Living iPad Video Wall w/ "Carol of the Bells"

[rapsball4]

I'm assuming that the church already owned the iPads, or that some people in the church did, in which case this doesn't particularly bother me. If they purchased this much just to get people's attentions to come back to church, then I would have an issue with it, but I'm assuming they didn't. It is pretty cool and with that assumption, it is as valid of a form of worship as singing or dancing.

[rreid2774]

I think it is great the way you all have utilized technologies that were laying dormant over the holidays in worship! Some people fail to realize that we live in a technology driven world. Many times this is the only way barriers can be broken down so that people hear Christ's message. You enabled 18 individuals plus the programmers, directors and others involved to be a part of opening doors for the Gospel. For this you are to be applauded. As for the guy at the end, if he was not a Christian,

[ljw300]

@SalemTomball I love the video. It will pull many outsiders who are scared of church, back to God. It happened to me a few years ago.

[cruelconvictions]

This is why nobody takes the church production industry seriously. And this is not a form of worship, what about a motion background on a screen being waved around on a stick in mediocre fashion is worship? This is stupid. Deal with it.

[jwetzstein1]

When you get 65-70 people involved in something that they are excited about at their church- they invite their friends.

[tuckersound]

Obviously the folks that were present that Sunday did not come because you put "amazing Ipad thing happening today" on your website or twitter account.

What a waste. That makes me want to go back to overhead projectors to "engage" and convey a "Contagious" message.

You know what is contagious? Aids, in Africa. Ask them if they gave a crap about your presentation.

[pmintari]

@tuckersound Actually, it was on Christmas Eve, not a Sunday morning.

If you prefer an overhead projector, knock yourself out and do it to the best of your ability to the glory of God.

Actually, the disease that we're attempting to eliminate in Africa is malaria. Children at our school and people of our church raised close to $10,000 through our Kids Caring for Kenya project since October. Way, way more than was spent on the iPad element.

Please stop throwing stones.

[tuckersound]

I love technology/production/well executed creative elements in a church environment.

This is just ridiculous. Whether you already had the iPads or not, you are conveying the "we have so much technology that we are going to impress you with this..." message.  If it was my first time visit to your church I would be quite turned off by this.... why not spend that time feeding the homeless, outreaching to your local community?

[pmintari]

@tuckersound We are conveying that we will use whatever God has blessed us with to glorify Him.

We did spend the entire week before Christmas Eve feeding the needy of our community.

Please stop throwing stones.

[ApologiaTV]

No Gospel.  No Christ. 100% waste of time for everyone involved.

[ApologiaTV]

Also, what is this guy doing? Marketing his company in a T-Shirt at one of the holiest services of the year.

[ApologiaTV]

What? No. I left this sort of thing 5 years ago to become Lutheran. Non-Lutherans are way more coordinated at this sort of thing anyway.

[TheLutheranSatire]

James 2:5-6 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man.

[Cubetation]

"I have an idea! To get people to our Christmas service this year, let's buy 54 Ipads and make people dance with them! This obviously conveys God's Word in the best way possible because we get more members than all the other Lutheran churches!

[pmintari]

@Cubetation There is so much wrong with your statement on so many levels with it's assumptions and sarcastic nature, it truly makes me sad for you. "Lord, please make us instruments of Your peace."

[SalemTomball]

@Cubetation Here's an idea... let's get people to church. Once they get there - you can tell them anything you want.

[ChazzP1992]

Why is this a superior way to worship God? Why not the liturgy that the church has used for hundreds of years? Since that liturgy is so much of God's Word.

[JimPierce01]

The description of this video says it all.... there is no mention of Christ. It's about the world's first living iPad video wall.

[SalemTomball]

@JimPierce01 and it was done in a church... To the glory of God.

[JimPierce01]

@SalemTomball More like to the glory of Apple Computers I'm afraid. I don't see how God received any glory from a living iPad wall. Perhaps you can explain how?

[jellis09]

@SalemTomball I go to worship to receive the gifts of God, not for an entertaining performance.  If I want to see this I will go see TSO.

[Cyril376444]

@brfinkster This church is Lutheran in name only.

[brfinkster]

Annnnd this is why I left the Lutheran church for Eastern Orthodoxy...

[ChazzP1992]

@brfinkster There are still plenty of Lutheran churches that treasure the liturgy and history that has been passed onto us from the Fathers. I pray you receive Christ and and His gifts in the East :)

+pax+

[th3finkster]

@ChazzP1992 I'll have been Orthodox for 10 years. Sadly most of the LCMS churches in my area had abandoned the liturgy, in order to compete with the mega-churches who offered entertainment as worship. Even those that were still using a hymnal were kicking around the idea of leaving it. I doubt most would even recognize this statement from the Augustana: "Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence."

[ChazzP1992]

@th3finkster I recognize the statement and I am striving to someday, God willing, be a pastor who will retain the Mass since it proclaims Christ. I'm sorry for your unfortunate circumstances. You wish to see Jesus in the divine service and have gone to a place that does, if nothing else, have the liturgy. God bless you my friend and brother in Christ.

[aggierev]

I love my iPad, but iPad displays just don't work. The pictures are so disjointed it makes it very hard to tell what is pictured. Would have been better to stick with the projection screens. Also, a the images could have been less abstract and more clearly to the point of the Nativity. And remember for us sinners the hands with holes mean more than hands filled with stars.

[pmintari]

@aggierev No one is denying that the hands of our risen Savior mean more than hands filled with stars, or iPads, or anything. Even this element does not imply that. He blessed us with the iPads in the first place, and we will use everything He has given us to glorify Him. The central part of the song/video did point to "a child" and so did everything else in the program after this element. It was moving to see the iPads come together for the first time to form the visual of a child in a manger.

