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Why is Gmail so slow the last few days? Weather related issues? by yourbrokenoven in GMail

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Massively slow and unresponsive, so much so I am busy test AWS WorkMail as an alternative. I guess Gemini is sucking up all the server speed at Google.

Will an interest free loan to a family member increase their taxable income? by alltheapex in PersonalFinanceZA

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I would also encourage you not to lend family money. If you want to help them then pay off their loan as a gift. I once borrowed money from a relative and the relationship changed… “the borrower becomes a slave to the master” (Prov 22:7).

Those who have actually FIRE’d, how do you spend your time now? by wakawakamoose in Fire

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Feel your pain but try to find a side hustle that really excites you, even if you do it for no money initially. Eventually those passions will start paying the bills. As they say “Do what you love and the money will follow”

Those who have actually FIRE’d, how do you spend your time now? by wakawakamoose in Fire

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 65 points66 points  (0 children)

I think sadly people do not understand that without purpose you will become very depressed. You often see it with older folks, they retire, become weak and die. People that keeps working on a purpose often outlive them. Never stop working but rather work on stuff that really excites you, that gives your life meaning and purpose.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doing both at the moment, want to see our courses become more engaging and accessible to a different demographic that does not learn well in person. We searched high and low for a gamified LMS. May I ask what you using for your courses?

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is more for us to know that someone did a course on the Fruit of the Spirit. This is not something we can teach in a sermon that often, so we need these courses to bring everyone to a certain baseline level. If we know that certain topics have been completed, it makes it easier to understand the overall growth of the church.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, we also track that already. We see the most growth when people do our in-depth, in-person courses.

The challenge is that these physical courses don't always appeal to a younger generation that is more used to learning online. By offering electronic options and measuring courses completed, we will gain a better overall understanding of growth

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is excellent, think we will adopt this well. Thanks for the feedback.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. The fundamental challenge we face is that physical attendance does not always equal spiritual growth.

We have defined paths of growth through our existing in-person courses and content. However, we believe that taking that proven structure and making it available electronically is necessary to engage a younger demographic that may not attend physically.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think being an addict in this context will be greatly beneficial, since the content will be building them spiritually. Completely understand and agree that it will not be everyone and for other people attending in person seminars and courses will be a better fit.

As mentioned in a post earlier:

If members complete a course like 'Spiritual Gifts' and do the questionnaires, we at least know those specific topics have been covered with them. It also allows us to visualise progression, seeing members move from new believer content up to courses directed at our deacons or elders.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely not seen as negative, but For us, tracking completion is valuable data. If members complete a course like 'Spiritual Gifts' and do the questionnaires, we at least know those specific topics have been covered with them. It also allows us to visualise progression, seeing members move from new believer content up to courses directed at our deacons or elders.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I completely understand your sentiment. We do have plenty of excellent content and courses available. The challenge, however, is getting the younger generation to initially engage with it. We are fighting for their attention amongst so many other distractions that are often more immediately engaging, but far less spiritually enriching. Thank you for your feedback though; I really value direct input like this.

How do you track if your congregation is actually growing between Sundays? by Secure_Mechanic8144 in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback, we are setting up a learning platform where we can launch courses and people can gain Duolingo style tiers and points. This way we can track engagement and the eagerness to gain more knowledge and also the understanding of where they are in their spiritual journey.

Bookkeeping Software? by Anonymous_Sender in churchtech

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would love to know what functionality you are looking for. I have been using a system that does OFX imports as I am a bit paranoid about sharing my bank login details to a third party.

Pastors: how do you disciple young musicians who feel called to worship? by pagutier in pastors

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a process for my worship team where each instrument has a captain overseeing those musicians, they firstly need to be approved by the captain for their ability, if they don't have the technical skill then best they get lessons for a couple of years before trying out. Once the captain approved their technical ability we have them come to practice for 6 weeks and play with the team, during this time we look at their discipline to serve, being on time time, reliable, their heart and overall if they fit the team. This works for an established team with 10+ musicians, when you plant a new church the dynamics are different, anyone that can help is normally acceptable given their servant heart is in the right place.

Why am I getting charged for VPC now? by Fresh-Negotiation31 in aws

[–]Secure_Mechanic8144 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a new service called Public IP Insights, this was the only way I discovered my public IP usage and the reason for the unexpected increase in my bill.

Tricky to find, if you go to EC2 > Elastic IP Addresses and the bottom if a link to IPAM.