Thanks to the warm and inviting blogging efforts of Derek Sweatman of Christian Church Buckhead, I volunteered at Off the Blogs this past Thursday in downtown Buckhead, which his church hosted. Giving my time selflessly like that was a great way to bypass the $10 entry fee, and besides – it was a great way to meet people in a place where I was a total stranger.
It was an interesting event of conflicted interests – three of the most prominent Christian bloggers in the Southeast came to speak about issues deeper and more personal than what they could discuss on their blogs, but/and most everybody who came was there to hear them talk about their blogs and Twitter-feeds. The talks were great, though – the speakers stuck to their guns about going deeper than their online activities… But the dude leading singing before and after the talks quoted three scriptures – minimum – between every verse he sang, and he was only too happy to provide context, historical background, and his personal insight on each one.
I think the feeling of being totally ensconced by Christian pop-culture was what felt most foreign.Even more foreign than living in a small Germany university town… like being a Rise Against rebel punk at a Britney Spears arena concert – or the other way around. Whichever is more awkward.
Here is the final video premiered at Globalscope Cafe last Friday. It capped off the night, following my picture-by-picture sharing of my trip to the field at the beginning of the month.
That night I stay at the Coleman’s apartment in the Altstadt – the old city located in the middle of town. The apartment is 500 years old, and apparently engineering standards were pretty good in Germany even five centuries ago… many of the squeaky floorboards are original. Plumbing wasn’t exactly prevalent at the time of construction – sanitation was more of a bucket and window system. As such, the shower is located in the kitchen right next to the sink. The toilet is in the attic. You have never experienced European history until you have sat on the toilet and listened to the doves nesting just above your head.
Technical notes on the video: thanks to a series of tutorials at VideoCopilot.net, I was able to do some cool video tricks in Adobe After Effects, including varying the brightness of the lens flare as a function of the amplitude of the background music and some cool 3D text effects.
3: the number of speakers (Shalynn on the birth of Globalscope, Katie Ruth Landers on community as a ministry in Globalscope England, me on a snapshot of the current state of Globalscope Germany)
3: the number of new Globalscope videos shown
5: the number of dessert choices available (including German Surprise Cake… the surprise is sauerkraut)
5: the number of coffees and teas available (thanks, MJE)
10: donors to silent auction (2 of which are overseas)
21: the number of items sold at the silent auction (out of 24)
1535: the number of dollars earned at the silent auction
1: the percentage of additional monthly support that amounts to
3: number of new monthly commitments resulting from the event
2: the percentage of additional monthly support that amounts to
2: number of new contacts/speaking engagements made as a result of the event (subject to increasing)
16: number of people involved in putting the event on
germany: land of ideas. nation of wurst. country of beer.
Let’s be honest. Money is tight for everyone. Just like the recent fuel crises have given us pause to step back and examine how we use and generate energy, isn’t it time to step back and look for alternatives to power our ministries – and our campus ministers?
Campus ministers have always been great investments in terms of the amount of ministry you get for your dollar. Campus ministers don’t require much attention… just feed them once every couple days, provide them just the basic necessities in a living space (a shower is nice, and so is a ceiling, but don’t spoil them), and quietly sweep their monthly email updates into the “spam” folder, and they will love you and minister to students until their bodies wither and blow away in the wind. Truly, campus ministers are the cute abandoned puppies of Christian outreach.
But as if that wasn’t deal enough, the state of the economy has delivered unto you an even better bargain! Campus ministers are finding ways to run on alternatives to money – namely: hopes, dreams, and perspiration. It takes a lot of ideas and sweat to generate the same amount of support a dollar can, but the technology will undoubtedly improve with time.
Take, for instance, the silent auction at Globalscope Cafe (which brought in about $600-700, final tallies still to come). There is also skilled technical work to be done for rock-bottom prices. “There is a chair for every ass,” as one campus-minister-employer put it, which, depending on how you interpret the metaphor, may imply that workers in this economy will have to stoop a little lower to find chairs/work – or that that particular employer has a healthy disrespect for those he hires.
The bottom line: take advantage of the great value of work and effort you can get in supporting your favorite campus ministry. Having to earn one’s way to the mission field ain’t easy, but it is an employer’s economy.
Well, I believe we can call every part of last night’s Globalscope Cafe a success. Great music, great food, great coffee, great speakers, and great videos. We really did do a great job of sharing the community-based outreach of Globalscope and the progress of Globalscope Germany. I will reflect more on that later… we just got back from cleaning up the building we hosted the event in, and I am aching for some goomba-stompin’ relief as prescribed by my personal physician, Dr. Mario, M.D. Until then, enjoy the Globalscope 2009 Video that I premiered last night.
