Most of you know that I
have a live radio show every Wednesday morning (around 8:20am) on 101.5FM here in Gaylord. We now have been approached by 101.5FM with
the exciting opportunity to also put on air our 9am Contemporary Worship Service live
each Sunday. 101.5FM is a Classic Hits Station that reaches more than 20 counties in Northern Michigan and the upper Peninsula. This is an opportunity that is right in line with our 3-year vision plan. Below are some questions and answers:
When would
this opportunity start? Sunday, July 7
What station
will our service be aired on? 101.5FM
Will this
service be aired live or taped and edited? This would be a live broadcast of our
9am Contemporary Service
Will we have to shorten our service from 70 minutes down to 60 minutes to keep it within an hour timeframe? No! The radio station is willing to air the whole service (9:00–10:10)
How much will
this cost us as a church? This will cost us just $100/week. That’s $100 for 70 minutes of live air time
Are there any
technology needs/costs for this to happen? All we need to do is purchase one device
(roughly $200). Using our high speed internet, we would then take a main
audio output from our sound board and plug it into this device and we are
set. Our sound man will then initiate the connection each Sunday and the
radio station will have a person back in their studio who would confirm the
connection and text back and forth to our sound man if anything needs adjusted
Is there any
drawback to doing this? The only drawback is the quality of the music as it is aired
live. To do that right, you really need to run the music through a
separate sound board so it can be mixed differently than it is in the Gospel
Center. However, we are not ready to do that. As a result, the
quality of the music element over the radio will not be to the level it is in
the Gospel Center but it will still be good.
This is something we can improve upon as we move forward.
Will putting
our services on radio really bring about fruit? There is no doubt that it will.
Technology is a very powerful tool. Earlier this month I opened the
Michigan State Senate in prayer. We
posted a video of this 2-minute prayer on our church Facebook page and in less
than 24 hours over 5,000 people had watched it. Our services on radio
will move us from “addition” to “multiplication” when it comes to “meeting and
moving.” We have the advantage that the 101.5FM listeners are already
familiar with me through my weekly live radio show. As I use this Wednesday radio show to promote
our Sunday morning services on the radio, they will be much more likely to
listen.
Won’t putting our services on the radio result in many people stopping to attend and just listening at home? That is highly unlikely. The people who attend are here for more than just hearing the service. They are here because of the atmosphere and the fellowship that cannot be experienced over the radio. While there may be a handful of people who quit attending, the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people who will begin hearing our message that do not go to church anywhere will far outweigh this in fulfilling our vision as a church
How do we come up with the money for this? Obviously, this is not in the budget. Our cost for July-December should not exceed $3,000. If 30 people were to each give a one-time gift of $100 over and above their regular giving, we would be set. If you would like to be one of these 30 people, mark your gift “radio” and give it through the offering or by mailing it to or dropping it by the church office. We do ask that this gift be above regular giving so as not to hurt our present ministry.
Why should we do this? This opportunity is a bulls-eye to our vision and
will allow us to go to the next level in meeting as many people as possible
right where they are so we can move them closer to where God wants them to
be. God has opened this door of opportunity. As an Elder Board we
are 100% convinced that this is an opportunity that we need to take as a church
and we ask you to join us in praying for it.
2 comments:
I think this is great, this is a good opportunity to bring people in.
Also this is a good out-reach for the Church, Amen to the Elder Board.
You guys are really reaching out. I think it is great that you have such an opportunity. For people who are shut in, not able to travel a long distance, or have a Sunday morning illness this will give them an opportunity to attend. You guys are truly becoming cutting edge and I for one am looking forward to seeing how God uses Gaylord E Free in the years to come. Keep shooting for the final comment of "Well done my good and faithful servants".
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