LifeJourney Church is a Christ–centered, Bible–focused, radically–inclusive congregation of 400+ people who celebrate diversity and encourage independent thought. We label ourselves as “Emergent” and “Progressive Evangelical.” More info at www.LifeJourneyChurch.cc.

We are seeking a Director of Communications & Technology. This position is full–time, with presence required on Sundays. It supports all key departments of the church, and reports to the Senior Pastor for all its functions except worship technology, for which it reports to the Worship Arts Minister. Salary commensurate to experience, education, and credentials.

Primary Responsibilities

Communications:

• Develop and execute comprehensive, dynamic external communications strategies that will foster broad awareness of our church and our publishing ministry.
• Develop and execute comprehensive, dynamic internal communications strategies that will connect our congregation to each other and to our church’s mission and ministry.
• Manage, update, and continue to develop all aspects of our websites, including providing technical and strategic leadership in web development.
• Manage and grow the social media presence of our church and publishing ministry.
• Oversee “the look” and content of all print, web, wall–display, signage, and digital output media, with an eye to consistent branding. Design, layout, and write (or edit) content of church and publishing ministry communications documents.

Worship Technology:

• Coordinate and support the technical aspects of excellent, authentic, and innovative worship, under the direction of the Worship Arts Minister.
• Prepare audio–visual aspects of worship, including video and slides.
• Recruit, lead, train, and oversee the Media Team, which is responsible for audio, visual, lighting, staging, and webcast for weekly worship and for special events such as weddings, funerals, VBS, and Christmas and Easter programs.
• Oversee maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrades of audio/visual, publication, and other technical equipment associated with worship.

Information Technology:

• Oversee maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrades of computers and other office equipment.

Primary Qualifications
The person who fills this position must . . .

• Be a passionate follower of Jesus who is spiritually centered and enthusiastic about the mission and ministry of LifeJourney Church.
• Be a visionary who is able to conceive and implement strategies to project our message of hope and grace externally and internally by creatively leveraging both traditional and new means of communication.
• Be a great team player who thrives on providing timely, high–quality support for the various departments of the church; maintaining strong “client relations” with department heads and key volunteers; and managing multiple projects and volunteers at once.
• Care deeply about getting the details right to achieve excellence in worship and ministry.
• Stay abreast of current trends in print/web/mobile design to ensure we are on the cutting edge of technology and producing culturally relevant content and designs.
• Be technically comfortable and competent with a wide range of office and worship equipment, hardware, and software.
• Have basic competency in graphic design technology and tools.
• Have strong written and oral communications skills.

Education and Experience
The person who fills this position must . . .

• Have a bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, media studies, or a related field.
• Have experience in conceiving and implementing organizational communications strategies, both internal and external, using various means of communication, including web design, social media, and print media.

How To Apply
To receive a copy of our application materials, please contact Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor, at PastorJeff@LifeJourneyChurch.cc. The deadline for applications is May 17, 2013.

After 15 years of faithful service to our church, our Communications Director, David Squire, will be leaving his position. David’s final day will be April 5. As you see him around the church, please be sure to express deep thanks for his many years of service.

Even after his last day, David will continue to provide support on a transitional basis for several critical ongoing projects. For example, our publishing ministry, LifeJourney Press, is working with Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator of our denomination, to publish two books she has authored. David will complete the design and layout of those books over the next several months.

Pastor Jeff said, “Fifteen years ago David came to me and said, ‘I want to quit my job and volunteer full-time for the church.’ I was flabbergasted by his generosity. At that time, I was the only employee the church could afford. So David volunteered full-time for a year, then gradually we were able to begin paying him. He has done so much for our church over the years.”

Some of David’s signature accomplishments include designing our three church web sites: LifeJourneyChurch.cc, LifeJourneyPress.cc, and ­WouldJesusDiscriminate.org. David has designed all the products offered by our Press, our Weekly News, our brochures, and our wall displays. He has coordinated and edited our original daily meditation, Be Still and Know. He wrote the grant request that funded our state-of-the-art webcasting equipment. And these are just a few examples.

For all of this, David, we just want to say thank you!

The turn of the New Year provides a great opportunity to pause, reflect, and set specific spiritual goals for the year to come. Here at LifeJourney, we invite everyone to spend an hour taking a spiritual self-inventory entitled Building A Vibrant Spiritual Life, then to prepare a personal Soul Care Plan for the year to come. You can download the inventory and Soul Care Plan, or pick up a copy at church.

