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We are all in ministry.

A few weeks ago, our VP of Development Josh Lewis sent me a voice memo that he recorded on his phone while driving home. He didn't intend for anyone else to hear it, so he ranted a little, but his passion gave me the chills and I want to share that with all of you. It's important that everybody can see the hearts of the people working here. Our entire team at The Table Project is deeply motivated to help the church be the church, and we think about these things all the time, even when we're driving home on a noisy highway.

I encourage you to listen to the whole recording.

If you're unable to listen, below are some paraphrases from the recording to help you get the gist.

"One of the things I wish people knew about the Table is that when a church rolls the Table out to their congregation... part of what they're actually saying to the congregation is, 'You are all in ministry now'". A lot people don't really get what that means.

"We're Christians. All of us are in ministry. It's not just your pastor's job, it's your job, because it's your faith.

"So now (with the Table) we can see who we are collectively, and we see what the needs are, and we see where the pain is, and we see all of these problems. Generally speaking you'll get two kinds of responses. The first response is, 'I didn't realize there was all this ugliness, and all this pain and all this difficulty. What can I do?' The second response is, 'Be quiet, leave me alone, I'm busy, I'm not interested.'

"That second response is not ministy, it's not church and, pardon me, but it's not Christianity. That's not what Jesus says to people who need him. And we're his disciples. They will know we are his disciples by our love. Not by our ignorance or by our 'leave me alone', but by our love. So make the time, because you are in ministry now."

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Top 5 Bible Verses

Perhaps the coolest stat we can share is the most popular Bible verses users have added to their profile.

Here are the top 5 most popular Bible verses:

1. Jeremiah 29:11
" ‘For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "

2. Philippians 4:13
"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

3. Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

4. John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

5. Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

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The Serve app has exploded...

Check out their welcome video! This church really gets what we are all about!

Welcome to Bethel's Table! from BethelChurch on Vimeo.

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You Can't Do That on Facebook: Targeted Messages

People often point to Facebook and wonder why the church would even need the Table. Facebook is ideal for outreach, but it falls short at building community. That's what the Table is all about. We encourage churches to use Facebook and the Table together. But the fact is there are things you can't do on Facebook that the Table is designed to do.

Like targeted messages.

One of the secret joys of social networks is the demographic data. Advertisers love it. They can narrowly target specific people and not waste time and money reaching people who don't fit.

That can be pretty handy for a church. Announcements that only appeal to a small minority don't need to go to the entire church.

Targeted Messages on the Table
The Table makes targeted messaging simple and easy with the tip bar. It's the yellow bar that appears below the menu and above the content. It's a place where SuperAdmins can put targeted messages. You can target people based on age, gender, location and interest, as well as targeting your staff.

It's a great way to put up reminders and announcements for specific groups. Learn more about how to use the tip bar.

Targeted Messages on Facebook
Even though you have a whole list of people who like your page and want your messages, the only way to do targeted messages on Facebook is to pay for an ad.

Ouch. You can't do that on Facebook.

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June's Table 101

We're doing a webinar today!

If you're curious about the Table join us for June's Table 101 webinar. We'll give a tour of the Table, talk about best practices for launching the Table and take questions at the end. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the Table and see if it's a fit for your church.

We offer the Table 101 on the first Wednesday of every month. The next Table 101 is TODAY, June 6th at 3 p.m. CDT.

Register now for this free webinar.

(If you can't make it for the live webinar, check out the archived Table 101 webinar from May.)

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Top 10 Skills

You think you have some mad skills? What about the rest of your church? You can add your skills to your profile so you can put them to work and serve your church.

Here are the top 10 most popular skills on the Table:

1. Teaching
2. Singing
3. Writing
4. Music
5. Administration
6. Leadership
7. Cooking
8. Photography
9. Organization
10. Hospitality

Sadly, just outside the top 10 in number 12 was guitar. Maybe if more people include their air guitar skills it could work its way into the top 10. Next time.

If you haven't added your skills to your profile, do it today. It's a good way to get plugged in and using your gifts. Here's a quick overview of the benefits of adding your skills.

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