Comments for Intersections

Comment on Hidden Words by Pam

Pam — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:33:50 +0000

I totally agree on the importance of memorizing scripture! I had to memorize lots of it during confirmation and so much of that is still with me today as I now choose to continue to memorize scripture on my own.

But the question is how to get kids to see the importance of it in their lives…

I think they begin to see the importance when they spend lots of time talking to each other about the relevance of scripture to their lives. Being able to look at the world that they live in, talking about it with each other and using Scripture for guidance , direction and support, help them to internalize it and allow those seeds to take deeper root. They begin to see the relevance of scripture as real and powerful, rather than just another school subject they are forced to sit through.

Comment on Hidden Words by Tim

Tim — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:08:58 +0000

Perfect

Comment on Hidden Words by Darcy F

Darcy F — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:14:52 +0000

I think too often we let Pastor do this work for us, thinking we will pick it up by osmosis on Sunday morning. As teachers, I also think we too often assume people HAVE memorized key verses like John 3:16, when perhaps they have not. One thing I am thankful for is the AWANA program my kids are in. They literally memorize HUNDREDS of verses. My guys memorize pretty well and soak it up, but even kids who don’t have them at least in their heads for a little while. God promises His Word will not return without affect and I am trusting all this seed planting will bear fruit!

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by Jason Christ

Jason Christ — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:53:47 +0000

@Tia: We started small and worked out way to where we are now. The basic steps were:

1. Set up a checking account and seed it with a $5,000 loan from the church to make cash flow a little easier. This allowed us to speed up the purchases by not having to wait 2 days for checks to clear before purchasing the gift cards. If the money was needed by the church, there was a maximum delay of a day or two.

2. After we made about $2,000 in total profit (about 9-10 months in for us), we reinvested that profit into on-hand inventory for grocery stores and fast-selling items to date. This allowed us to increase sales as people could get the most popular cards immediately.

3. As we made more money, we continued to up our inventory levels to allow more people to get their cards immediately. We expanded selection (more vendors on hand) and we upped the number of the most popular cards.

4. As we continued to make money, we started to pay down the original loan to the church.

When we first started the program, we took orders from members for two weeks and then placed an order for cards with the Scrip Company (GLScrip.com). This helped us save on shipping costs early on. We’d make orders every week in November/December for Christmas as got lots of orders then.

Now we place orders almost every week and have started experimenting with new promos and giveaways to get people shopping more frequently.

If you’d like to chat about it, I’d be happy to do that. You can call the church office (716.835.2220) and we can talk.

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by Tia Pugh

Tia Pugh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:55:26 +0000

Jason–

How did your congregation get started with this ministry? We are looking into it and we aren’t sure we can “front” the money for a big order.

Any words of wisdom?

Tia Pugh, DCE
Zion Lutheran
Fairbanks, AK

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by Nikki Lakso

Nikki Lakso — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:36:10 +0000

Totally rocks Jason!! My family LOVES how easy it’s to check out all the Scrip cards & are looking to order more cards for gifts-especially for family out of town-
Great Job Jason-keep up the good work!! You do such an amazing job with the teens-you get them excited about the Word-Too Cool!!

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by Pam

Pam — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:42:14 +0000

Looks and sounds great!

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:58:05 +0000

Can’t wait to start my Christmas shopping – looks great Jason!

Comment on Christmas Gift Card Flier by debbieferrante

debbieferrante — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:49:03 +0000

Jason, I think the flier looks great! I like the name change to Gift Card Ministry too so people not familiar with the program will understand what it is just by the title.

Comment on Good Ol’ Marty Luther by Jason Christ

Jason Christ — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:49:16 +0000

Some more fun verse variations! Thanks for sharing!