All Religion Considered

NPR's All Things Considered does a weekly tech segment. This week I was fascinated to learn that it had a religious topic: "Religion finds home on iPhones, social networks." (You can also listen to the three-minute piece).

Reporter Jessica Alpert gave additional commentary on NPR's All Tech Considered blog (which I was able to contribute to throughout my semester at NPR's Social Media Desk).

According to Alpert, there are over 200 bible iPhone apps. And one devoted couple created the iRosary. Another app reminds Muslims of the daily call to prayer.

One of my Twitter friends, Matt Lipan, is a United Methodist pastor in Indianapolis. He's a great example of someone who's engaging people online. He has an active Twitter account, blogs about his sermons, and is launching a video/chat forum called "Outside the Walls."

Can technology bring people closer to faith (and each other) - or does it distract? On the other hand, maybe using technology and social networks can work together to bring believers (and non-believers) into more intimate conversations. That's one topic I'm interested in exploring further.

LinkedIn [To The Church]

When I came to college I didn’t think I’d be going to church every Sunday. But when all that changed, I found out one thing: It’s hard to stay put at church when you're a college kid.

You've got holiday breaks, weekend trips, and the potential semester abroad. Summers are spent at home, traveling or completing an internship. This makes connecting to a church kind of like visiting long-distance relatives. You know there’s a familial connection, but it can be spotty at best.

I’ve made it a point to stay in a bible study at school, stay plugged in with campus ministries, and keep a group of friends who are supportive. But what about the local body of Christ? There's something to be said for mixing with people of all ages - hearing their stories - and working side-by-side on service projects.

Sunday's message at Harvest Bible Chapel hit just that topic. The current series is "United We Stand."

One song from Casting Crowns (and 1 Cor. 12:12-26) echoes my desire for a fuller church experience.

If we are the Body

Why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

Within the context of a church, people have the power to do things. To build strong relationships. And church is not just about bricks and mortar, either.

My friends at the United Methodist Church launched the "What If" campaign this year that demonstrates how church is a verb - not just a noun.

So even if you are socially networked in cyberspace, are you physically "LinkedIn" at church?

Opening Hearts, Minds and Doors

When I first created this blog, I was in the middle of an internship with the United Methodist Church - at their Indiana headquarters. I wrote for Hoosier United Methodist Together publication. I feel it is time to give them due credit to what I learned. 

Church operations are a fascinating thing; it works something like a business, with clergy for employees and believers as the clients. But there's one difference.

Church staff members, clergy and members aren't working on commission; they're working for The Great Commission. 

Before I started work at IAUMC, I didn't know much about the United Methodist Church - other than that it was one of many Christian denominations. And with my solid Catholic upbringing, I hadn't heard much about the "other guys."

This weekend, my former supervisor, Dan Gangler, and the rest of the office will be at Annual Conference. It's the big event where all UMC Hoosiers get together to talk about ministries, missions and the church structure, outlined in The Book of Discipline. It's happening at Ball State University, and will include a one-day mission project in town to promote "Rethink Church," the campaign to drum up UMC support and members. I'm praying it will be a fruitful weekend for them.

Don't know much about Methodism? Well here are a few things I learned as an outsider:

• It is a mainline evangelical branch of Christianity.
  
• United Methodists are different from Methodists or the Free Methodists.
  
• UM is based on the teachings of John Wesley, who believed in using faith as a catalyst for social justice. 
  
• UM has a strong relationship with church plants in Sierra Leone
  
• Ever wonder what Cokesbury is? A UM publishing company, named after US Methodists Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury.
  
• There is a strong emphasis and stance against gambling, smoking and abortion. One of favorite experiences was my first trip to the Indiana State House. We got to hear HB1213, which would ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Dan presented his reasons on behalf of the Hoosier Health and Faith Coalition. 
  
• The official motto is "open hearts, open minds, open doors."
• The symbol is a cross with a red flame running through it. 
• UMC has a history, but it also keeps a new generation engaged. The extensive summer camp options and community centers keep kids involved and learning about the Lord.
• UM churches are diverse. Some are more inner-city focused, while others might have eco-friendly efforts or a conservative approach.

I have been so blessed with the folks I have met through this internship, arranged through Butler's Center for Faith and Vocation. During this time, I've become highly interested in religion reporting - thanks also to my trip to RCC in Boston this past March. 

Who knows what's next? But this was one internship I won't - can't - forget.

everything i've WISHed for

Today I began as a news intern at the Indianapolis CBS affiliate: WISH TV 8. I can't tell how I excited I've been to begin this internship. This is my first TV-based internship, so I'll really be in that broadcast, edge-of-your-seat environment.

It's been great to find other believers in this environment. On my first day, I shadowed Jim Scott at the assignment desk. He told me about a ministry he started through Old Bethel United Methodist Church. It's called Celebration Puppeteers. Jim explained that he and his team make puppets and use puppet storytelling to spread the good news. And he does this on the side, all while he's been working at WISH for over 30 years!

I take this as a sign from God to trust that he will put other believers in my life as mentors and guides, even in an industry that takes a lot of heat and criticism at times.

Overall, I am praying that God will give me the courage to be ambitious and enterprising in this internship, which I think will challenge me in ways I've never been challenged. But I know that any time I give God my complete trust, I am always happy with the results.