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Brigada Today
14 Jul 2006
In this issue...
- SUPPORT RAISING CONFERENCE
- MORE ON DONOR MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
- MOROCCO SUMMIT '06
- POST GRADUATE COURSE IN CHRISTIAN MANAGEMENT
- A NEW SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF RAISING SUPPORT
- INTERNATIONAL TURKEY NETWORK'S N. AM. CONFERENCE 2006
- HEART FOR ASIA - VICTORIA, B.C.
- OPTIONS IN GHANA
- THANKS FOR SPURRING US ON TO GOOD WORKS
- THE BACKPAGE: LEARNING FROM THE HOMETOWN OF "HOOSIERS"
- CLOSING STUFF
- SUPPORT RAISING CONFERENCE -- Tap into the more then 35 years of experience Bill Dillon brings to fund raising. Register by August 15th and save $50.The People Raising conference is designed to Double your effectiveness in raising individual or organizational funds. Attend the People Raising basic conference September 15-16. You'll learn to implement 10 key habits for success while networking with other Christian leaders. Spouses receive a $100 discount. For more information or to register on-line go to
http://www.peopleraising.com/conferences.cfm
or e-mail Bill(at)PeopleRaising(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- MORE ON DONOR MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE --- In addition to what was previously mentioned, Ed suggests two additional products, both of which have a long track record of successful service:
a) Denari Online fundraising management software has actually been on the market for quite a while. It uses a simple Macintosh or Windows web browser front end. It has awesome features and a high-end price tag which varies according to the precise package purchased. Features range from simple donor reports to enabling credit card donations, electronic fund transfers and more. See
http://www.denarisoft.com/products/denarionline.shtml
b) A simpler and less expensive solution that might be more appropriate for some organizations is FileMaker Pro (now at version 8.5). In addition to being a very user-friendly database tool, FileMaker has many "vertical market" extensions available for it, such as for non- profit organizations to manage volunteer data, donor info, grants and funding, mailing lists, create and manage surveys, etc. FileMaker has won many awards, such as PC World, PC Magazine, Macworld, Government Computer News, etc. FileMaker is a user-friendly, world class tool that is just as at home in a Mac OS X system as it is in Windows. Ed holds that FileMaker doesn't require a high level of expensive tech support to run it, yet there is a large network of tech support available for specialized programming needs. Link to reviews at:
http://www.filemaker.com/company/newsroom/news/product_reviews.html
- MOROCCO SUMMIT '06 -- Interested in reaching Morocco with the Gospel? Want to learn what others are doing there? Arise Shine Morocco invites missionaries, mission agency or church representatives to Tampa Bay, Florida for two days in November 2006. Workers with decades in Morocco will share from their experiences and speak on reaching Muslims within the Moroccan context. Panel and small group discussions will address specific issues and opportunities. The overall thrust will be to unify, inform, inspire, encourage, equip and empower participants for effective ministry in Morocco. Save $$$ by registering before September 15. For more information or to register, go to:
http://www.ariseshinemorocco.org
Click on "English" then on "Summit Info".
- POST GRADUATE COURSE IN CHRISTIAN MANAGEMENT -- Now, for the first time in India, obtain a M. A. in Christian Management from Martin Luther University, Shillong, Meghalaya in association with Christian Institute of Management (CIM), Chennai. You'll need an undergrad degree plus 5 years of experience. It lasts for five semesters (2 1/2 years) and begins by the end of August 2006. Apply early. For more information log on to
http://www.christianmanagement.net/ma/index.html
- A NEW SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF RAISING SUPPORT -– Raising support can be made into an exciting and enjoyable ministry. Here's low-cost, individualized training offered over live, interactive video conferencing. You get the video conferencing unit on loan and you meet online with a skilled trainer for six hours a week for three weeks. Unlike in a weekend seminar, you have the time to actually build the skills that lead to success. It works great, and is cheaper, for groups of four to eight people, but is effective for couples and singles as well.
