Sermon Test of Blog Post

Here's a test of what it might look like to post a link to a sermon file and a video recording of a sermon in a blog post. I'm including a link to a recent sermon as well as a link to a video file (which obviously isn't a sermon). But hopefully this will serve as an illustration of what you could do through a sight like www.blogger.com. Loading even the small video clip below took over 10 minutes! So I suggest just linking out to a video of your sermon that's posted elsewhere (like youtube or the site you are using for your live feeds if you can also post just a sermon file there).

If you don't want your blog to be tied to your sermons, you could do something like a brief weekly thought that you would record with the video camera at your desk and/or with an audio recording of that same thing. Maybe you could share something at the beginning of the week that people could watch in preparation for the upcoming sermon ... or maybe it would be sort of "teaser" to get people interested in coming on Sunday ... or maybe it's just something your thinking about that you want to interact with others on. You could maybe do a 5-minute video/audio recording that you would then post rather than the previous week's sermon.

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Good morning folks! Thanks for joining me again at "Repurposed Churches." I hope you've had a great week. I'd like to share the sermon I preached on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at Rockland Community Church with you (you can access it via this audio link, this youtube link, or the video provided below).

The sermon was titled "The Fox and the Hen" and was based on Luke 13:31-35 (you can click on this link if you would like to read the passage for yourself).

Here's the quick summary: afakj lasjflkaf khaf kha flkjsaflk salkfdjlafklh af. sadfhaf af khlafja

afhkhafs lsafhdafkh dsafl afdhkh af. afdshkahdfs , afdshkhaf, afdhakfs!

What questions or comments do you have about the passage or my sermon? Is there something that I said that wasn't clear, that confused you, or that you disagree with. Was there something I said or something that struck you from the passage itself that you'd like to share? What is God doing in your life that may illustrate one or more of the truths found in this passage?

Any thoughts? Anyone?

Church Repurposed as an Art Center

Here's a church that's been repurposed as an art center. The art center hosts plays, live musical productions, art showings, etc. It is located in the beautiful Village of Clinton, NY (just a few miles from where I used to live in Westmoreland, NY)

Kirkland Art Center

Clinton, NY

http://www.kirklandartcenter.org

Church Repurposed as an "Enchanted Playland"

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/528032.html?nav=5011
The historic South Williamsport Methodist Church, which was a daycare, is now an "enchanted playland."

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... Repurpose?

Drive around your town or city and you will see many church buildings that are still in use. But you will also see many church buildings that are no longer functioning as churches. Some church buildings are torn down to make way for new buildings ... some just become vacatnt lots. Some church buildings are simply abandoned and left to the whims of time and the elements.

But many church buildings get repurposed. I've started this blog in the hopes of collecting pictures of churches that have been repurposed. Many smaller towns around the U.S., for example, have seen old church buildings repurposed as Historical Societies, museums, or thrift shops. But churches have also been repurposed as homes, restaurants, pubs, breweries, and stores.

I have mixed emotions when I see a repurposed church building. I'm thankful that a historic building has been preserved. But I'm also saddened that the intended purpose of the church building is no longer sustained.

At times church congregations outgrow their building and so they move to a new location and build a bigger building. But far more often, it seems, congregations shrink and are no longer able to sustain their building. And as neighborhoods change sometimes the people of a particular congregation move away leaving their old church building behind. A new congregation may inhabit the old church building ... but far too often church buildings stand as dormant reminders of a time past.

As I'm able, I'll post pictures of repurposed church buildings or links to articles about re-purposed church buildings. You can help by sending me pictures and info about church buildings that you know of that have been repurposed.

I'm also a fan of other sorts of buildings that have been repurposed for church buildings. But that is beyond the scope of this particular blog. Just as church buildings have been repurposed as restaurants and bars, I've been to churches that once were restaurants and bars. I guess turnabout is fair play, right?

So send me your pictures of repurposed churches in your neighborhood.