If you would like to share a confidential copy of your plan with pastoral staff — for prayer and support — bring a copy to church and place it in the box at the kiosk. You’re also welcome to scan and email a copy to PastorJeff (at) LifeJourneyChurch.cc.

2012 is the Year of the Oasis at LifeJourney! Oasis is the single best way to find connections and make friends in the church. We invite you to consider two new Oasis options that are coming soon.

Northeast Oasis

Michael Drain and Brent Walsh will lead the new Northeast Oasis, which will meet at the home of Burns Gutzwiller and Nathan Tuttle (207 W. Staat St, Fortville) beginning Monday, October 29 at 7:00 pm. Michael is currently serving as the co-leader to the Northside Oasis and is looking forward to launching this new group with Brent, an apprentice in the LifeJourney Pastoral Training Program. Both are excited to welcome you to this new group where building friendship connections and growing our souls will be the ultimate goal.

Singles Oasis

Robert Ferguson and Genese Parker will lead the new Singles Oasis. The group will meet at Robert’s home (3637 Catalpa Ave., near 56th and Kessler) beginning Tuesday, November 6 at 7:00 pm.

This group is especially for those who are single and looking to build strong spiritual friendships with other singles. Robert is a Deacon in our church and is excited to welcome singles into his home for a weekly time of fellowship. Genese brings her youth and gender balance to the group. Come join Genese and Robert on Tuesday evenings!

These new groups are just two out of 13 options for Oasis. Check out all the options, or pick up a brochure at church on Sunday.

Exciting things are happening with our Animal Ministry!

In June, the team unveiled a plan that included a new endeavor: fostering dogs. A few weeks ago, a plea was sent out about two dogs in desperate need from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. One of the dogs was adopted out of the shelter quickly. The second, a Wheaten mix, is now being fostered by Sarah Addison, one of the heads of our Animal Ministry. He is now with Sarah learning basic manners and how to trust other people and animals, while he waits to find his forever home!

Also in the news is that Petco Adoption Days have begun! Robin Herman, through her Lucky Dog Retreat Rescue, which is supported by our Animal Ministry, is currently fostering fifteen dogs. July 15 was the first day that five dogs were brought to Petco in Carmel for adoption.

Kris Soper, a member of the Animal Ministry, participated. She says, “This is one of the best things I have ever done in my life! Our dogs were the best behaved of all the adoption groups there and we even had two placements, which I thought was great!” Nora, a Cavalier King Charles/Papillion mix, shy as could be, slowly became more comfortable with people and became the “marketing” dog. She and Kris spent time sitting in front of our table at Petco. The table could be seen down the main aisle, and Nora just smiled and welcomed everyone, and was eventually adopted. Kris says she was happy to be a part of the event and proud of our success.

Please visit Lucky Dog Retreat Rescue if you are interested in adopting a dog. You can also contact Sarah Addison via the church office if you are interested in working with the Animal Ministry.

Our Animal Ministry is about building a strong network of people to help animals in need, helping at the Indianapolis Humane Society, assisting with adoption days at Petco for Lucky Dog Retreat Rescue, and fostering dogs rescued from kill shelters. The continued growth of the Animal Ministry will allow for many more lives to be saved!

This year’s Black Pride theme is “Turning Your Pride Into Praise.” We are taking this time to celebrate God’s blessings in our lives. No matter how you identify, you deserve to be celebrated and recognized as God’s creation!

Please join us for our Black Pride Community Worship Service on August 12. Our special speaker will be our own Deacon Tina Johnson-McCrackin. The Gospel Choir will also sing. We will celebrate at both the 9:30 and 11:00 am services, and a potluck dinner will follow the 11:00 service. If you plan to join us for lunch, please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Operation Overboard provided a week filled with learning, fun, and adventure! More than 30 children joined in as we celebrated the love of God that goes deeper than the ocean. Check out the video to see all the dancing, playing, creating, and learning that took place during our week of VBS!

In worship services at LifeJourney Church today, June 24, Pastor Jeff announced that Richard Ramsey will serve as LifeJourney Church’s new Worship Arts Minister. Pastor Jeff said, “I am so excited, my heart could burst! God has blessed us with one of America’s most gifted and successful worship artists — and that is not an exaggeration.”

Richard comes to LifeJourney Church with a track record of helping dynamic churches grow the power of their worship. He served as Senior Director of Worship at Grace Community Church, Noblesville, Indiana, at a time when they grew to become one of central Indiana’s largest congregations. From there Richard moved to another innovative Indiana congregation, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, where he ministered as Creative Director and Worship Leader. Currently, Richard is at an historic church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sardis Presbyterian Church. In between these roles, early in his career, Richard also traveled with, and played piano for, legendary Christian recording artist Sandi Patty.

