If you want to have a creative church environment, consider doing something fun with the walls. Companies like Design Public (USA) and Wallpaper from the 70s (Germany) offer a wide variety of creative wall products. But the scope of resources extends far past these two companies.

To help guide you through it all, here is a toolbox of links to some of the best wallpapers, wall murals, paints, primers, stickers, and wall applications available.

DESIGN YOUR OWN MURAL OR WALLPAPER

• Design Your Wall (USA)
• Murals Your Way (USA)
• Totally Custom Wallpaper (USA)
• Rollout (Canada)
• myfotowall (United Kingdom)

RUST-OLEUM PAINT AND PRIMERS

• Magnetic Primer
• Dry Erase Paint
• Chalkboard Paint
• Glow in the Dark Paint

UNIQUE WALL DECOR

• Braille Walls by Inhabit (USA)
  A wall application that gives walls braille-like bumps.
• Colouring-In Wallpaper by Jon Burgerman (United Kingdom)
  Coloring book wallpaper.

• Fruit Cocktail Wallpaper by Flavor Paper (USA)
  Scratch n’ sniff wallpaper that comes in cherry, banana, and tutti frutti scents.
• Fingerprint Wall Sticker by ferm LIVING (USA)
  Giant fingerprint wall sticker.

• Prose Stickers by blik (USA)
  Custom wall stickers of any text you want.
• Seesaw Wall by Inhabit (USA)
  Give smooth walls an alternating seesaw effect with this wall application.

• Warped Walls by Surrealien (Germany)
  Custom fitting wallpaper that “warps” around the room.
• Words Spoken by Rollout (Canada)
  Wallpaper with empty word bubbles that can be written in.

• Versa TILE by Element Labs (USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong)
  LED panels that create walls of changing color, pattern, and movement.

Of course, there are plenty more resources than these. Are there any that you think should be on the list?

During May and June of 2008, the Economist Intelligence Unit asked 164 corporate executives from around the world what techniques they have found are most effective at marketing to the millennial generation (the generation born between 1982 and 2001).

How to Reach the Millennial Generation

• 41% say participate in viral marketing and peer-to-peer recommendation sites
• 36% say sponsor or advertise in areas of interest to millennials
  (e.g., extreme sports, music venues, chat rooms, social networking sites)
• 35% say deliver a great product at a great price
• 30% say focus on millennials’ key influencers
  (e.g., parents, peers)
• 28% say contribute to social causes that millennials support
• 21% say contribute to corporate or issue blogs
• 21% say message millennials through wireless text messaging
• 19% say exploit contests, promotions, and retail tie-ins
• 12% say develop online games for company website

In other words, if your church wants to reach the millennial generation, create a great church experience that is remarkable (creates word of mouth) and targets the key influencers and social catalysts of your local millennial community.

Also, show that you care about the things that they care about by sponsoring local events or participating in causes that they are passionate about. Blog about what you do and use text messaging. And be sure that you keep things fresh and fun with occasional special events, games, etc.

For Discussion:
- What techniques have you found are most effective at marketing to the millennial generation?

[via eMarketer]

The University of Texas at Austin spent four years studying the drinking habits of 2,200 college students. Using a smaller sample of students, they focused part of their study on how students celebrate their 21st birthday. Astonishingly, 98.7% of college students drank alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthday.

Side Effects of a 21st Birthday

• 78% had ill effects
• 54% got a hangover
• 44% had a blackout
• 39% did not know how they got home
• 34% threw up
• 26% suffered embarrassment
• 22% found out later that they had  sex
• 22% got in a fight or argument
• 16% had to miss school, work, or another obligation on the next day

And it is not just binge drinking (defined as 4-5 drinks). Many students are pushing their physical limits to over 20 drinks, an excess that researchers feel is too gluttonous to be only labeled as binging.

Binge drinking sets a lower threshold than what we’re talking about. We’re saying this is more than four or five drinks. Here it’s people having 10 or 20 drinks. Obviously, binge is a bad thing, but it’s not capturing the high end of drinking we’re interested in characterizing here.

One of the things that really struck us is not only that they’re drinking a hell of a lot but about half of participants were drinking not only more on that night, but they’re drinking more than ever in their lifetime. They’re putting in their lifetime maximum number of drinks in that 24-hour period of their birthday celebration.
- Kenneth Sher :: Professor of Psychology :: University of Missouri

Studies show that between 12% to 34% of students consume 21+ drinks on their 21st birthday. If you minister to college students, realize that their drinking problems may be worse than you thought.

For Discussion:
I understand that some theology condemns all drinking and some says that drinking without getting drunk is fine. Clearly, in this situation, the students are getting drunk.

- What are some effective ministry methods to help students overcome the temptation to drink too much or even drink at all?
(please keep the discussion on methods and not dogma)

[via USA Today & AZCentral]

For AskMen.com recently polled their readers to investigate who and what is “the modern man.” Given the nature of the online magazine, I expect this reader survey to have a higher than usual unchurched perspective, which means it offers valuable insights into the lifestyle and psyche of the men who need church the most. Some highlights include:

What makes a man a manly man in 2008?
>> 52% say, “Being a good father and/or husband who takes care of his family.”
>> 19% say, “Being a leader and motivator.”
>> 16% say, “Having many skills, like the ability to fix things.”
>> 7% say, “Being charismatic and popular.”
>> 4% say, “Being a great seducer and/or lover.”
>> 2% say, “Being wealthy.”

Have rumors of a recession affected your spending habits?
>> 47% say, “No, I’m still spending the way I always have.”
>> 40% say, “Yes, I’ve tightened up my budget to meet increasing prices.”
>> 13% say, “Yes, I’ve tightened up my budget to put emergency money aside.”

