Introduction.
For quite a while now, since we had our latest baby, it can be difficult to get all us to fellowship on a Tuesday evening, and we have phoned in instead.
I also hear of many fellowships setting up audio conferences via Skype, as this allows the internet to be used, and a single microphone in the fellowship (rather than a phone) to be used for everyone online and
listening. But it is fiddly to get going each time.
In our fellowship in London, we have been studying the Mystery, and in particular we are so blessed about the Body of Christ, how Christ is The Head, and The Leader of the church, and how he works in each of
us.
Who has not been amazed recently to get back in touch with old Way Corps friends and seen how our Father has been working in their lives to bless them and work in them to will and to do of His good pleasure?
The Global Body of Christ is our church, and the closer we can be the more blessed we can be by each other.
Recently while in fellowship it was really clear on my heart how I could help.
I had a clear picture of a very simple web site, which had embedded within it the ability to multi-cast video over the internet. I am a technologist by trade and understand internet video particularly, and although
the infrastructure and bandwidth costs are much higher than for audio, this
would allow anyone on the internet with a PC to attend any fellowship, with full video and audio, from anywhere!
<TECH>The way it works is to take the single video stream from the fellowship to a data centre with plenty of bandwidth, and then from their send it out to multiple people attending the fellowship, each with their own
dedicated video stream.
This allows any number of people to get the stream, with just a normal DSL link into the home fellowship that is broadcasting.<\TECH>
The Web Site would allow each of us to set the times of our fellowship broadcasts so that other people could find it and come to our fellowship.
Imagine a loan believer wanting to attend a fellowship, it could be 2pm in South Africa, they could “log-on” to gotofellowship.com and see fellowships from anywhere around the world about to start, and join in.
We would really see the Body of Christ in action, and each of us would be able to serve the whole Body. Because of the time zone differences, most people may be able to find a
fellowship starting at pretty much any time of the day or night!
We could “bookmark” our favourite fellowships, and get email alerts when they were about to start.
With the centralised data centre, it would also be very easy to record and archive the fellowships.
Making it Happen
It has really been on my heart to make this happen, and I was even thinking of how much it would cost to built it from scratch and run it.
I have looked into alternatives on the web. There are a few free services like this, but they are typically Advertising funded, or the content is a big mixture, often including adult content on the same sites.
My heart was for the Corps, and those close fellowships that we know and look after, to have their own centralised site.
Like youtube, each fellowship would have their own “channel”, but it would be “LIVE” with a broadcast schedule and supporting information. Later it could have notes, scripture lists, and a video archive.
We could even provide an online bible to read along!
The site would not promote any single fellowship, or teacher or topic. It would be there
Then a few weeks ago, I was discussing the idea with a non Christian friend of mine who had been working in this area. He in his previous company, had built such a system for a different industry, and although the VC
funded company collapsed in the slump, he held onto the rights to the system.
It now seems that if we can make it work, he would like to see it put to use for our “congregation” as he calls us, and is happy to let me use it under a perpetual, royalty free, source code licence.
So I now am in a position where if people like the idea, I could probably have it all up and running in less than 90 days.
It will cost me possibly £20k-£40k to get the now redundant engineers to “re-skin” it, with a new design, and get the software up and running again. After that it will also cost some money to keep going (Hosting
costs, Bandwidth, A support engineer, constant software improvements etc).
So it would have to rely on donations, and a small subscription.
Hence this Blog Post. If people like the idea I will do it!
I would expect to offer it free for about 90 days while we improve the system, and iron out any bugs, and then charge the fellowships something like £10 a month for the service. It would cost more than that to
run, so we would also need to invite those attending to donate something
towards keeping the service running, via pay pal or something.
My thoughts are that given the number of registered fellowships and the running costs, we would work out the breakeven point per fellowship and keep donations from
internet viewers until we have reached that (on a fellowship by fellowship
basis), and after that pass on the donations to the broadcasting fellowship,
which should then provide them with additional Abundant Sharing.
Next Steps
What I do next very much depends on what feedback I get here.
· Please: if you like the idea and might use it TELL ME!!!
· If you would like to see the idea changed again: TELL ME!!
· If you have a better idea – again please: TELL ME!!
God Bless you for reading this, it is on my heart to serve the Church in this way.
Please let me know your thoughts....
Sincerely In Christ
Ian Valentine
For those that do not know me:
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Replies
http://www.vimeo.com/user3751014/videos
We are getting a professional camera set up as well, so the quality of picture and sound will be improved. Might even make me look younger--I think NOT! This way provides a "no cost option" for those who want that, although they may have to do a bit of conversion should they want to archive to Vimeo, which is simple as you know. Saves you $20-40k as well. Love you brother Iain
http://www.thegrovebiblefellowship.com
You guys are so smart. This is the future of church outreach IMO at least in part.
It's pretty cool.
Ian
Thanks for this!!
I'ts great to see the encouraging support on here, and also via a good few PMs I have had.
