Is God Boring? Not so, says James O. Davis in Gutenberg to Google

“The power of the presentation is derived by the person who gives it. If the preacher is boring to the congregation, people will think God is boring.”

From Gutenberg to Google by Dr. James O. Davis

Sinful Preaching? From Gutenberg to Google by James O. Davis

“I have become convinced of what I learned in my first year of seminary, that it is a sin to bore people with the Gospel.” From Gutenberg to Google, by James O. Davis

LifeQwest Still Saving Street Kids in Mongolia

When my wife and I visited Mongolia in 2004 with LifeQwest founders Jerry and Susan Smith, we were shocked by the unimaginable conditions for the homeless and indigent, primarily because of the dangerous cold. We were also greatly impressed by the holistic care that LifeQwest was providing to orphaned, abandoned, and unwanted children in Darhan, in the northern reaches of the country.

I wrote about LifeQwest and Mongolia in Christianity Today:

"It's been a dark time in Mongolia following the change of government and the collapse of the economy," a local Christian pastor told me. "People have had little consideration for each other, so when we demonstrate the love of Christ for others, it is noticeable, and it makes a difference."

In Darhan, 15 youngsters swarm visitors at an apartment as a newly rescued child joins their family of orphans and abandoned children. The bounding children are animated and healthy, and they practice their English on anyone who will listen. They are the residents of one of five children's homes run by LifeQwest. Although the homes are officially full, missionaries never turn away a child whom police have swept from the streets.

Their new sister is a 4-year-old girl with closely cropped hair and an earnest, hopeful look. She didn't know her name, so she received the name Shanea, which means "new." Shanea was with a group of children in the market, an open-air series of fruit and sundry stands in a greasy and cluttered area that looks like the back lot of a factory. Shanea's mother abandoned her.
Fortunately, this group of Mongolian Christians brought her to a place where she will be cared for, nurtured, and loved. There are huge societal ills to cure, but in the lives of rescued children and the efforts of a young national church, the journey to a Mongolian morning has begun.”

The ministry is still going strong. Jerry and Susan report that LifeQwest is still involved in work with orphaned and abandoned children, as well as ministry initiatives that touch the lives of Mongolia's sick and elderly. They tell us that they are now feeding 344 babies and mothers twice daily in six different centers.

--Jim Jewell

reinventing. regularity.

The most important thing you need to know about communicating publicly is that everything has changed while the important matters are entirely the same.
Let me explain.

The ways people receive news and information and the ways they interact have changed substantially, with blinding speed. Fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers and magazines, and not as many are tuning into television and radio. Internet based media are an increasingly popular source, although even those offerings had better be quick. Mail campaigns are emailed. Followers are twitterers and it’s hard to distinguish the leaders. We’re connecting with far more people than we ever have through social networks, and there has never been less community or socialbility.

This impacts many aspects of the work of public relations and communications—what we say and how we say it. Certainly we need to feel the heartbeat of rising generations and learn and use the communications vehicles of the digital age, whether we personally like them or not.

Yet at the same time, timeless communication principles are still at work, and we have to master them and practice them with regularity. The core of a mission is its identity-- who you are, your brand. When it comes to branding, we have to hit mark and communicate it with such clarity that we cannot possibly be misunderstood. We still need to write and speak and project in concise and compelling ways. Content still counts. It’s not as important that you say something everyday—through posts, tweets, status updates, links, and texts—as it is that what you say is important.

For a cause to be widely praised and supported over a long period, you must be known for regularity of your core principles, including:

--Integrity of your program and the veracity of your assertions

--Passion of your people toward the work at hand and the resulting deep, even sacrificial, commitment

--Authentic human drama that captures hearts and minds

At Rooftop, we are prepared to help you with these challenges. We are reinventing all we do to maximize the tools of the day, and we believe this will complement skills and lessons we’ve learned through more than 30 years of public relations service in the Christian community.