As we talked to congregations where Richard has ministered, the same themes were echoed again and again. He excels at leading worship and helping congregations experience the presence of God. He is an incredibly outgoing guy who really loves people. He is a stunning musician. He is creative and open to diverse worship styles.

In the eyes of some, Richard is making an unusual move. He is serving, and has served, in grander settings. But Richard can’t say no to the call he feels to come to LifeJourney Church. During a brief transition period in his life a few years ago, he had the opportunity to work behind the scenes as a part-time accompanist at LifeJourney and became thoroughly familiar with us. He knows us well and is passionate about our vision and potential. He believes God wants to use churches like ours — centered on Christ, serious about the Bible, and genuinely open to all — to create a new model for how church is done in the future.

Richard said, “It’s been so exciting the work God has done through the church so far. I’m thrilled I get to be a part of this next chapter as we experience God together in fresh and new ways. ‘No eye has seen, nor ear heard’ all that God can do through LifeJourney Church!”

And so we begin a new era at LifeJourney. Richard’s commitment is to help us take our worship to the next level. His tenure will begin August 1, and we can’t wait! Thank you, God, for answering our prayers during this worship search.

We now have a new way you can connect to receive prayer. The Pastoral Care Team of LifeJourney Church is now connected to you through Facebook!

You can find us at Facebook.com/LifeJourneyChurch. If you need a prayer, have a praise or just need to talk, please post a message or wall post. A Pastoral Care team member or Deacon will be there for you when you need us! Like us on Facebook because we love you!

Please keep in mind that wall posts are public, and messages are private.

The Pride Parade and Festival is on June 9, and we’re working together to make it better than ever! Here are ways to participate:

• We will walk in the Indy Pride parade, and would like as many of us as possible to join in, wearing a LifeJourney Church t-shirt. Shirts are available at the bookstore in sizes from 4T to 4XL. (Of course you’re welcome to join without a t-shirt.)
• We would like to find a few “balloon volunteers” to assist with inflating and distributing balloons before the parade.
• We’re looking for a few folks to staff the church booth at the Festival, in two to three hour shifts. Staff will pass out brochures, answer questions, and mostly, just be friendly.

To be part of these activities, fill out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News or contact David Squire.

You may have noticed the shiny new television on the wall in the social hall. That’s the first step in our plan for Café Worship!

The Board of Trustees, led by Pastor Vivan Wyatt, and in consultation with the rest of our staff, have developed a plan to remodel a portion of the social hall to provide space for a different kind of worship experience. Think “sanctuary crossed with coffee shop” and you’re on the right track. Features of the new space will include:

• The large screen TV that’s already in place. This was funded with a technology grant we received in 2011. (More about funding Café Worship below.) Many kudos to the Media Team for their diligence in broadcasting the entire service.
• A stained glass feature wall that will divide the social hall from the lobby, so that there’s still plenty of space for conversation outside the casual worship area.
• A coffee and beverage service area.
• New lighting to replace some of the “cold” fluorescent fixtures.
• Decor upgrades to promote the feeling of casual warmth, worshipfulness, and connection.

So when will this be done? Completion date depends on funding (of course). Café Worship is the second of our three budget goals for this year. Once giving averages $9,897 per week (we’re currently at $9,562) we can greenlight all of the improvements. Since these upgrades are a one-time expense, we may be able to implement some of them, a little at a time, as funds become available from other sources (i.e., dedicated giving, building-related income, or bequests).

So enjoy the new big screen, as we move toward our budget goal and completion of the Café Worship space. Questions? Please contact Pastor Vivian.

We have launched our national search for a new Worship Arts Minister, posting our position with MCC, ChurchJobs.com, and similar sources.

If you know a great candidate who might be interested, please share this position description. Applications are due May 6.

Membership Class will be offered April 15 and 22, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Both sessions are required for membership. Lunch will be served at each session beginning at 12:30 pm.

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Our Worship Arts Minister, Mark Brown, has accepted a position as Director of Music for Resurrection MCC, Houston, Texas. Although we are very sad to lose Mark, we understand that this is a wonderful opportunity, and celebrate with him.
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Join us during Holy Week for three distinct services.

Maundy Thursday, April 5, 7:00 pm
Our theme is Prayer and Communion. The sanctuary will be transformed into the Garden of Gethsemane and the upper room. The Children’s Choir and our soloists, duets and Instrumentalists will be featured. The music will be a mixture of traditional and contemporary.

