I was on an out-of-town vacation this past weekend and attended church with a very good friend. She wasn’t able to sit with me during the service because her job that Sunday was to handle the video room. The church has a setup where there are two cameras. The cameras alternated between looking out at the pulpit or at the audience. There were also a couple of large television screens that broadcast the service.
For those in the congregation, it made it visually easier to see what was going on, as opposed to straining your neck. And just like in any live television production, somebody has to be in a control room determining which camera view should be sent to the television screen. The service can also be seen over the internet. So creating a professional-looking production is paramount.
After service was over, I went into the video room and my friend was “burning,” simultaneously, multiple copies of the service. As my friend is almost as old as I am, I was surprised that young people hadn’t taken over that responsibility. When I questioned her as to why she was doing the work, she stated that her church hadn’t found any young people who were interested in volunteering to do that kind of work. I immediately considered that a problem.
If our young people are to be made aware of anything as it applies to growing up and getting jobs in the real world, it is that experience in doing things counts when seeking a job. Be it on a resume, or as part of the application that inquires about any other qualifications you might have, knowing how to do certain things can help you land a job. For example, a lot of businesses need people who know how to handle cameras, create videos, and “burn” copies of the recordings. So volunteering at church can turn into a job in the outside world.
Other jobs, like creating the church bulletin, are similar to creating a newsletter that a company produces for employees. There is a plethora of jobs done at church that can translate into jobs done in the secular world.
It was also after service this past Sunday that I heard the horrific news about the shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. Even though details were sketchy, I knew it had to involve a young person. When one of my friends countered that it could be a gamer who was our age, I shook my head in the negative. One of the first things that came to mind, is how we’re raising a generation of children who don’t know about losing. The silliness of those who want to pretend that everyone’s a winner is in direct contrast with the reality of life: There will always be losers!
My condolences to the families of Taylor Robertson and Eli Clayton on their loss.
