Updated support tools available for GEM missionaries

We've updated our support tools with the new GEM logo. For each design you can choose any (or all) of the following materials:

• Brochure (8.5 x 11, tri-panel)
  
• Prayer Card (4 x 6, one side)
  
• Bookmark (7 x 2, 2-sided)
  
• Slide Background
• Blog Banner
• Email Banner

There are currently four designs ("Corporate," "Euro," "Immi1," "Service") available right now, with more coming soon.

Corporate

Front/Back

Euro

Front/Back

Immi1

Front/Back

Service

Front/Back

Please contact us if you are interested personalizing a set of tools for your GEM ministry.

Church Planting Training in Basel

For ten days, nearly 60 missionaries from the U.S. and across Europe attended an engaging church planting training called T4T (Training for Trainers) in Basel, Switzerland. This training presented many exciting and effective examples of how God is building His Church around the world through biblical church planting efforts.

GemStone Media was privileged to run the audio/video for the event through the leadership of video producers, Krister and Walt. They also recorded the entire training event (about 50 hours!) doing a live mix between three cameras and PowerPoint presentations.

This training footage will eventually be edited down and made available online in shorter segments so that missionaries around the world can learn these effective church planting methods.

A short visit

Leslie has a passion for art and Europe, and has just finished her junior year of college pursuing a BA degree in Media Arts. As she has been thinking about her future, she was thrilled to discover "a mission driven organization impassioned for Europe, but also one that utilizes media to serve."

While Leslie was in Europe recently, she visited GemStone Media to explore the possibilities of serving with us here. It was a pleasure to meet her, show her the area, and learn more about her. We are praying for Leslie's future and look forward to seeing how God will lead her!

Meet Bryce!

Bryce is a former student of Black Forest Academy here in Kandern, Germany, who just finished his sophomore year of college in the U.S. This summer he is volunteering with GemStone Media, helping out our video department as a way of learning and gaining more experience in video. He will be working on several strategic projects and we are excited to have him here! Welcome Bryce!

Here, there, and everywhere...

April was a busy month for some of our video people. Jim and Ted spent five days in Edinburgh, Scotland, attending the Visual Story Network summit. Jim was on the planning committee for the summit, and presented "Missional Engagement – Making Story Relevant Today" with Nick Pollard of Damaris. Ted organized the sound and video at the conference, making sure all the videos played when they were supposed to, and that everything and everyone could be heard.

Immediately after that trip, Jim left for Budapest, Hungary, to shoot a GEM church planting training given by Michael Frost (from The Upstream Collective*). This footage will be uploaded and made available to churches, mission organizations, and missionaries around the world.

*The Upstream Collective is a network of missions leaders who equip and partner with churches in various ways. For more information, go here.

ZBCS updates their look

We had a chance to work with the folks at Zaporozhye Bible College and Seminary (Ukraine) again. They decided to ask us to create a new logo for their school and update their brochure and website, as well as provide files for some travel displays and banners. It was a challenge to do all of the brainstorming and editing via skype calls – and they were very specific in what they wanted – but they expressed several times that the end result was just what they were looking for!

The video team will be working on a video for them as well, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: A trip to India

In July 2010, we wrote about a project involving Love and Hope Children's Home in East India.

Praise God! All 35 children have now been sponsored through supporters in Europe and North America. But here are two other ways to bless this ministry. First, many of the 35 children have been separated from their siblings, and there are specific ways you can help reunite them. Second, Love and Hope has recently raised half of the funds (roughly $15,000) they need to build a permanent home for these kids. To find out more about how to reunite siblings or give funds toward the building costs, check out the blog we created for them. Thank you for your prayers and interest!

View the Love and Hope Children's Home video here. The password to view the video is love and hope (with spaces).

Meet Tom!

GemStone Media has a high value for professionalism and we make it a priority each year to enhance our media skills with further training. One of the areas we decided to work on this year was increasing our ability to write compelling, short stories for video. We asked a friend of our team, Tom Khazoyan, to lead a week-long workshop on story-writing for video. Tom is from Denver, Colorado, and has had 25 years of film and video experience. He recently produced and edited a full-length feature film called "The Enemy God," which has earned several notable film awards.

