Megachurches and the Media
Thousands of people with one common purpose. Megachurches are churches that are growing in both senses of the word; size and prominence. The megachurches are getting bigger and are becoming more popular.
A meeting about megachurches and the role media plays in them took place in LaRose Theater this past Monday. A megachurch is a church that has at least 2,000 members. The speakers present were Tim Riddle from St. Mark’s Church, Ken Garfield from Meyer’s Park Methodist Church, and Reverend Dr. Sir Walter Mack from Union Baptist Church.
The presence of different types of media in megachurches is a necessary one, but Mack says that the emphasis must always be on the infrastructure of the church. He says, “When you talk about music and programming, all those things are critical and important but must have systems to operate within.” He says you can’t get away from the message you are trying to give.
Megachurches are operated in a way similar to that of a big business. Garfield says, “We have an annual budget of $5 million, and we use that money to promote our church and we do act as a big business.”
Riddle agrees with Garfield, saying, ““A lot of the principles I use in a megachurch are principles I used in the marketplace.”
Mack says that many problems can arise with having bigger numbers and a larger congregation. He says “We have a team of lawyers on staff, because people are always ready to sue a megachurch.”
Megachurches have a number of outlets for media outreach. Riddle says that they don’t have a lot of local media coverage, but says, “the negative comments only come from people who have never attended a service.”
Mack says that the Union Baptist Church does a fair amount of its advertising in more secular areas. “We aren’t trying to reach the people who are already a part of our community. We’re trying to reach those who aren’t and may be looking for something that we can offer.”
Modern culture is influencing the ways in which megachurches messages are being relayed. Riddle says that it’s tricky. “We use technology to communicate God as clearly as possible without distraction. If people remember the technology instead of the message, we went over the line,” he says.
Mack says, “The energy is the hook, but between that there are messages portrayed that are received by the people.” He also says we live in an ADD society, and we need to keep people’s attention somehow.
Technological problems can happen, and that is one concern with Megachurches. Mack says, “With anything that can happen with technology, you can and should prepare for that.”
Second Life, or First Life?
After a hard days work, it’s nice to be able to come home, sit down and relax, maybe have a cold one, and spend time with your friends who know you best.
Not when the friends that know you best aren’t people you’ve ever met face-to-face, but instead through a computer screen. Second Life appears to be one way for people to avoid reality, to live a life that doesn’t exist for them or for others.
My experience in Second Life was not a pleasant one. I often ran into people who were unresponsive and rude, if I ran into anyone at all. As a “newb,” I was looked down upon by most that I met as someone not worth their time.
In the real world, if I need help at something and I ask, the person is usually able to help. If not, they direct me to someone who can assist me. In Second Life, this was not the case. I asked multiple people where a cool place to “hang out” was, or how to do something, or what was going on. The responses I often received were none at all, or maybe a rude laugh before walking off.
The answers and advice that I did receive was often very basic and what I knew, probably from people who pitied me. They didn’t go into the detail or even answer the correct question most of the time, treating me like a baby who needed to have the smallest things spelled out to me.
Suffice to say, the time I spent in Second Life was very frustrating and not enjoyable at all. People didn’t treat me as they would in reality. Second Life creates a barrier behind which people can behave differently because they don’t fear the consequences. I was no exception. I went to places I wouldn’t have, I did things I wouldn’t have, and I said things I normally wouldn’t have. I also treated people differently than I would have had I met them on the streets.
Second Life gives people the means to recreate themselves into someone that they’re not. It tempts people who use it on a regular basis to become what they aren’t.
Zoo Changes
The animal population at the Freeport’s Newman Memorial Zoo may be seeing some subtractions along with their recent additions. Cyrus Tucek, the zoo’s director, has said they are considering birth control for the tigers as he also announced the purchase of two new animals, a 6,000 pound female African elephant and a burro.
The female tigers have been producing litters of 3 to 5 cubs every 10 months and the zoo has no room for them. And no other zoo will take them. “They’re full up, too, and are using a time-release contraceptive implanted under the skin for females and vasectomies for males,” says Tucek. Because of this, Tucek said that the zoo is heavily considering the use of birth control so they can control their tiger population before they have no more room.
The new African elephant has been named Baby and was bought from the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. The name for the burro, which is being added to the Children’s Zoo, is from northern New Mexico and will be named by the children who visit the zoo. Names will be put up on the website and the children will get to vote. The choices are between Pancho, Eeyore, Captain B., Secretariat, Cyrus, Mr. Cronkite and Cyrano. These animals will soon be on display once they become accustomed to their surroundings.
Elon Transfers
While some people may not believe that Elon University is the place for them, there are some from other schools who hope that Elon can be the home they weren’t able to find elsewhere.
Prospective transfer students Tom Anderson, freshman, and Chris Carmichael, sophomore, both feel that Elon is not the place for them. They don’t think that it offers them the opportunities they want and need to succeed in the real world. Tom Anderson says he hopes to transfer to Temple University’s Tokyo, Japan Campus because the students there are “more academically motivated and more in tune to my personal interests.”
Chris Carmichael says he has multiple options, with University of Virginia being his top one. He says the reasons for his transfer includes “the fact that I feel like Elon won’t provide a competitive enough environment similar to real world conditions. I feel that UVA would better equip me with classes and environment that are fit for the business world.” He doesn’t like the close one-on-one interaction between students and faculty. He feels that in the real world, you won’t have someone there to hold your hand every step of the way, and he wants to attend a school that provide more opportunities to succeed on one’s own.
On the other end, Erika Flashburg is a sophomore who transferred to Elon after one year at Connecticut College. She says that “I was reluctant in the beginning to accept the change, but now I am happy.“ Originally, Erika hadn’t wanted to transfer, but now she believes that this is the place for her. She has found the place that she thought she had but now realizes that she was lacking.
“Elon Tonight” to air next semester
The highly anticipated show “Elon Tonight,” the latest addition to Elon Television’s lineup, will start airing next semester, with a whole new comedy lineup that should appeal to all, modeled after the popular “Saturday Night Live.”
Executive Producer Chris Bosak and co-creator Ashlee McCullock both promise that the first season of the new show will be one worth waiting for. With the good reception the show’s pilot received, the leaders are excited for the new season and everything to come.
“Our ‘Real World: Elon’ sketch will be continuing, keeping it as an ongoing drama in each episode,” said Chris Bosak. There is going to be a new surprise and twist to each one, but he wouldn’t say what it will be, not wanting to ruin it for those who are waiting for the show.
The show’s musical portion featuring “Project Halcyon” will also be a recurring presence on the show. It will be much like Andy Samberg and his digital short videos, comedic music ones.
“We’re really looking forward to it, we’ve got a lot of great ideas for our next season that we think people will love,” said Ashlee McCullock.
Bosak said that he hopes to be able to incorporate special guests into the show. “Down the line, I hope to have musical guests and special appearances by big names on campus.”
One of the sketches they hope to have next year is one modeled after the “Saturday Night Live” sketch “Weekend Updates.” It would be called “Phoenix Updates” and it would be one-liners making fun of the hot news stories.
Chris Bosak and Ashlee McCullock are very excited about the upcoming school year and the show’s first season, and beyond. As should everyone who is a fan of Saturday Night Live.
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