15 March 2009
READY TO LAUNCH
03/20/09 09 Filed in: Church Launch
From time to time we’ve heard from Church Planters just after their launch Sunday.
Here are two updates from two Growing Healthy Churches Network Church Planters just prior to their launch Sundays:
Scott Canady: Flipside People: Rockwall/Fate, Texas
Launching March 29, 2009
I hope everyone is doing well. We had two practice runs on March 15th and 22nd at May Vernon Elementary and this Sunday is the beginning of our Big Gathering. We launch our Sunday morning Big Gathering at 10:00 am this Sunday, March 29th.
The Rockwall/Fate area will not ever be same after the last few weeks because we have went door to door and hit parking lots with thousands of flyers, over 50 yard signs are popping up every weekend, we have articles in local newspapers, advertised in 2 HOA newsletters reaching over 3000 homes, we are averaging over 50 weekly visitors on our site, and I have been challenging everyone to invite over 20 people per week to the launch.
This is definitely the scariest thing I have ever done but it is also the most exciting. There is just no way of knowing who or how many is going to come. We are really trying to do all the things possible to gather a big crowd on the March 29th and hopefully have them back the next week. Please pray for us and thank you for being our partners in this mission. I will let you know how this Sunday went next week.
Flipside People thanks you and I thank you for our friendship.
Blessings,
Scott Canady
www.flipsidepeople.com
Shane Craven: Origin Church Chattanooga, TN/Ringgold, GA
Launching April 5, 2009
We are coming down the stretch to launch on April 5. We have events planned leading up to that day. We have spent almost 20 months in preparation. Our launch team started coming together back in August and we are all excited. We have met at least twice each month since then and God has welded us together in a unique way. We have spent a lot of time building relationships in the community, serving the community, and building a network of new friends in our area on Facebook. We have put on yellow vests to do crowd control at the Christmas parade, we have handed out balloons at the Haunted Depot at Halloween, and we are co-sponsoring, now, a 20,000 piece Easter Egg Drop out of a helicopter with the city business partners the day before Easter. It's one of those things that kind of dropped in our laps. It was not, initially, a part of our strategy, but something we felt God say, "Wait, listen, watch; I'll do some things you didn't expect." This was one of them. Facebook ads have been good for us. We constantly communicate with our Origin Facebook group and generate as much buzz as we can. One thing we have tried is an RSVP on Facebook and our own version of an RSVP that we send to all of our friends' personal email addresses. We thus far have seen over 100 people RSVP. It's been a neat thing. This week launched our first out-go of 300,000 emails through a company called InBox Promotions. Can't wait to see how that works. We are using Mint Magazine's direct mail department for 30,000 pieces to go out on March 31 to two areas near us. We also begin putting out 100 road signs next week around our area. Additionally, we threw out press releases to all area media and the local paper is doing a feature story this next week.
We show up next Friday to begin the set-up process for our launch day. We have volunteer trainings planned for most of the day on Saturday, the 4th.
No doubt, an exhilarating ride it has been; tough, yes, but worth it, yes! You can literally feel the sacrifice in your life as you plant a church....not sure if that's good or bad. Certainly nothing like the sacrifice our God made for us. So, that's perspective for me. You know, everything is summed up like this for us: If it were for one family, and we only stayed here one month, we feel that God would have us give it the extra effort we are giving to make this a reality. We trust in HIM, and trust He knows what He is doing. Our value is determined one way: In "Who" we are, not "What" we do. We covet your love, concern, and prayers. God is faithful!
Shane Craven
shanecraven.com
Origin Church
Here are two updates from two Growing Healthy Churches Network Church Planters just prior to their launch Sundays:
Scott Canady: Flipside People: Rockwall/Fate, Texas
Launching March 29, 2009
I hope everyone is doing well. We had two practice runs on March 15th and 22nd at May Vernon Elementary and this Sunday is the beginning of our Big Gathering. We launch our Sunday morning Big Gathering at 10:00 am this Sunday, March 29th.
The Rockwall/Fate area will not ever be same after the last few weeks because we have went door to door and hit parking lots with thousands of flyers, over 50 yard signs are popping up every weekend, we have articles in local newspapers, advertised in 2 HOA newsletters reaching over 3000 homes, we are averaging over 50 weekly visitors on our site, and I have been challenging everyone to invite over 20 people per week to the launch.
This is definitely the scariest thing I have ever done but it is also the most exciting. There is just no way of knowing who or how many is going to come. We are really trying to do all the things possible to gather a big crowd on the March 29th and hopefully have them back the next week. Please pray for us and thank you for being our partners in this mission. I will let you know how this Sunday went next week.
Flipside People thanks you and I thank you for our friendship.
Blessings,
Scott Canady
www.flipsidepeople.com
Shane Craven: Origin Church Chattanooga, TN/Ringgold, GA
Launching April 5, 2009
We are coming down the stretch to launch on April 5. We have events planned leading up to that day. We have spent almost 20 months in preparation. Our launch team started coming together back in August and we are all excited. We have met at least twice each month since then and God has welded us together in a unique way. We have spent a lot of time building relationships in the community, serving the community, and building a network of new friends in our area on Facebook. We have put on yellow vests to do crowd control at the Christmas parade, we have handed out balloons at the Haunted Depot at Halloween, and we are co-sponsoring, now, a 20,000 piece Easter Egg Drop out of a helicopter with the city business partners the day before Easter. It's one of those things that kind of dropped in our laps. It was not, initially, a part of our strategy, but something we felt God say, "Wait, listen, watch; I'll do some things you didn't expect." This was one of them. Facebook ads have been good for us. We constantly communicate with our Origin Facebook group and generate as much buzz as we can. One thing we have tried is an RSVP on Facebook and our own version of an RSVP that we send to all of our friends' personal email addresses. We thus far have seen over 100 people RSVP. It's been a neat thing. This week launched our first out-go of 300,000 emails through a company called InBox Promotions. Can't wait to see how that works. We are using Mint Magazine's direct mail department for 30,000 pieces to go out on March 31 to two areas near us. We also begin putting out 100 road signs next week around our area. Additionally, we threw out press releases to all area media and the local paper is doing a feature story this next week.
We show up next Friday to begin the set-up process for our launch day. We have volunteer trainings planned for most of the day on Saturday, the 4th.
No doubt, an exhilarating ride it has been; tough, yes, but worth it, yes! You can literally feel the sacrifice in your life as you plant a church....not sure if that's good or bad. Certainly nothing like the sacrifice our God made for us. So, that's perspective for me. You know, everything is summed up like this for us: If it were for one family, and we only stayed here one month, we feel that God would have us give it the extra effort we are giving to make this a reality. We trust in HIM, and trust He knows what He is doing. Our value is determined one way: In "Who" we are, not "What" we do. We covet your love, concern, and prayers. God is faithful!
Shane Craven
shanecraven.com
Origin Church