Priceless

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Bob Westfall, Gary Hoobler, John Maehl and myself attended the Worship Facilities Conference and Expo last week in Dallas. It was an awesome time. I came back encouraged that we are on the right path with our building plans.

One of the highlights was being able to spend time with Tom Smith, one of our architects. CDH Partners was one of the 275 exhibitors that had a booth at the Expo. We checked out different seat manufacturers and even found a chair that we liked! We learned about Meyer Sound and Constellation Electroacoustic Architecture. We talked to three different companies regarding digital signage. Gary got to attend an hour long, hands-on, product demo with the Yamaha M7CL Digital Mixing Console. I tagged along with Gary and got to try my hand at the controls! I don't know much about audio and mixing, but this console rocks!

John had 40 vendors on his "hit list" and talked to each one by the end of the day. Way to go John! He even mapped out the most efficient way to get through the Expo floor in order to get to each of the vendors he wanted to see.

Over 40 elective seminars were offered. I attended sessions on Building and Embracing Your Tech Budget, Tools and Techniques to Provide a Clear and Immersive Audio Experience, Case Study: Church Growth Through Project Management, Designing Effective Youth Spaces, and Creating Committees That Work.

In addition, we had plenary messages by Ed Young Jr. and Rex Miller. I especially enjoyed hearing Rex Miller talk about the future of the church and the implications of our societies move to a digital culture. I have heard him speak once before and have read his book, The Millennium Matrix. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand the cultural shift we are in right now.

And to top it all off, we toured the Fellowship Church Downtown Campus. The Downtown Campus is part of a multi-site church, with the message delivered via DVD. We got to experience what a high definition image looks like on a 26 foot wide screen. What can I say? It was awesome!

But after it's all said and done; after all the sound, video, and lighting equipment is turned off and put away; after all the glitz and glam of the latest and greatest technology is replaced by newer and better; after looking at all the high-tech gear you could ever imagine; it all comes down to people. Low-tech and high-touch. People who selflessly volunteer their time and commit their resources in a mission they believe in. People who invest in the life of another person. Small groups of people who gather in living rooms and family rooms, who open their Bibles and their hearts to one another.

I love new technology and all that it can do. I hope that we are able to integrate some of it into our new facility. But technology and buildings only facilitate ministry. They're useful to the extent that they help us accomplish our mission of building a family of growing disciples. I'm glad to be part of a church that understands the difference.

There are some things that money can't buy. The joy of seeing someone come to Christ. The excitement of sitting around a table at 6:00 AM, discussing our journeys to manhood. The sense of community that comes from the sharing of our stories in an adult community. Getting to spend time with three other men who I care for and respect. This is the church in action. This is priceless.