Connecting Apostolics
With the advent of social media networks (SMN), online meeting places are the new forums of the early part of this decade. It started with the popularity of such sites as My Space and Yahoo 360. Now we find our conversations sprinkled with terms such as tweeting and check your PM…
The latest rage in Social networking is Facebook and Twitter. These sites are great for reconnecting with long lost high school buddies, or from people you knew from a church attended long ago. Their limitations, as far as Apostolics are concerned, is their intimate connection with worldliness.
In this vein, several social networking sites have sprung up for Apostolic Pentecostals including the wildly popular Everyone’s Apostolic SMN. Just recently, as reported on The Apostolic Report, EA has decided to charge a fee for all but the most basic of features. Because of this, several alternatives to EA have recently arisen. Several sites have sprung up using Ning, the software which powers EA. Another alternative is Apostolic Fellowship Hall.
Apostolic Fellowship Hall has been created with the purpose of providing a free, safe alternative to Facebook and EA. Features of AFH at the present time include the ability of users to create Blogs, add posts to Groups as well as create their own groups, add photo albums, and videos to their home page. Advertise in the classified section, create pages, post to the wire (a twitter like feature), add and share bookmarks (similar to sites such as stumble upon, digg and reddit), And post questions which other users may then answer.
There is also a new website using Ning which calls itself “Unashamedly Conservative Apostolics,” and only allows conservative Apostolics to join. Your Pastor (or someone he trusts) must also join this network. This new “conservative” network requires an invitation to join it.
Other new ones include “Apostolics Online” and “My Apostolic Network.”
Social networking seems to be gaining strength, and for right now at least is the ‘in’ thing on the WWW. Who knows what the next big craze will be, but when it rolls along, The Apostolic Report will be there to cover it.
Is there another Apostolic social network that you use? Leave a comment below…
Wow..wow.. Just too many. I just don’t have the time to join anymore social networking websites.
I am going to stick with EA (free version), facebook and twitter. At least for now.. Who knows what tommorrow may bring?
My Apostolic Network (http://www.myapostolicnetwork.com/)
Is one more for the list.
It’s great. Of course, like you, Bro. Jeremy, I do not have the time (nor the desire) to be part of a “zillion” free Apostolic networks (though I imagine they are quite popular with our young people). I have found one, though, that is excellent, and meets my needs. I have been part of Apostolic chat rooms and blogs in the past and have been shocked at the non-Christian behaviour and attitudes of those claiming to be Apostolic (I’m not talking about differences of opinion, convictions, etc. I can handle that) I mean just outright hatefulness — from Jesus’ name people! (but that’s fodder for another entry). It’s called “Children of Azusa Street”. (It’s from ICOF (International Circle of Faith) a newer Apostolic fellowship formed in 1999.) A lot of the game-playing, potshots, name-calling, political rhetoric, etc., will NOT be tolerated. But check it out! It’s good. The median age of the bloggers is older than 16, I think that has a lot to do with how much I like it. No offences intended.
Let’s stop whining and be honest folks, the rates EA have chosen are extremely modest and, I am quite sure, barely cover their costs. If they were in this to make money they would have started charging at the launch of their website. Instead they operated for as long as possible for free, and then kindly asked for a meager annual fee.
I’m sure many of the people whining pay more for the cable television they aren’t supposed to have per month than the meager annual amount EA is asking for to help support this great social outlet for all ages.
Life is not about what we get for “free” and nothing in life IS free. Somewhere, someone paid for is paying for the item or service received. We do very little as it is to help the community we should be helping, which IS the world, and bringing them into God’s fold.
Outreach, if it even exists in most churches, is: usually not funded; minimally staffed, if at all: and often consists of one or two people showing up to knock a few doors. Now, count up the “ministries” that reach “in” to a congregation to tickle their ears and “keep them happy.” When you finish counting them all, look at how well they are staffed and how much money is swept in their direction.
If you remain unconvinced, go up to every one in your church (including your prayer warriors and soul-winners) and ask them to show up on a Saturday to wash cars (for free – no donations accepted) and look at their reaction. We are supposed to be giving TO our community, not begging from them to send our kids to youth camp. (NOTE: I realize not everyone has the money for youth events, but it should not come from the community. It should come from within the church or the general fund.)
What would happen if we put as much energy into outreach as we do “fundraising” FROM the community we SHOULD be giving to…? Well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be Baptist or Methodist Memorial Hospital would it? We have grown selfish and indulgent in our efforts to “put on a good service”, and “keep the my four and no more in charge,” or “maintain the ones (very few in most cases) that we have.” So much so that we’ve forgotten why we serve God in the first place. Never mind the fact that we should have a focus on CHANGING individual lives for the long run. Getting them to speak in tongues, dipping them in the water, and getting them to dress “right” isn’t the end of working with new converts, it is the beginning. Where is the growth in a persons’ soul? Where are the twenty people who “prayed through” at your last revival; and the five before that; and the eighteen before that…? If their lives aren’t changed on a more permanent basis, we have and are failing miserably.
I’ve said all of that to say this, stop asking what your community can do for YOU and ask yourself what you can do for your community – both in the church and in the world.
Church (and life) is not about what you “get for free”, it’s what you give that counts!
God bless.
Vernon,
All I can say is, “You are the man!” I don’t think anyone could have said it better!
P.S. May I copy what you’ve said? This needs to be on very church bulletin board in every Apostolic church. I’m not our pastor, but I’d sure like to pass it along.
Love facebook for the fact that real names are used for the most part.
The first thing I noticed on AFH was that real names were not being used.
I’ll pass on AFH and stay with Facebook & EA.
I barely had time for EA but it was fun. There is to much work to be done, we are so close to the end! I used to get letters from the ICOF web team leader that taught both the trinity and dual view of the Godhead. I would be careful of them. I can see what they are trying to accomplish, but some times numbers are not the most important thing.
“Unashamedly Conservative Apostolics,” and only allows conservative Apostolics to join.
LOL, says it all, doesn’t it.
I don’t like EA or AFH. Apostolics should network within their own church and not on the internet. There is danger in social networking.
Repent, and be baptized!
Hello. MyApostolicNetwork.com has come out too!