A Mission Trip for Creatives

March 10, 2011 by Cleve Persinger

As a creative, do you ever feel like you could be serving more through the talents and abilities God has blessed you with?

Creative Missions is a group of creatives and church communication folks descending on a targeted region to help churches and church plants. We’re pairing the talents of those who sign up with church needs, and grouping folks together to serve each church.

These trips will be similar to typical mission trips, as we’ve all experienced them. However, instead of construction projects, outreach events and Bible schools, Creative Missions seeks to aid these same churches in their communication and creative strategies for engaging their communities.

Albany, N.Y.: May 22-28, 2011
The first Creative Missions trip is going to be based out of Albany, N.Y., May 22-28, 2011.

From Cooperstown to Pittsfield, and Lake George to Poughkeepsie, we’re going to serve 20 churches. Our core leadership has sat down with each church and assessed all of their needs. The pastors can’t believe we want to help.

Leadership and Partners
This vision is too big for one person and requires a group of folks to help advise. I’m honored to have the caliber of folks who are working behind the scenes to drive this vision and lead groups.

Leadership Team and Group Leaders:

Phil Bowdle: Communications director at West Ridge Church
Andy Burns: Video director at The Chapel
Michael Buckingham: Holy Cow Creative and creative director at the Center for Church Communication (CFCC)
Danielle Hartland: Communications director at Grace Church
Eric Murrell: Interactive communications manager at Long Hollow Baptist
Cleve Persinger: MediaSalt.com and external comm. strategist at The Chapel
Tim Schraeder: Church relations at Church Solutions Group and co-director at CFCC

Partners:

Center for Church Communication (the nonprofit parent of Church Marketing Sucks)
CreationSwap (formally CreativeMYK)

3 Ways to Help
Please consider lending a hand to Creative Missions in one (or more) of the following ways:

1. Give Creatively
Want to go with us in May? You will make a huge difference. Even though signups technically ended March 1, there are still several slots available we’re looking to fill before April 1.

Apply now!

There are many different ways to serve on the trip:

Logos and Print Collateral
Web Design
Web Programming
Social Media
Video
Photography
Community Engagement/ Marketing
Sound Tech/Stage Design/Weekend Experience
IT Support

2. Give Resourcefully
Would your church or organization be willing to donate resources including printing, sound/tech components, stage design, worship presentation software licenses (ProPresenter and EasyWorship), gas cards, and more? E-mail us.

3. Give Financially
We need sponsors and donations to pay down printing, production resources, ground transportation (sponsor a minivan) and lodging. The great news is CFCC will be handling all monies for us.

Paypal: Send donations through PayPal to creativemissions@cfcclabs.org or go to http://GIVE.creativemissions.to.

Check: Checks need to be made out to “Center for Church Communication.” Write “Creative Missions” on the memo line.

Center for Church Communication
ATTN: Creative Missions
PO Box 26747
Los Angeles, CA 90026

More Information
While we work on a permanent web presence, here’s the repository for everything Creative Missions.

Diana
March 10, 2011

Very interested. I am art director at New Leaf Press / Master Books. I also volunteer at Woodland Hills Family Church. woodhills.org

I would be able to work in print, logos, web graphics and also photography.

not sure about the dates yet.

gonna give this some prayer.

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Cleve Persinger
March 13, 2011

Diana,

Awesome! We’d love to have you. Let me know if you have any further questions.

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Roy Baum
March 10, 2011

What a great idea! I wish I’d thought of it. The dates and location don’t work for me this year, but I could see doing it somewhere here in the central part of the US (I’m in Topeka, Kansas). I’d love to hear how it goes…

Cleve Persinger
March 13, 2011

Roy,

If you know of a group of churches/region of churches that would be a good fit for a Creative Missions target area, please email info@creativemissions.to.

I hope you’re able to be a part of the next trip.

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Chris Walsh
March 11, 2011

This is fantasic idea, never even considered that helping other local churches in such a way!! – Feel free to come to Manchester, England, UK sometime soon ;)

Tim
March 11, 2011

Great idea. Sadly I’m in the UK but think it would be great to do something like that here. It’s much needed.

Cleve Persinger
March 13, 2011

Chris and Tim,

I’ve had a good number of people ask about future Creative Missions endeavors in the UK. We are definitely not opposed to this.

I’d love to have more discussions about this idea. Email info@creativemissions or @persinger on Twitter.

Nicole H.
March 26, 2011

This is super brilliant! I truly want to be a part of this! I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Advertising from the University of Florida in 2009 and now I work as the Communications Director at my church, I would love the opportunity to help others in such a remarkable way. I could help with Social media management, community engagement & marketing :) What are staying arrangements, payment, etc? Financially it would be difficult but I want to try and see what I can do to raise the funds.

Nick Farr
March 29, 2011

This is a great idea and I know that a lot of churches could use the help! Another great location would be East Tennessee. Lots of churches that don’t know how to market at all!