I often get questions from readers and members of Effective Church Communications and I welcome them because the primary purpose of this site is to serve all of you and to help all of your churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission.
There is a lot of content that I know, from over 30 years of teaching church communications, that is useful for you and I am working hard to get that into a manageable form for this site. At the same time, I have so much material that I may publish in the future, but that you need right now. When I get a question on topics in that category, I try to answer as soon as I can.
I've been doing this for a long time, but I realized that the answers to many questions were either in email or comments and though I trust they helped the individuals who asked the questions, many of the answers would be helpful to many readers. To make them available and at least a little easier to find, I've set up a new category on this site: Q & A. You'll find it on the top line of content tabs. CLICK HERE to go to the current listing. Each question will have its own article and you'll be able to click through the questions to look for ones you want the answers to.
I will be getting some of the past questions into the section and will continue to answer new ones. If you have a q
uestion you'd like to ask, or a project or communications you'd like to see discussed, please email me at: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com.
I can't promise I'll answer them all or quickly, but you will get a response from me.
- Your membership in this site helps support answers for everyone.
my first question is where did you get the little guys that you used for illustration. I love them!
The company that I got the image from is Presenter Media, http://www.presentermedia.com/.
They are a wonderful company and have the little guys like that in a lot of different situations. They also have animated clipart for PowerPoint presentations.
They are not free images, their yearly rate is somewhere between $39 to $99 a year–but they do different specials. I had a hard time finding out their regular price.
On the topic of images, below are links to videos that show free clipart sites and how to edit clipart.
Free Clipart & Photo Websites, Webinar On-Demand
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2010/08/webinar-video-free-clipart-photo-websites/
Webinar: How to turn a full-color image into a black and white drawing
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2011/02/webinar-how-to-turn-a-full-color-image-into-a-black-and-white-drawing/
Hi Yvon,
I love your instructional videos. Let me use one to illustrate my question – the one on how to make your mission trip photos better. I can see lots of way for a communicator to do similar kinds of instructional videos in a wide range for topics in the local church. So, would you consider showing us how you created your video? You know, like you did with the one where you showed us how to use Animoto to create a video – one showing us how you create your videos that look sort of like you are doing a Powerpoint. You have such an effective way of using tools to make the task simple and yet getting terrific results, and I would love to apply that creativity to local topics.
Thanks,
Mike Springer
Michael,
Thanks again for your kind comments.
Interesting that yours is the second one I got today asking if I would share how to create the videos. And for the same reason–a church secretary asked so she could do ones to show people how to do things in the church office when she was gone.
I’d love to do that–but I need to work out a few challenges in the system before I show it. The Lord seems to have given me the ability to make complex things simple (did a killer lesson on predestination in my class on Sunday), anyway, I use and do some much more complex things with complex programs beyond the systems I normally use to create what I do for the “simple” lessons. I tried to share some of it in the past and it didn’t work–but I have figured out a few things and the Lord gave me insight this morning into one challenge (I’m sorry I know this doesn’t make a lot of sense), but within a week or so I should be able to share that.
As always–this ministry is a channel and I look forward to sharing ……I just got an idea….once I figure this out*****oh this is neat****we could set up a YouTube channel and God Tube channel of How to do things at church! My Great Idea Swap books have been a huge hit for people and this would be a great next step.
Please pray for wisdom for me as I put this together and thank you so much for your request.
Yvon Prehn
There’s no question in my mind that you have been gifted in this special way. While I am a software developer and media designer, my experience is that the vast majority of volunteers in the church and staff in smaller churches, want to be able to do the creative kinds of things that you demonstrate in your teachings, but that complex systems turn them off. But, you, dear lady, have a gift in that very area.
Thanks for being willing and open to share your knowledge gained of your own journey.
I can’t wait to see what God does through you next!
Blessings,
Mike