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Last year, Cisco and Munsion Systems performed the world’s first real time 3D holographic telepresence video presentation. In other words, two men interacted live on a stage. But one was physically present in India, and the other was a life-size 3D holographic projection from California.

Cisco’s Live Telepresence Presentation

So how can churches use this technology? You are probably already getting ideas, but if you want to realistically assess the opportunities, it helps to understand how holograms are already being used.

Holographic video is not new. In fact, it has been used by the MTV Music Awards, FIFPro World Player Awards, the Grammy Awards, Virgin, TF1, and GE.

Holographic Performance Compilation

TF1Conference

3D Holographic Engine Presentation by GE

Telepresence allows you to create live “in-person” experiences by combining telecommunications with advanced imagery. And when that imagery is 3D holographic technology, the experience is truly remarkable.

Businesses use telepresence for meetings, and hospitals use it for training. But the areas of public speaking and presentation telepresence offer the greatest opportunities for churches.

Cisco TelePresence Video Conferencing

DVE 3D Telepresence Stage

Telestra Using 3D Telepresence

Obviously, this technology is very expensive, but perhaps one day it will quite affordable. For the latest on telepresence technology, visit Telepresence Options. According to ZDNet, by 2010 we will have holographic handsets that place 3D imaging capabilities in the hands of millions.

For Discussion:
- What do you think of telepresence?
- How could your ministry utilize this technology (if it was affordable)?

[via Human Productivity Lab & Digital Leadnet]

Quite a few pastors use Post-it notes in their Bibles as preaching aids. If you are one of those pastors, you will probably enjoy 3M’s new Post-it Notes in sheer colors. They are transparent and allow you to make notes while still being able to read text underneath.

I could not find any online retailers who sell these transparent Post-it notes, so perhaps they are not yet available.

[via Cool Hunting]

Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX) has been a pioneer in sermon branding for years. Not only are their sermon titles and messages creative, but their sermon series graphics are also a great source of inspiration. Here are 36 well-designed sermon series graphics Fellowship Church has created over the past several years. Enjoy!

(1) Wholly Holy & (2) The Big D

(3) Betrayal & (4) Right Christmas

(5) Flavor & (6) Off the Chain

(7) There & (8) The House

(9) Re-Thinking Jesus & (10) iGod

(11) Check Up & (12) Doors

(13) Best Seat in the House & (14) Larger Than Life

(15) The Divine & (16) Comfortable

(17) If the Shoe Fits & (18) Sexual Revolution

(19) Rutbuster & (20) The Me in Mommy

(21) Cantaloupe & (22) Lessons from Hell

(23) Good N’ Angry & (24) Pronoun

(25) White Noise & (26) Love Affair

(27) Authority Issues & (28) Thread

(29) Night Shift & (30) Retro

(31) Multiple Choice & (32) Just Lust

(33) The Games We Play & (34) Forget About It

(35) Crispus Cremus & (36) Praying for Keeps

If you want to be a great graphic designer, study great graphic design. If you want to be a creative preacher, study creative preaching. What you put in comes out.

LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) is doing a sermon series this upcoming June called One Prayer. But they are not the only church doing it. In fact, over 25 other churches have already signed up to preach the sermon series, as well.

What’s it all about?

Well, Craig Groeschel does a good job summing it up in this video:

Each pastor will preach one week from his church about what one prayer he would pray if God would answer one prayer for the Church at large. And then the participating churches will share video teaching from other participating churches in the following weeks. For example, Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) will be preaching “Make Us One.” And Ed Young of Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX) will be preaching “Make Us Creative.”

But that is not all. Aside from the sermon series, each church is encouraged to participate by:

• Receiving an offering and combining it with hundreds of other churches to help people in need.
• Mobilizing your church to do something ministry-related in your local community and with other local churches if possible.
• Promoting the unified website (to be announced) that will encourage your people to fast and pray with other believers.
• Using the free promotional resources online (including graphics, mailer templates, video promos, banners and other promotional tools).

Some participating churches include:

• Celebration Church (Jacksonville, FL)
• Champions Centre (Tacoma, WA)
• Church of the Highlands (Birmingham, AL)
• Elevation Church (Indian Trail, NC)
• Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX)
• Free Chapel (Gainesville, GA)
• Genesis Church (Tallahassee, FL)
• Granger Community Church (Granger, IN)
• Healing Place Church (Baton Rouge, LA)
• Journey Church (Norman, OK)
• Lake Hills Church (Austin, TX)
• National Community Church (Washington, DC)
• New Hope Christian Fellowship (Honolulu, HI)
• New Life Church (Conway, AR)
• NewSong Church (Irvine, CA)
• NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC)
• North Coast Church (Vista, CA)
• NorthwayChurch.tv (Malta, NY)
• Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
• The Church at South Las Vegas (Henderson, NV)
• VictoryChurch.tv (Oklahoma City, OK)

For more information about One Prayer, visit www.lifechurch.tv/one-prayer.

This January, Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) is beginning a new sermon series called “Seeing Gray.” Pastor Adam Hamilton will be searching for insight to some complex gray areas of faith, morality, and politics by studying the Bible and Christ’s example.

They are also taking the discussion from the pulpit to YouTube, and they are looking to hear your thoughts, opinions, and questions on each topic that will be discussed over the first five weeks of 2008.

Liberal or conservative? Republican or Democrat? Is there a right answer? What would Jesus say?

Here is the sermon series trailer:

Here is the YouTube question for week one of the series:

I appreciate this fresh approach to getting the congregation and others to join in discussion around each topic in the sermon series. To join the dialogue, visit their YouTube page.

Tony Morgan recently shared 6 communication lessons that he has learned from Perry Noble while working at NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC).

1. Prepare your messages weeks in advance.
   You’d be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal in a month compared to what he reveals in a week.
2. Speak the truth.
3. Keep it simple.
   The less you teach, the more your audience will retain…and (more importantly) live out.
4. Sweat the outline not the manuscript.
5. Tell stories.
   People will tune out unless you engage their emotions.
6. Invite others into the process.
   Perry is a phenomenal communicator, but one of his secrets is that every message is prepared with the input of a team.

And do not forget to read Tony’s post for the extended, full-scope of Perry’s wisdom.

Harold Davis, the elementary children’s pastor at Church on the Move (Tulsa, OK), makes this distinction between information and communication:

Information and communication are often interchanges, but they have two distinctly different meanings.

1. Information is giving out.
2. Communication is getting through.

Just because your sermon gives quality information does not mean it is getting through to your congregation. If you want to preach more effectively, you must purpose to become a better communicator.

Igniter Media Group recently released Igniter Videos Volume 5, which offers five short videos that you can use as sermon illustrations. They have been done extremely well. To preview one, click any one of the five titles listed below.

1. Smart
2. 99 Balloons
3. Boys and Grills
4. Proof
5. Teamwork

Best of all, if you would like to buy Volume 5 for your church, you can get a 20% discount by using crblog07 as your promotional code. The special offer expires on May 31st.