With all the detail preparations coming together for Friday night’s Globalscope Cafe and more and more people confirming they will be there, I’m feeling hopeful for a successful night entertaining 30 or so people. The flow: desserts and MJE coffee will be served, music will be provided by TuckerFirst supporters Todd Michiels and Art Wood, I’ll give a quick devo, we will share the story of how Globalscope came to be, a Globalscope England case study will be given by a Canvas exchange student speaker, I will share the news from Tübingen, we will show a movie from the front lines, and I will close with an invitation to support the ministry and thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who helped put the event on.
There was an uneasy silence hovering over the Tuckerfirst staff lunch today. While I was away visiting the team in the field, the church went through another round of budget cuts, and some of the staff had to be let go – including one of the secretaries that was helping me connect with her home church down the road. It is a very intimidating economy for everyone – nevermind an aspiring campus minister trying to raise 90 grand.
So what is a hopeful, bright-eyed, mid-twenties charity employee to do? Time to exercise some creative muscle:
The silent auction that will take place at Globalscope Cafe is unprecedented in CMF history. I am the first CMF missionary to get businesses and individuals to donate goods and services as support.
I will be introducing the Starbucks Club at Globalscope Cafe to encourage people who aren’t yet participating to support the ministry monthly at the going price of a latte (or two). More details on that later as the materials are prepared.
There will be art for auction at Globalscope Cafe from no fewer than six contributing artists. Check out someofthecontributions. Let the second Renaissance commence.
Now the question begins to loom ahead in the distance: what happens after February 20?
mighty joe is now an official supporter of globalscope germany
There are many reasons to give to a charity, mission, or other 501(c)3 organization, but perhaps one of the questions we don’t ask ourselves often enough when giving selflessly is “What’s in it for me?” Is it so unfair to expect something material and significant in return for your donation? Sure, there’s that warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing that you have helped to make the world a better place – but shouldn’t the world be working to make your apartment or house a better place, too?
And thus we introduce the silent auction fund raiser. At Globalscope Cafe this coming February 20, you will have your chance to get something in return for all your giving. Consider this fine item on the auction block: a coffee press pot from Mighty Joe Espresso. It’s so cool, I had to google how to use it. Here’s the description on the auction page at www.globalscopecafe.com:
Of all the smart, trendy people that drink coffee, only a select few are smart or trendy enough to own their own personal coffee press pot. Set yourself apart from your caffeinated peers! True coffee snobbery is now within your grasp – and your bid! – courtesy of Mighty Joe Espresso. Press pot comes complete with a pound of Mighty Joe Intelligentsia coffee. starting price: $35.00
So, thanks to Mighty Joe Espresso and other donors, on Friday, February 20th at 7:00pm at Tuckerfirst it is more than okay to ask what Globalscope Germany can do for you – it is encouraged!
Well, it was a jolly week in the old city of Tübingen.
Here’s what the week looked like in pictures: link.
And here’s what the week looked like in bullet points and sentence fragments:
Tuesday: Arrive in Tübingen at 11am. Drag luggage to campus house. Play soccer with the locals – at which point I have been awake for 36 hours. Dinner at Beth’s new apartment in Lustnau just east of the Uni. Eat and crash in middle of table conversation. Sleep like I’m dead at the Coleman’s 500 year-old apartment in the Altstadt.
Wednesday: Go to language class with Stef. Write a skit as part of the lesson, make Germans laugh. Lunch at the Mensa (student cafeteria). Eat with a man researching Christian resistance to the Nazis. We speak only German. Take the afternoon with Pam to walk around the campus and take pictures of students and buildings. Sit in on a microeconomics lecture. Get bored and walk out. Go to a student movie night and spend the evening with Chandler and the boys.
Thursday: Explore the town with fellow visitor Patrick from Auburn. Buy gifts for the supporters at home, learn the bus system with a little trip the wrong way on #7. Find way home. Plaster walls of the campus house basement. Clean up – we go to dinner at the Neckarmueller. Lattes afterwards.
Friday: I’m on my own. I climb the Oesterberg. Meet Beth for lunch in the Altstadt. I climb the Oesterberg again. Pick up luggage and meet gang at train station to leave for retreat in the Black Forest. It is indeed very black.
Saturday/Sunday: Team retreat. I crack a joke about the U.S. economy to a family of Germans that splits their sides. Everyone on team receives a high five.
Monday: Wake up at 4:30am to catch a train to the airport and fly home.
A great trip. Now let’s use the pictures and footage I got to make a little something for Globalscope Cafe.
The last week has seen a lot of preparation for the upcoming Globalscope Cafe: sending invitations, gathering donations, organizing volunteers… and creating the latest Globalscope video (to debut at a CMF Globalscope event – and later at Globalscope Cafe).
For a change of pace, tomorrow, I will leave the country.
I get a week in Tübingen with the team. I will be taking my trusty Canon Pixma and my loyal, albeit shifty, JVC MiniDV camcorder. And a heavy jacket. I hear it’s cold in Germany.