Good Friday, April 6, 7:00 pm
Our theme is Golgotha. This service will include traditional, gospel, and contemporary music, and some Hebrew songs as well. This service will feature the Sanctuary Choir and Instrumentalists.

Easter Sunday, April 8, 9:30 am and 11:00 am
We’ll have a traditional celebration of Easter. This service will feature Pastor Jeff’s sermon, the Sanctuary Choir, soloist Tex Green, the Praise Singers, and the Instrumentalists.

Our services will immerse us in the events of those days. We’ll take an honest look at the characters who played a part in Christ’s last days before his death. We then can ask ourselves, “Who would I be in that scheme of events?”

Would I be a soldier fulfilling my duty, a scribe railing against radicals, a disciple following a dead man, a person looking for love? Whoever we might be, we can know Christ came for us all. We always have the choice to love more and change the things we can — and leave what we can’t change in God’s hands.

From South Africa to Kenya to Ghana
Brent and Julie Walsh have recently returned from an African mission trip and have prepared a detailed photographic tour with coverage of the entire journey.

Destination Guatemala
We have been blessed with the connections we’ve made: from building homes with the Navajo Nation to reaching out to communities in Sudan who seek our partnership. As we continue our commitment to these projects, we are also looking ahead — to Guatemala. We anticipate that we will be helping kids in an orphanage and school called Precious Moments, helping kids in an HIV orphanage called Madre Maria Vittelo, and building homes for a population where nearly 75% are below the poverty line and live in homes made from corn stalks, with dirt floors.

If you become a regular giver of this congregation, and help us reach our “budget step three” goal, we can begin our ministry to Guatemala.

2012 Navajo Nation Mission Service Trip
We’ll be traveling to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico September 15–22, to share the love of Christ by building new homes for Navajo families who are in great need. The home building project includes activities such as framing, drywall, insulation, painting, and flooring.

The total cost of participation for this trip is $875 per person, which includes airfare, ground transportation, food, and lodging. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation and the growth of our Missions program, the church will be able to fund part of the trip cost ($400) for each participant.

If you are interested in going on this trip, please plan to attend a short interest meeting on Sunday, March 25 at 12:45 pm. Applications will be available at the meeting or by email request to Sally Rankin.

We will be working with the Southwest Indian Foundation (SWIF) in Gallup, New Mexico. We will stay at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center, just a few miles from SWIF.

Where have we been? Where are we now and what does God have in store for our future? We’ll ponder these questions on Black History Sunday, February 26, at both services.

This year’s speaker is our very own Vivian Wyatt, and the services will be full of worship, song, and praise, featuring a combined choral number by the Gospel Choir, the Sanctuary Choir, and some of our members who sing in various groups in the city.

A potluck will follow the 11:00 am worship service, and the church will supply the main dish. If you plan to stay for lunch, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. If you’d like to help with setup or in the kitchen, please contact the church office and we’ll put you in touch with LaTrice Moralez, who is heading up the potluck.

In March we’ll launch four new Oasis Groups. These are exciting new opportunities to build strong friendships. The host homes will be announced in the next couple weeks.

If you’d like to stay in the loop as things develop, please contact the church office and let us know which Oasis you’re interested in.

• Eastside Oasis, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor Vivian (starts March 7)
• Northside Oasis, Thursdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor Jeff (starts March 22)
• Westside Oasis, Tuesdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor David (starts March 13)
• Young Adult Oasis, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm at church, led by Katrina Davis and Steve Hadt (starts March 14)

Note: We have eight other Oasis Groups already up and running that you’re welcome to check out.

If you are the parent of a baby or toddler you know how important it is to have play dates — for you and for your little one! Because there are so many families connecting to our church we want to provide a space for those play dates.

Beginning February 7 at 10:00 am, the church will host a monthly Play Date on the first Tuesday of the month. This is a chance for parents to connect while their little ones play. We hope to see your family on Tuesday, February 7 at 10:00 am!

Registration is not required. Contact Melody Merida if you need more information.

Attention Singles: Who likes to bowl? Now who likes to Duckpin Bowl? Come join us in Fountain Square for 90 minutes of fun-filled bowling on Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 pm. The cost is $7.00 per person for both bowlers and non-bowlers. We will have dinner beforehand at Smokehouse on Shelby at 6:00 pm, and you can come for one or both activities.

Space is limited! Reserve your spot by emailing group leader Donna Martin or by filling out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News.