http://www.kingdomcometraining.com
or write jerry(at)kingdomcometraining(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- INTERNATIONAL TURKEY NETWORK'S N. AM. CONFERENCE 2006 -- Who should come? Those with an interest in or call to partner with God's work in Turkey, representatives from churches that have made Turkey a special focus, prospective cross-cultural workers to Turkey, anyone seeking to get involved with Turkey, former workers who want to stay involved and informed, organizations and agencies with work in Turkey. Information about and representatives from many of the organizations involved in Turkey will be available. This year's conference will be held November 15-17 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For a copy of the conference brochure, please contact mail(at)itnet(dot)org
- HEART FOR ASIA - VICTORIA, B.C. -- Listen to a couple who has worked with the Muslims of East Asia. Empty-nesters - hear what they did with two years of their lives in the Mekong Region. How can you continue to be involved in missions when you have to be home (in North America). Take in the OMF International (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) Heart for Asia Conference at the Chinese Pentecostal Church (2215 Dowler Place) in Victoria, B.C. on September 9, 2006. Registration starts at 1:30 pm. Conference is from 2:00 - 6:00 pm, ending with a fellowship Chinese dinner ($8.00). For more information, go to
http://www.ca.omf.org/pacificregion
- OPTIONS IN GHANA -- American International School #1 Jungle Road, East Legon Accra Ghana, is an exciting new NICS school. Check out
http://www.nics.org or http://www.aisaccra.org
They're now accepting applications for students grade pre-K-11, as well as applications for teachers. The 2006-2007 school year has a limited enrollment for its "soft start" so don't delay. Contact CharleneBerry(at)nics(dot)org or call +233-277-549905 for more information. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- THANKS FOR SPURRING US ON TO GOOD WORKS -- Want to light a fire under Brigada and help get Brigada Today out the door and onto your screen? Just click on "sponsor" in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd., Louisville, KY 40291. As always, be sure to let us know if you'd like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you'd prefer your gift be anonymous. In any case, thanks for considering Brigada in your estate giving, your monthly church missions fund, and/or your own personal giving for this calendar year.
- THE BACKPAGE: LEARNING FROM THE HOMETOWN OF "HOOSIERS" -- I enjoy pulling lessons from modern-day stories to which Brigada participants will relate. (To me, it's kind of Jesus-like to tell parables.) Last week I mentioned "Hoosiers," a 1986 movie starring Gene Hackman which profiled a small-town basketball team from a high school in Indiana. Most people have heard that the movie is based on real history but perhaps fewer have checked out the real story. Being a Hoosier myself, originally, ("Hoosier" is the name used to describe natives from the state of Indiana) I've always been interested in the movie. The other night, as I drove across southeastern Indiana on a Saturday evening, I had to take a detour because a bridge was out. As I made my way down the two-lane highways on which the signs sent me, I passed one that said, without much fanfare, "Milan 3 miles", complete with an arrow to the left. I couldn't pass it up -- because I remembered that "Hoosiers" is actually about the real small-town of Milan, population: about 1000. (Back in the 1950s, there were even fewer.) Driving into this small Indiana farming community took me back home again. (I'm from *Freetown*, Indiana. :-) ) Seeing no signs of the movie -- or any other fanfare -- I pulled over at the Milan Sports Bar & Grill to play Columbo. Seemed like the right place to begin on a Saturday night. Sure enough, Milan was the place, but they were hard-pressed to figure out where to send me to learn the story behind the movie. Yes, a small antique store had posted some memorabilia, but it was closed. No one could think of anything else. My heart sank just a bit. Here was a town that had played host to one of the greatest sports stories of all time and ... they were sending me to a closed antique store.
After verifying that the store was closed, I began "man-on-the-street" interviews. Shew. Again, I was pretty let-down. One young man knew the story, but he hadn't seen the movie. He pointed to the water tower, which still sported the words, "1954 State Champs". But he admitted he hadn't seen the movie. Another said it might be a great story for a basketball player. A boy installing subwoofers in his car sent me to the Dairy Queen, where, at least, they had posted a picture and a newspaper article on the wall. But the people in the DQ looked at me strangely as I tried to learn more about the "real story." One of them finally suggested I go to the Jay-C store to buy a copy of the DVD. I shrugged and said ok... but when I got to the grocery store, no one could find even a single copy of "Hoosiers". (They had plenty of other random movies; just none that told about what just might be the greatest thing in recent history that's ever happened in their town.) One girl at the cash register smiled apologetically, explaining that she had graduated from Milan High, but again, she admitted that she hadn't actually watched the movie.
That's when I realized... Milan had forgotten a piece of its identity. As I drove on eastward, I pondered what I had just experienced, fearful that the same thing happens in our own lives. Sometimes, we forget who we are. We forget the stories of the people that founded our mission organizations, our companies, and our congregations. Little by little, we move on . . . and the great lessons of the past -- like... little schools can win over much bigger rivals if they just train, work hard, and believe in themselves... those lessons become cobwebs in some dark cave of our consciences.
So here are my 3 "lessons learned" from a Milan sunset: a) Figure out who you are. What's unique about you, your church, or your mission. In the case of Milan, they lived one of the greatest sports stories of all time. Yet, today, some of their residents hardly understand how it applies to them personally... or to their futures. b) Write it down. Create some kind of signposts that won't let you forget about it. In Milan's case, one has to wonder if they couldn't come up with just a *tad* more of an exhibit or a bulletin board or *something*... (It might actually bring some business to their Jay-C store! :-) ) c) Celebrate it. Be glad for your history. Learn from past mistakes. Move on, yes, but move on with the knowledge that your past can help you make a better future.
So ... next time you're driving through southeastern Indiana, by all means stop at Milan. But bring your own DVD. And if you stop for ice cream, be prepared for stares if you lean over to read the faded newspaper clippings on the wall. Oh -- and ... let's do better with our own stories.
That's all I've go to say about that. :-)
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