It's Almost Movie Time

Last year we were able to partner with the City of Valparaiso, Valparaiso Communications, Turner Classic Movies, and the NW Florida Heritage Museum to offer free nights at the movies to families in our area. Well, we're a little behind the curve right now - a lot going on - but our friend at the Valparaiso Communications HQ is checking with Turner to see if they are offering summer movies again.

If they are, we'll try to renew the partnership. If they aren't, then we'll look for movies we can show under our license. The only catch to that is that we'll have to show them at church instead of in the park.

So- any movies that you think would be great draws for families to come, hang out, eat somefree popcorn, have some free sno-cones and just enjoy summer?

Let me know your nominees.

It's Human Billboard Time!

It's one thing to get everything in place to do a service or outreach event. It seems to be quite another to get free publicity for it, at least in this area. Our local free paper, which received our press release two weeks ago for our "Movies in the Park" service outreach and our "Soles4Souls" challenge, did not run either today. Since the Wednesday edition of the twice weekly paper is the one thrown into every yard in the area free, and the Saturday edition is by subscription only, my guess is we'll get no help from them this time.

So that whole "salt and light" marketing model that Jesus popularized? It's in for this weekend's events as well. We might get some help from the FWB paper's "Things to do this weekend" section on Friday. But we need to become instant publicity sources for this weekend. New Hope folks, break out those email lists, post on your MySpace and Facebook, bug your friends - be the human billboards I know you can be.:)

Like this guy.

It's coming! Movies In the Park Two

We're learning and the events are growing. This time we've added a movie for the kids as well as some hands on educational time with the museum folks. We have some great prizes from Turner Classic Movies to give away - ponchos and an umbrella with the Singing in the Rain logo on them - limited editions!

I can't wait to see all the people and make some new friends!

Movies In the Park - The Wizard of Oz

There were so many details that needed to go right in order to make our first effort a success. People, publicity, place, weather, equipment - just to name a few. We had some hiccups but overall we got a result beyond anything we could have expected. I'd guess we had 65-75 people down there before it was over, and lots of those were families with their kids, out to enjoy a free evening.

I met a lot of people, invited a bunch to come and join us in worship at New Hope, and had a great time doing it. But I was and am SO PROUD of the people of New Hope who worked SO HARD down there. GREAT JOB GUYS!

Thanks go out to Jessie Mason with Valparaiso Communications for the most excellent projector, Michele Servino and the staff of the NW Florida Heritage Museum for their hospitality (and the use of their outside wall :) ), to Lydia Johnson and the City of Valparaiso, and to Turner Classic Movies. Well done!

See you in July!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road - Saturday 8PM!!!

Woo hoo! It's getting closer! We are hoping to be able to bless a bunch of people down there Saturday night. Please pray for great weather and an awesome turnout. If it rains, we'll move it up to New Hope.

We're Off To See the Wizard!

Just sent the press release to the local newspaper for our first "Movies in the Park". We're working with the City of Valparaiso, the Heritage Museum, and Valparaiso Communications to offer families a FREE movie each month this summer. We're treating it as a service outreach and will be doing all we can to bless the folks that come and build some relationships that the gospel can travel over.

I'm pumped! June 28th at 8PM - come and have a great time with us! It'll be at the Heritage Museum on Westview Ave. in old Valparaiso.