Do you believe in marriage?
>> 70% say, “Yes, I believe it is a necessary institution, and one that I will participate in to help preserve.”
>> 20% say, “No, I don’t believe in it strongly but I’ll probably end up getting married anyway.”
>> 6% say, “Yes, I believe in it as an institution, but it’s not for me.”
>> 4% say, “No, I think it’s a dead institution.”

Should a couple live together before marriage?
>> 60% say, “Yes, it is a good test to put the relationship through before marriage.”
>> 21% say, “Yes, living together is pretty casual.”
>> 10% say, “No, a man should enjoy his freedom while he can.”
>> 9% say, “No, it is not morally acceptable.”

If there was no chance your partner would find out, would you cheat on her?
>> 37% say, “No, I might be tempted, but I love and respect her too much.”
>> 32% say, “No, I might be tempted, but cheating violates my morals.”
>> 15% say, “Yes, but I would feel guilty nonetheless.”
>> 13% say, “Yes, she can’t be hurt if she doesn’t know about it.”
>> 3% say, “Yes, I already cheated on her.”

How old were you when you lost your virginity? (67% as a teenager)
>> 2% at 12 or younger
>> 2% at 13 (7th/8th grade)
>> 4% at 14 (8th/9th grade)
>> 7% at 15 (11th/10th grade)
>> 13% at 16 (10th/11th grade)
>> 15% at 17 (11th/12th grade)
>> 15% at 18 (12th grade)
>> 9% at 19

Some Other Interesting Stats

• 69% are concerned about the effects of global warming.
• 66% say a man should never stop playing video games.
• 55% of men don’t play fantasy football.
• 24% consume 0 alcoholic drinks each week.
• 13% never send text messages.

For Discussion:
- What trends do you notice about today’s modern man (generally speaking, among Christians, or among the unchurched)?
- What are the best ways for the church to reach the modern man?

Over the past several years, UCLA researchers have been studying the spirituality of college students. What is intriguing is undergraduates tend to become more spiritual but less religious between their freshman and junior year. The Pew Forum recently shared the following findings from the study:

Religious Attendance

• 43.7% of freshmen frequently attend religious services.
  25.4% of juniors frequently attend religious services.
• 20.2% of freshmen never attend religious services.
  37.5% of juniors never attend religious services.

Measures of Spirituality

• 48.7% of freshmen say “attaining inner harmony” is “very important” or “essential.”
  62.7% of juniors say “attaining inner harmony” is “very important” or “essential.”
• 41.8% of freshmen say “integrating spirituality in my life” is “very important” or “essential.”
  50.4% of juniors say “integrating spirituality in my life” is “very important” or “essential.”
• 62.8% of freshmen agree with the statement “most people can grow spiritually without being religious.”
  74.8% of juniors agree with the statement “most people can grow spiritually without being religious.”

Why the rise of spirituality but fall of religiosity?

Researchers believe two factors affecting this trend are:

1. Many of these students are away from home for the first time, and we suspect that, for some students, religious observance before college is influenced by the presence of the family
2. A greater deal of time is invested in studies during college than before college.

So what is the best way to reach these college students? Should a college ministry try to reverse the trend and get undergraduates to start attending a service? Or should a college ministry focus on bringing spirituality to the college campus?

For Discussion:
- What do you think?
- What recent college ministry success stories have you heard?

I recently read Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK). It is a relationships book that discusses how to prepare for a marriage that goes the distance. While most books in this genre are written only for married couples or only for the engaged or the dating or even just for singles, Craig does a great job presenting Biblical advice that can help people regardless of what their relationship status is.

He covers topics such as putting God first, finding your soul mate, dating tips, purity tips, godly relationships, and even how and when to break up. He explains how to be a good husband and how to be a good wife. And he discusses what it takes to keep one’s marriage passionate and one’s priorities in line. In other words, Going All the Way will give you a balanced education of everything it takes to have a successful marriage.

A few highlights:

• Minor adjustments produce marginal results. To experience the kind of relationships we long for, we must, with God’s help, prepare to be genuinely different.
• Loving the Lord is our first priority. Without Jesus in first place, what comes next will never quite work, including our love relationships.
• If you want what few have, do what few do. Raise your standards. Pursue holiness.
• “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Men, when you become a husband, it’ll be an honor to give yourself up for your wife.
• Everyone has seasons when an important lower priority takes a disproportionate amount of time. Those are seasons anyone can endure… if they don’t become a way of life.
• Keep the good things from taking priority over the best.
• What person do I need to become so I’ll be ready for a healthy, fulfilling marriage… and bless my spouse-to-be?
• [Develop] both a thick skin and a soft heart.
• Marriages are healthy because the couple learns to face and work through problems.

Going All the Way is a worthwhile investment for anyone wanting a great marriage.

Rust-Oleum offers several creative products that have great potential for student ministries and even the church office.

1. Magnetic Primer
2. Dry Erase Paint
3. Chalkboard Paint
4. Glow in the Dark Paint

So if you are looking to magnetize your walls, write on them, or even create patterns that glow in the dark, Rust-Oleum offers affordable solutions to make it happen. 

[via CoolBusinessIdeas.com]

One out of every 12 full-time workers in the United States admit illegal drug use in the past month according to a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Among those who admitted using illegal drugs in the past month:

• 19.0% were ages 18 to 25
• 10.3% were ages 26 to 34
• 7.0% were ages 35 to 49
• 2.6% were ages 50 to 64

Based on these numbers, 1 out of every 5 students that a college ministry wants to reach has a problem with illegal drugs.

I am surprised by how common illegal drug use is, but this is a good reminder that despite the “everything’s okay” appearance that people project on the outside, people often have hidden problems that need God’s help.

[via Yahoo! News]