Jim Jewell

Organization President Leads ChildVoice with Bicycle Ride to Benefit Rescued Child Soldiers

One of the great horrors of the modern era is the exploitation of children as pawns of war, and specifically the abduction of children to serve as soldiers and to participate in unspeakable savagery. Child Voice International is a great outreach to former child soldiers in Uganda; kids who have been rescued from or escaped the horror, only to face uncertain lives in the shadow of childhood brutality.

Check out ChildVoice. But first consider supporting the founder of the organization, who is leading with his legs! For the second year, ChildVoice president Conrad Mandsager will be riding in the Kancamagus Bicycle Challenge to benefit war affected children on September 12th. The ride is organized and produced by ChildVoice

Although the White Mountains are gorgeous in September with dramatic views, waterfalls and wildlife, this ride is certainly not a one for the faint of heart. Climbing 4300 feet in 64 miles, riders summit the infamous Kancamagus Pass twice on the ride. The difficulty of the ride symbolizes the struggle of children in war-torn Africa and the courage of the former child-soldiers to escape that horror.

Conrad has set a personal goal to raise $10,000 for ChildVoice on this ride. The proceeds from this charity event will go to support the Lukodi Center in northern Uganda, where ChildVoice is operating a residential program for formerly abducted girls and their children.

Conrad recently returned from a trip to the Center. He writes: “I was absolutely amazed by the transformation in the girls during their stay. Their smiles and laughter, their confidence, and the skills they are learning are remarkable evidence of how far they have come in healing from the horrors of their past. While I am excited about our early results, there is so much more to do. There are thousands of girls who desperately need the services that we are providing. Our staff was overwhelmed with the number of girls who applied for the 15 slots that were available in June. Your financial support will help us to reach many more girls and their children who have been traumatized by this long, protracted war.”

If you can help Conrad reach his ride goal of $10,000, go to this web page to make a donation.

By the way, if you are interested in riding on September 12th, it is not too late to sign up for the ride. Register here.

emerge. thrive. create. impact.

Rooftop Linkage

A New Campaign

As we complete summer 2009, we are launching a new campaign to present the spirit and vision of Rooftop, based on the values and passions of many terrific clients we've been privileged to serve over three decades. The central themes:



Emerge

These are tough times for many people. This presents opportunities for the followers of Christ to demonstrate the timeless values and world-changing impact of the Gospel. Rooftop provides communications counsel and service to Christians who are serving where there is great need and defining the nature of comprehensive evangelical witness. Over the years, it has been our pleasure to provide communications services to hundreds of Christian organizations, leaders, events, and causes that are on the front lines of Christian ministry and advocacy. It is our goal to help today’s ministries to emerge from difficulties and obscurity to lead with confidence in the years ahead.



Thrive

Nobody wants to just get by. We make plans and lay foundations not to survive, but to thrive. That’s why we base our counsel not on getting attention today at the expense of fundamental values but on building brands and program integrity that you can sustain in the long term. We’ve been working in the Christian community for more than 30 years and we understand the need to put first things first and to honor the One through whom all things will indeed thrive.



Create

We are committed to a partnership with leaders, causes, and organizations who seek not to change culture, but to create new culture. We have never been known for accepting the status quo or seeking the easy solution. As public relations professionals who have created powerful campaigns for some of the most successful ministries of our time, we are equipped to help you create the next initiative that will project Christian truth and authentic faithfulness in the midst of cultural morass.



Impact

Our clients don’t live to get on television or to multiply Facebook friends. They don’t strive for invitations to the next VIP conference or a nice review in Christianity Today. For them, any of those achievements would be means to an end. Their goal is to transform lives and to impact the world around them. And if media want to talk with them they are most likely to find them nurturing orphans in the huts of northern Mongolia, teaching life skills to the former child soldiers of Uganda, or planting trees to protect Haitian watershed. It gives us pleasure to serve these partners who care more about impact than impression, and more about life-change than lights and action.