The intensive story-writing training with Tom has really paid off, sparking the beginnings of a new video project which we hope can be used in a future Alpha Course setting introducing the topic of forgiveness and reconciliation. We hope to begin shooting this summer!

Thank you, Tom, for your availability and willingness to donate your time to better equip our team!!

"On Any Given Day"

 

"On Any Given Day" is a short video that was created to help believers in Christ think about the reality of the world around them, and specifically the challenge to reach the lost in Europe. So often we get caught up with life and we forget to be concerned about what really matters: people are living and dying each day without Jesus Christ. Christ came to save the lost. He came that man could be connected again to God both now and in eternity. The Bible says that the Gospel of Christ is “Good News.” If we really believe this, then we need to be telling people.

How2Video: "Get it Out There"

"Get it Out There" is the seventh in the How2Video series found on how2video.org, and discusses the best ways to edit and distribute your video.

How2Video: "Shooting 101"

"Shooting 101" is the sixth in the How2Video series found on how2video.org, and offers great ideas for recording your story to video.

How2Video: "Jazz Up Your Shots"

"Jazz Up Your Shots" is the fifth in the How2Video series found on how2video.org, and shares ways to work with lighting, as well as how to use framing and composition when making a video.

How2Video: "Clearing Things Up"

"Clearing Things Up" is fourth in the How2Video series found on how2video.org, and discusses ways to get great audio when creating a video.

Launching the How2Video series

The How2Video website and last four videos are ready for viewing! Check it out by going to how2video.org. As a reminder, the first three How2Videos are:

• Introduction (ways to set up a video shoot)
• Get Your Story Straight (how to write a video script)
• Grab Your Gear (equipment you need to make a video)

The final four videos of the series are:

• Clearing Things Up (how to create good audio for your video)
• Jazz Up Your Shots (in depth look at lighting, framing, and composition)
• Shooting 101 (how to record your story to video)
• Get it Out There (editing and distributing your story)

The How2Video website contains plenty of useful tips and information for creating a great ministry video. There are helpful forums and a place where you can link your own video to share, as well as see what others have done with their videos.

Our prayer is that the How2Video website and series will enable and encourage missionaries around the world to use video story-telling to share what God is doing in their specific areas, which we hope will compel the Church to become more involved in the Great Commission.

GemStone Media annual planning 2011

Armed with chocolate chip cookies, GORMMP (good old raisins, M&Ms and peanuts), and plenty of coffee to keep us going, GemStone Media took time in early March to plan anticipated projects and dream about new project ideas for the next fiscal year. This year we had seven team members on site, and two who skyped in from the U.S. for part of the meeting time. We renewed our desire to see the Holy Spirit lead us in our endeavors as we continue to seek Him in prayer. We are excited to see how God will use us in 2011-2012!

Broken and Beautiful

Earlier this fall, two of our video guys were privileged to be able to attend and shoot a baptism service of more than 30 people in southern Germany. It's easy to see the joy of Christ in the faces of those being baptized, and it is encouraging to witness their lives being transformed by the life-changing love of Jesus. This is what we are hoping and praying that God would do all over Europe... again and again!

Click here to see the baptism video "Broken and Beautiful."*

*Song written and sung by Mark Schultz.

Open House at the EMC

GemStone Media, along with the GEM field staff who work in the Europe Ministry Center (EMC), held an open house the last week of November to thank God for the office complex (formerly a barn), and to thank our neighbors, the local community, and the contractors for their support and welcome. Each ministry in the EMC was responsible for providing a table or display in their office area, and throughout the day, a short program explaining the Thanksgiving holiday was given in the EMC conference room. About 175 people showed up to celebrate with us, including a town official, the building architect, and two area pastors. What a wonderful opportunity to honor God in His provision and blessing for the ministry of GEM!

You can check out a slide show of the EMC in its many stages over a period of several years here.

Great Hope

Although the statistics can seem daunting, God’s Spirit is moving and He is working in remarkable ways in Europe. God is opening people’s eyes to who He truly is and He is bringing people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. The recently completed “Great Hope” video shares some encouraging ways God is working through GEM missionaries to build His kingdom across Europe and beyond.

To see the "Great Hope" video, click HERE.