A key bit of the private feedback I have had is that there is a concern that has been raised that some fellowships using the GTF site may have, in their way, over time, formed doctrinal opinions/clarifications/expansions/deviations etc that are actually different one from each other, and that these differences could be a cause for concern, and even viewed as detrimental.
I take this concern seriously, and agree some loving and gentle controls may be necessary! As one example I gave of this fact is that (probably everyone agrees, with this one:) we should not allow the site to be used to hold a "virtual seance" - I take that extreme to point out something that would be abhorrant to us all. But another opinion, possibly just as valid, is "why care about that? None of our guys would go...".
I certainly would not be of the latter opinion, as I draw the line in that the only reason I am doing this site is so that God Gets The Glory, and I could not in any way imagine a "virtual seance" being a Glory to God! So I feel its right I could prevent it being used in that way!
To put some minds at rest: there certainly will be no representation on the site that the site can guarentee the quality of what people do in their own fellowships. Far from it! IMHO anyone teaching God's Word, is simply answerable to Him, not me!
So I do not intend for anyone to be "pulling the strings" behind the scenes to be bias one way or another, as my view is that while I feel I am pretty soundly grounded in the Word myself, I will not judge, and definately not to "pull strings" - but there may be a need for some practical controls, which I intend, as much as possible to be put into the hands of the users. I am humbly thinking this through, and have already had some great suggestions! (THANKS!)
It is huge in my heart that this is a Glory to God and will not become something to be ashamed of. In fact my intention when making this available via this announcement here, was a deliberate attempt to focus the consistency of the fellowships. At Least starting with Way Corps, there is likely to be a high degree of consistency. While some may be worried about differences, I intend to celebrate what is in common. And ther WILL be a lot!
Has anyone noticed that in the world anyway there is a huge amount of "wrong doctrine" available? Anyone turned on the TV recently or attended Mass? Are you worried about the people in your fellowship doing that?
In studying the Mystery here in London, one thing that I have learned is that we all still have SO MUCH TO LEARN! Both doctrinely and practically. No one egotistically should run or start a fellowship because they think they are more perfect than the next guy, the reality is we should only do what we do in service to The Lord. The last perfect guy around actually DID start a great church - its called the church of the One Body. There is actually, spiritually no other "church" just now.
If we walk in Love, I am sure these issues can be worked through. I also pray that this "tool" (that's all it will be - and like any tool can be used well or badly by different people) will have the ability to actually help bind and bring together the Body of Christ more. It should do just that, as it will help those with a lot to give to give more, and thats actually how the Body of Christ edifies itself in love.
The First Century Church has the same issues! Some fellowships actually mutilated geneitalia as part of their "doctrine", others found the Mystery as taught by Paul as "hard" and stuck to simple, possibly "wrong" stuff (when compared to the fullness of the revelation of the Mystery). Perhaps we are still doing that in different ways ourselves....??
I am reminded strongly of 1 cor 4:
[1] Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
[2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
[3] But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
[4] For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
[5] Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
So my intention is to try to "limit" the concerns people have raised regarding some felowships having what they believe is "wrong doctrine", by having a sensible code of conduct, and to design the site to help people "gotofellowship as much as possible. At the end of the day, anyone in any of our fellowships can go to Mass on a sunday if they want... - but probably they choose not to.
My heart is that this will be a glory to God and His work in all of us.
So thanks for all the encouragement, suggestions and yes also for the concerns, I think all this is great feedback...
Ian
PS I think its about $1.56 to the £1 just now...
I have visited TheGreatSecret.org a few times and listened to some of the teachings there. And after finishing Volume One of Unveiling The Great Mystery of the First Century Church (for the second time), and upon being asked by Amazon.com to write a review on it, I did.
I think you guys are doing a good work, and will keep it in my prayers, and watch it grow. I am interested in seeing how that works out. And I look forward, with great anticipation to Volume Two of the book.
You are the best!
Love,
Your brother in Christ,
Terry Worcester
http://www.inthebeginning.org/kingdom/macmillan/disqualified/broadc...
So I will be interested to see the progress you make on this, please keep me posted on it. We have people tuning in all around the world, small numbers at this stage, BUT allows them to be part of our fellowship. Love you brother Iain.
As I understand it, though, you are not interested in marketing this for profit world wide. From what I gather, you are doing this specificially for the fellowships of the "believers" in our circle of friends and aquaintences from the Way Corps and other similar believer fellowships. That's pretty cool. I only hope that if and when this is up and running that people will use it freely as a neutral technological tool and set aside our petty differences.
For example, I can hear it now....." If so-and-so is using this tool, I am not going to use it. And exactly who is the person pulling the strings behind the scenes?" If people are still of that shallow frame of mind it is time for them to step aside let youth take over their ministries, if there are any involved.
Anyway, have fun. May this succeed! I'll sure use it! God bless.
PS - for the sake of people like me, could you translate £20k-£40k into our dollars......Is that $20 to $40k?
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