

I’ll be making my conference debut at MinistryCOM doing a breakout session called DIY (Do-it-Yourself) Church Communications.

The title DIY (do-it-yourself) is said a bit tongue in cheek, but the reality is that many of us do communications by ourselves. With a limited budget and resources, it’s oftentimes difficult to know how to successfully build a communications process and strategy to fit the needs of a growing church when you’re literally working on your own.

Whether you are new to church communications or if you’ve been doing it for years, this workshop will help to equip and encourage you to take what you are observing and learning from other churches and give you tools on how to apply it to your context.

You’ll also get an inside peek at the “renovation” Park Community Church has undergone over the past two years as Tim has taken their communications from 1.0 to 2.0.

To be honest, I’m a bit nervous but very excited. I certainly don’t feel like an expert (only if learning from your mistakes counts!), but am humbled to be able to share a bit about things I’ve learned… both working in a smaller church in a small town and a large church in the heart of downtown Chicago. I think after seven years of doing this gig I’d have a few things to share!

If you’re coming to MinistryCOM, I’d love some input about things you’d like to hear about, questions you may have, or anything else. Your input would be invaluable!

If you aren’t coming, why not?! It’s not too late to register… you should definitely check it out.

If you are more of a pro, been at this for awhile and want to take the conversation to another level, beyond bulletins, fonts and all that kind of stuff,  definitely check out Cultivate, which is being hosted at Park in October.

The Break-Up… and where not to do it in Chicago

by Tim Schraeder on 08/26/2009 in Chicago, Personal with No comments

The movie The Break-Up starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston was filmed in Chicago.

I actually used to live down the street from the Fireside Bowling Alley where the infamous bowling team scene takes place.

It’s actually a common sight to see. Being a town full of the young and the restless, it’s inevitable you’ll find a couple breaking up somewhere.

My good friend Lyndsay Rush is an aspiring writer, blogger and one of my favorite Twitterers… and on page four of today’s RedEye shares the Breakup spots to avoid in Chicago.

Timely advice for all of us…

I saw someone get dumped the other night.

It was a tragic scene. She was in tears; he was all “I just don’t think I can do it anymore,” and the waiter was awkwardly hovering, unsure whether to bring Kleenex, refills or the check.

As I gawked at the train wreck before me, I thought to myself, “Man, getting dumped sucks.”

Then I thought, “Wow, there’s an original statement.”

Then I thought, “Is this considered talking to myself?”

But I digress.

While a breakup is a horrible experience regardless of the locale, there are certain spots that would make being dumped exponentially worse.

I began a quest to determine the worst possible places in Chicago to break up with someone or to be broken up with. I know, I know. It’s a bit of a downer. But it’s for your own good.

I began to ask around. I started with my roommates, who are both in relationships. They both laughed and thanked me for such an upbeat question to start their mornings. They clearly were not going to be of any help.

I then asked one of my guy friends whom I used to briefly date. His response? “Flat Top Grill.” Which was where I dumped him last summer. Whoops!

I then turned to Twitter.

Through some golden suggestions as well as some research of my own, here’s my version of the 10 worst places to get dumped in Chicago–along with a little commentary from me. No need to thank me.

  • Anywhere at Navy Pier: I went to Navy Pier and all I got was this broken heart.
  • While on the Untouchables Tour: One minute you’re learning about John Dillinger and the next minute, BOOM, you’re dumped.
  • On a pedicab: Now featuring reduced fares for singles.
  • At the Wiener’s Circle: Nothing says dumped like a chocolate milkshake.
  • In line at the Hangge Uppe: Frankly a bad place for anything to happen.
  • At a poetry slam: Not unless you could channel your heartbreak into a kick-ass poetic masterpiece.
  • Right before the Purple Line goes express to Linden: $2.25 buys you 20 minutes of awkward silence.
  • On the kiss cam at a Bulls game: Almost worse than when they accidentally frame a brother and sister on camera.
  • After a tandem bike ride to Evanston for ice cream: You better believe I’d make him peddle the whole way back.
  • During seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley: Take me out to the ball game, take me out of your life.

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