[aggierev]

@pmintari I couldn't tell it was a baby in a manger. I could make out the baby part, but nothing more (go back to my statement iPad displays are too disjointed). I'm not knocking using technology, I just don't think iPad displays are all that effective, like I said the hd-projection screens would have worked better for the visual element. And I would suggest more Jesus less stars and random color splashes. I have learned the hard way, most people just don't get abstract.

[pmintari]

@aggierev Jesus was communicated throughout the 70 minute program. This was just one element which was meant to be abstract until the ipads came together. I'm sorry you couldn't see it. It was easier to see in person, in fact it was pretty stinkin' cool when they came together to display a baby in a manger. See "Luke 2 Around the World" on youtube for another way technology was used to communicate the Gospel in this program.

[aggierev]

@pmintari More hard learned experience: it is best to think of the flow of service as related 5 minute self contained parts with each part being a proclamation of law and gospel and able to stand on its own. This video, I guess a baby in a manger could count as gospel, but only if the person filled in the gaps. Anybody else is going to miss it. Y'all had a neat idea, I just don't think it worked.

[pmintari]

@aggierev You're entirely entitled to your opinion. It did work for the purpose for which we planned it, and more than 1500 people walked away that night with the peace and assurance that Christ came to earth, taking on the lowly human form in order to suffer and die for our sins and then rise victorious. It was the greatest gift, and there is nothing we can do to earn salvation.

[aggierev]

@pmintari Did you ask all 1500+, if they walked away with that assurance? If not, don't make such statements. You may have attempted to give such assurance and some may have walked away with such. But I will say this particular segment failed to communicate much of anything with at least one person. And I am not one of the ppl commenting who is upset you used tech, or had nontraditional music.

[pmintari]

@aggierev I appreciate that you don't negate tech and nontraditional music. I agree neither one of us should make blanket statements which we cannot substantiate without exhaustive exit polls. In the end, this was not meant as a stand-alone element. In your opinion it "didn't work." You are entitled to that opinion. In my opinion it did and I have had access to hundreds of people who experienced it live and trust the hearts of those offering it. It served it's purpose as our opening piece.

[jmd0281unt]

Couldn't the several thousand dollars it cost to but all those ipads be put to better use?

[ChazzP1992]

@jmd0281unt the price of the iPods is roughly equal to 540 nice wool blankets or 2812 quality wool socks.

[pmintari]

@ChazzP1992 The iPads were not purchased, they were borrowed. Using what God had already blessed our community with to give glory back to Him. Salem, in fact, did stock the pantries of and provide Christmas dinner for more than 60 families in their community the week before Christmas, and during the month of January is collecting coats for the Star of Hope mission.

[ChazzP1992]

@pmintari I was not implying anything about the moral character of Salem. thank you for letting me know I will pass that information on. I was merely answering the question what the value of those iPads can buy.

[pmintari]

@ChazzP1992 Thanks, Chazz!

[pmintari]

@jmd0281unt The iPads were not purchased, they were borrowed. Using what God had already blessed our community with to give glory back to Him.

[jwetzstein1]

They "performed" a prelude. That was only the prelude. The service was just starting.

[Cyril376444]

@jwetzstein1 What was the purpose of this "prelude"?

[SalemTomball]

@Cyril376444 The same as any prelude at any church, I hope... The dictionary says it best: a preliminary to an action, event, condition, or work of broader scope and higher importance.

[Cyril376444]

Definitely not the Divine Service. The lady at the end called it what it was: a performance.

[pmintari]

@spaljoey In the center of this element was a video of a child in a manger representing the Christ child. This element was truly the Body of Christ at Salem worshiping with all they've been given. The service continued after this element to include songs which told the story, a message which told the story, and the actual Luke 2 story told by people from around the world-Youtube "Luke 2 Around the World". I'm absolutely certain people left there knowing the true message and meaning of Christmas.

[luanneify]

the message of worship: use anything God places in our hands for His glory & to tell His story...we are fortunate to have smart phones, iPads, laptops, PCs and Macs right at our fingertips. How often do we stop to realize the power of sharing His story with these tools? Look again at this element and I hope you see the Body of Christ, working together, with what they hold in their hands to share the story of the One who holds the stars, galaxies, the universe and, most of all, their hearts...

[spaljoey]

Don't get me wrong. I thought the performance was clever. However, where do you draw the line between worship and secular entertainment?I think your performance was more of a salute to Steve Jobs and a message that one can never have enough I-pads. At least hymns and the historic litury of the church convey a message. Who in the world can devine a message from your performance.

[jwetzstein1]

@spaljoey That was our prelude. Same instrumental element.... except instead of a felt banner, ours were digital.

[spaljoey]

So, you call this worship? I think not? What sort of message are you conveying? Lights are great and stage productions are wonderful?

[cointurtlemoose]

@spaljoey Well, apparently and unfortunately the wrong message was conveyed to you, and for that I am sorry. I trust your view of worship isn't so narrow as to only include singing songs/hymns in a building, as I'm sure it is not. So then, this *could be worship, in that it was a collection of people using their God-given gifts for the enjoyment of others, at the beginning of a service which strongly proclaimed Jesus as Lord. That's my take on it, granted, I might be biased, since...

[cointurtlemoose]

@spaljoey (continued from below) I played guitar in that band. I rehearsed and planned my part carefully, in acknowledgment and gratefulness for the gift I've been given, and with the intention of somehow giving that gift back to God's purposes (ie this Christmas Eve service). That's the way I approached, and I am sure that every person on this worship team approached it the same way: giving back. That might be worship; I guess we'll find out in heaven though :) Sorry for the essay...

[SalemTomball]

@spaljoey John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (including iPads)

We are using what is already His to communicate to people.