Off-Campus & Online

Friday night was a special night here at Nativity. We hosted an evening of worship for our parish ministers.  It was an event sponsored by the Creative Department and our music ministers, led by Al Walsh. The music and the worship were transforming and it was great to spend time with the people who make what we do here happen. But, there was another reason for the event.


In the past couple of years we have found ourselves struggling with the admittedly happy problem of growth, and the lack of space this effects on our campus. How do we continue to grow and make an impact in our community for Christ by connecting unchurched people to his Church?


Nativity CrownePlaza was an attempt at an answer. NCP was a 10-week experiment last winter in which our church hosted a video venue for the purpose of providing an easy and accessible place for unchurched people in our community to worship. In many ways this exercise was a great success, though admittedly we did not succeed in attracting the numbers we had envisioned.  We suspect this was due to the newness of the concept, the lack of marketing and the relatively brief run of the program (not to mention several weekends of snow). Since we were sure we could address those issues in the coming year (except, perhaps, the snow), we determined to repeat the exercise in 2011. But, after more internal discussion and prayer, another opportunity developed that could serve the same purpose as NCP, but in an accessible and far more affordable way.


As previously announced in this space last fall, we are moving our off-campus congregation on-line.


Beginning in Lent of 2011, we will be launching a “live” online, interactive, weekly worship service, which will include our weekend message.  The experience will also include worship music by Al and our band (which was all recorded at the concert Friday night). The weekend message, as I give it in church, will be available. Chris Wesley will serve as a sort of “web pastor” greeting visitors and chatting with them in a live chat room.  The on-line service will be offered Sunday mornings at 10:30am with an encore broadcast on Wednesdays at 7pm.This will be a very easy way for you to invite your friends and family who don’t have a church to join our church.  


We’ve been talking about “plan B” living and this is definitely our plan B when it comes to continuing to grow under current circumstances. Maybe our plan B was God’s “plan A” all along.