Tim Postuma

Is it just me, or is that a song that REALLY stays with you? Well done, Sunrise team!

Connoisseurs of synod-related humor should also be sure to check out "A Poet's View of Synod 2010" by Rod Hugen.

So we've established that the years 2000, 2010 and now 2011 are all good vintages when it comes to synod humor. But I bet there were others...anyone?

Don't try the 2009 vintage. From first-hand experience, I can say that stuff will make you sick.

Great question. I agree that the examination process does seem redundant. It certainly seemed that way to me when my wife and friends went through it years ago. And I'm sure it's on the minds of all the candidates that are (TODAY, as it turns out!) being examined by the candicacy committee.

The only problem is....I can't think of a step to eliminate!

I think Dutchoven's observation about what happens at (some? most?) classis exams is very true, and I wouldn't want to give up that step. Of course, we've also heard horror stories about classical exams, but hopefully those are the exception.

The others steps you mention seem equally important. So I don't know, maybe in this case the redundancy is OK, even good? What do others think?

Thank you so much, Marcel, for sharing our vision for this even before it was built (talk about faith!). You'll alway be the inaugural Youth Ministry Network guide!

Thanks for helping build the foundation over the past year, and we look forward to your continued participation here and on other parts of The Network.

Thanks for all your work over the past year, Jolanda, as The Network's very first Sunday School guide. You signed up even before it was built!

And thank you for your continued enthusiasm for connecting children's ministry leaders - both online and off. Keep up the great work for Faith Alive, the CRC, and beyond.

Thanks for the great post, Dave. So far, the Network has had over 1,100 comments and, of those, only 2 have been pulled (both because the person disclosed too much personal information, not because they were mean).

Maybe the "My Church" feature helps as it encourages people to identify their congregational affiliation. Or that people know CRC bingo can get them identified in a jiffy.

Whatever the reason, it hasn't been much of an issue for The Network as for some other sites. I guess grace is not only preached, but practiced in the CRC. It's been nice to see.

Yes, thanks David! You've made a big contribution not only to The Network but to the use of technology for church ministry!

Thank you, and we look forward to your continued participation as part of the The Network community.

Looks like there was an encore performance to accompany this encore blog post.

Chorus Niagara returned to the food court where it all began. It was covered on Canada AM, a national telecast. Check out the encore performance and a standing O from a packed house.

It's gone! North Point Ministries has removed this video from the web. See the note we've added above for details.

P.S. Also, please don't post links to any unauthorized versions of the video. We respect North Point's right to remove their own content from the web, and ask that you do the same. Thanks.

Hey, Dave, you beat Mashable to the punch! Some good points made in their article and comment stream:
http://mashable.com/2010/06/09/microsoft-office-web-apps/

I hardly ever use Microsoft Office anymore. Even though I've got it installed, I find Google Docs so much more convenient.

But I've also discovered that it's not easy to transition people to Docs. After using Office products for so many years, the whole concept of Google Docs and online collaboration in general is so strange. So there's the tendency to go back to the tried-and-true method of creating a Word document, attaching it to an email, track changes, and all the other stuff that now drives me nuts.

So I think Microsoft has a real opportunity to bridge that gap and help people move to web-based documents and collaboration...while keeping them in the Office family they know and love.

Any churches fully 'in the cloud' when it comes to meeting agendas, minutes, etc?