Tim Postuma
I serve the CRC in two operational roles - co-director of Ministry Support Services, and Operations Team Leader for Thrive. Both roles are dedicated to supporting CRC staff as they equip you and your church!
I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba - go, Jets - but now live in Grand Rapids, MI (much to my surprise). My wife is a CRC chaplain and we have three grown kids. We spend most of our vacations visiting family members spread across the continent - Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, St Catharines, Montreal, and Washington DC.
Posted in: Community in a Lonely World
This summer my church started having potlucks after every morning service. They're very informal. Sometimes it's a small group and other times we're overflowing. Sometimes there's too much food and other times we're running short. But, always, I'm glad I went. And we've decided to keep 'em going indefinitely.
We started them as a way to help new people get connected. Inviting them to stay for the potluck is so nice and easy.
Posted in: Church IT Survey
This is cool. I'm not involved enough in our church's IT to be able to fill it out but the data is interesting. And it's a great example of 'open' data collection/sharing.
Hmmm....maybe we can use this approach to collect and share other info across the CRC. There's already a lot of sharing going on in these Network forums (e.g. curriculum used, membership software) but open surveys/polls like this lend to more structured responses so users can tabulate, etc
Thanks for letting us know about this.
Posted in: How to Correctly Display Photos
Another great part about Picasa is that it is quite cheap to backup all your high-res photos online using Picasa Web Albums. You just sync your local version of Picasa with your online account. I love not having to mess with DVDs anymore for offsite backup.
Posted in: Finding Kindness in Bad Parking Spots
What a great story. Thanks, Staci. I'm reminded of how, more Sundays than not, my parents would invite someone over for coffee/lunch after church (especially new visitors). We met a lot of interesting people and, to us kids, it certainly modeled the value of hospitality. Plus I can't tell you how many times I've crossed paths with someone who made the connection and said 'hey, I was at your house once!'
Let's keep this thread going....who's next with an 'act of kindness' memory that left an impression?
Posted in: Will Crowdfunding Work in the CRC?
Thanks for checking it out, August. Crowdfunding is used for both product launches and for pure fundraising. Or even both at the same time, as we're doing with the God Loves Me storybooks. You can pre-order it, or just donate to the cause. It's exciting to see people doing both!
Posted in: Will Crowdfunding Work in the CRC?
August - We've been unable to find a crowdfunding system that accepts two currencies at once. If this experiment goes well, we'll keep searching. In the meantime, donations from Canadian members will be processed in such a way that they can receive a receipt that satisfies Revenue Canada requirements.
Posted in: Making Room for the New Kid
Beautiful words, Jolanda. Thanks for the many ways you've supported children's ministries in the CRC and beyond. Blessings on this new phase. We trust that God will nudge someone to continue the good work you've begun here on the Sunday School section of The Network.
Posted in: Does Your Church Have an Active Facebook Page?
My church has a Facebook group but it doesn't get used too much.
I also post to the CRCNA Facebook page which, of course, EVERYONE should "Like" :-)
Posted in: Does Your Church Have an Active Facebook Page?
Yes, it was started by a church member (not church 'official') and it was quite a while ago...so for both those reasons it was a Group instead of Page. When someone has time, we might switch it over...
I really appreciate that link about Groups vs. Pages. I hadn't come across that one before...it's a nice summary with up-to-date info about both.
Posted in: Worship Banners
I don't know anything about worship banners but, as someone who's worked on this Network site over the past year, it's so cool to see that we're connecting churches not just across the continent, but down the road! I love it!
Posted in: Day of Service: Hands/Feet of Jesus
My church did this on Sunday and it was GREAT! Over 150 people of all ages participated.
After the morning service we all walked over to the nearby park for a picnic, and then divided up into groups:
- praying (a prayerwalk around the neighborhood)
- visiting (at a facility for seniors)
- painting and yard cleanup (at our church's new community house)
- creating (duct tape wallets (!) and coloring lunch bags for a local shelter)
- picking up trash (in the neighborhood school playground)
The week before, our pastor gave 'permission' for everyone to show up to church in clothes suitable for painting/cleaning/etc. The worship service was very meaningful and challenging, with a message that tied right into the afternoon of service.
Thanks to ServiceLink for initiating this. Our church found it so great that we're wondering about doing it again next year.
Posted in: Need resources for accessibility funding
I just tested that link and it worked for me. Try it again by clicking the "Download" link on this page:
http://network.crcna.org/content/church-administration/architectural-evangelism