From the creators of Brusheezy comes Vecteezy.

What is it?

Free vector art. Offering only the best designs submitted by designers from around the world, Vecteezy is a must-bookmark resource for designers.

Based on data from the Federal Highway Administration, USA Today reports that the average American motorist has significantly cut back on their driving in the last 18 months for the first time in 25 years.

It is evidence that people are actually following through with their plans to reduce driving as gas prices rise. Consequently, this also means that most churches’ reach within their community is also shrinking. It poses the questions:

• How many miles are people willing to drive to attend your church?
• How many miles would an unchurched person be willing to drive to attend your church?

Perhaps the solution is a church bus ministry or a multi-site church or even an Internet campus. Or perhaps the solution is to make your church service so special that people are willing to make the trek however many miles it may be.

You have demographic shifts, traffic congestion, and increased gas prices. For the first time in recent history, the rate of vehicle miles traveled is not increasing at the rate it was for 25 years. It’s having an effect and is changing in subtle ways the way people think about their driving.
- Ed McMahon :: senior research :: Urban Land Institute

More people are using public transportation or even moving closer to their workplace. Keep an eye on how your church’s community is evolving. Close access to public transportation and a location at the center of population growth is something to keep in mind if your church is considering a new venue.

At least that is the story of a recent New York Times article. In fact, Norwegian Cruise Line is installing Nintendo Wii systems on all of its ships in part because of its popularity among older gamers. Aside from the Wii, many older gamers prefer “casual” games such as those offered by Pogo.com. Pogo reports:

• 28% of its February visitors were 50+ years old
• 40% of February user time was by gamers 50+ years old

Baby boomers and up are definitely our fastest-growing demographic, and it is because the fear factor is diminishing. Women come for the games, but they stay for the community. Women like to chat, and these games online are a way to do that. It’s kind of a MySpace for seniors.
- Beatrice Spaine :: marketing director :: Pogo.com

We are finally reaching an age where almost everyone is tech savvy.

 P.S. Mom, if you are reading this, you are the best FreeCell gamer I know.

This week, AdvertisingAge highlighted a study by NPD that profiled who online gamers really are. Their findings:

Age

• 20% little kids (ages 6 to 12)
• 17% teenagers
• 63% not mentioned in article

Gender

• 58%- male
• 42%+ female

Economic

• 80% of online gamers are middle class
  (average household income = $35K to $75K)

Favorite Types of Online Games

• 44% say casual games (card puzzle, and arcade games) are their favorite
• 25% say family-entertainment games are their favorite
• 19% say multiplayer games are their favorite
• 17% say gambling and casino games are their favorite

In response to the growing popularity of video games, many churches are hosting video game events or even creating community groups to help generate fellowship within their congregations as well as attract new visitors. If your church is doing or considering this, the above statistics provide a nice portrait of who enjoys online gaming.

Creative Synergy Podcast discusses the complex world of church copyright licenses and intellectual property law in their recent fifth episode. It is worth listening to if the subject interests you. Other resources to help you better understand church copyright law include:

• Christian Copyright Licensing International
• Christian Video Licensing International
• Church Copyright Administration
• Copyright Clearance Center
• Stanford University Libraries

Threads Media sent me the leadership kit for a new Bible study curriculum called “In Transit: What Do You Do With Your Wait?” by Mike Harder of Highpoint Church (Memphis, TN).

It is a very comprehensive 6 session study that even includes three short videos, four music tracks, and three audio tracks to compliment the learning process. It investigates how Joseph, David, and Jesus handled seasons of waiting and explores how such times can have great purpose in our lives too.

It is a good topic for young adults.

Group Magazine has a fascinating article that explores the many reasons why teens do drugs but, more importantly, discusses four things that will keep them off drugs. In summary:

1. Mentoring
   Kids in a Big Brother/Big Sister program are 46% less likely to start using drugs than kids who don’t have a mentor but want one.
2. Responsibility
   When young people face the prospect of marriage and raising a family, drug and alcohol abuse plummets.
3. Connection to a Religious or Family Community
   Kids who have a strong relationship with God, other believers, or their families can resist the peer pressure that often leads to drug abuse.
4. Life-skills Education
   A new public school program called Life Skills Training teaches kids how to develop social skills and solve problems. Those skills, in turn, help them resist the pressure to do drugs.

These four areas of success reinforce the importance of creating a youth ministry that offers hands-on discipleship. An ideal youth ministry will offer all four of these ingredients by providing leaders who can mentor the students while teaching them new skills through ministry involvement, which in turn, increases the students’ sense of responsibility and connection to the youth group.

LambsList is a new online check-in system that allows children’s ministries to streamline their check-in process while enhancing security and the ability to track growth.

Since it is web-based, you can use it or access reports at any time from any computer connected to the Internet. Available reports include:

• Child attendance history
• Classroom history
• Overall children’s ministry attendance
• Children whose attendance has dropped
• Classroom overload and capacities
• First-time visitors

It can also notify your registration workers of upcoming birthdays, and an optional printer gives you the option to instantly print a child’s nametag. For additional features, check out their website.