Moving Forward

Friends, we are at an impasse. Jesus' Outsider Ministries has been called to be an equipping ministry. The mission the Lord has given us is to help the Body of Christ take on the more challenging issues including pornography, mental illness, and more. (A complete list can be found here.) To accomplish this mission, we need to be able to produce media. The plan includes videos from seminars, webisodes, and other video and audio resources. However, we can't do that. We have had a massive and permanent failure of our studio computer system.

We have tried to move forward with the extremely limited capacity that we have. We have been able to produce our weekly podcast but not much more than that. We have video footage from our first conference that we would release but we can't process it. Anything beyond the most rudimentary audio production is beyond the ability of the older model computer that was given to us after the crash first happened. Video work is completely impossible.

We need your help. We are starting a fundraiser to replace our tower and a few key components that are beginning to fail. We will be using a multifaceted approach as our limitations allow. The essentials of the need can be found on an Amazon wishlist created just for that purpose. The tower and monitor on the list are included for specs only as a guideline for anyone who chooses to help.

We do not have the resources to replace the lost equipment. Our ministry and personal budget run razor thin. Up to this point, we have been mostly self funded save for ticket sales to the Sex, Porn, & Freedom Conference and a few timely contributions. In order to fulfill the mission the Lord has given us, we can't operate that way anymore. This initial fundraiser gets us moving in the right direction. A follow up for the next phase is coming down the road.

Please, prayerfully consider how you can help. Give if you are able and if not, please share this as wide as you can on social media and in person. We trust the Lord that He will move on the hearts of enough of his people that we will accomplish that which has been entrusted to us.

The complete list can be found on Amazon following this link. If you would like to give financially, visit the Support page of our website.

Moving Forward

As of right now, we are up and running at about 50% capacity. We have the use of an older machine that allows some of the older versions of software to run but videos are still out of the question. Producing new episodes of Jesus' Outsider may be possible but we haven't had time to test it yet. We're putting everything we have into laying the groundwork for the Sex, Porn, and Freedom Conference so we can get that ball rolling.

We have been able to make several key updates to the Jesus' Outsider website reflecting the shift from being a podcast page to a full media, evangelistic, and conference ministry. Preliminary team bios are on the page for the start of our core leadership team with more to be added soon. As soon as time allows, we will also be adding a resource page with an Amazon store and a separate store for apparel. Big things are coming but they take time.

The SP&F conference must go forward. The need is huge. We have dedicated an entire page of the new Jesus' Outsider Ministries site to the conference with more content to come. We've been teasing a little of what we intend but it's time to go farther. Even at our reduced capacity, we know we must do everything we can to make this happen.

That means we need your help. In order to book a venue, musical talent, and cover other starting expenses, we need some resources. There are a number of ways you can get involved in helping us get the initial boost in bringing this much needed conference to Peoria and, as the Lord allows, beyond.

1. Individual Donation: Any amount helps, even as little as $5. There is a special PayPal link on the SP&F page on the Jesus' Outsider site.
2. Business/Ministry Sponsorship: We are looking for ministries and businesses who understand the scourge of sexual sin in our community to sponsor the event. A rate sheet is available for anyone interested.
3. Church Offerings: Allow us to come and share the vision for the conference and overall ministry with your congregation or appropriate committee. We also can bring a straightforward Gospel message for an evangelistic event.
4. Spread The Word: If you are not in a position to make a financial contribution, help us to spread the word about the conference and ministry. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Share as many of our posts as possible with as many people as possible. In many ways, this is at least as important as direct financial assistance.

We need your help to make this happen. Please email Pastor Mike with any additional questions.

HELP! We're Out of Commission!

Yesterday morning (12/29), the studio computer assumed room temperature. The hard drive is corrupted, at least 25% of the RAM is out, and the motherboard is starting to have issues. Granted, I've nursed the old girl long past her useful life and pushed her beyond her limits. When I bought it back in '10, it was the state of the art. Now, not so much. It's bad enough that I'm not certain that I'll be able to recover the data on it. (Prayers really appreciated on that one)

The problem is that it was the only computer in the house. All the rest of our work and other sundry activities are done on tablets and phones. Everything for Jesus' Outsider production, videos, and design is on that machine. We are completely dead in the water without it. Nothing can move forward until the machine is replaced. That includes the Sex, Porn, and Freedom Conference. I can't even finish the updated Jesus' Outsider site reflecting the new direction and expansion.

If you've been following the last several posts and episodes, then you know that we have paused the work on planting Freedom Church and are putting everything into Jesus' Outsider Ministries. That includes expanding the reach of the program, moving into additional areas of media ministry, and conferences. In this modern age, all of that requires a functional, media production capable computer. Unfortunately, this isn't something we can purchase off the shelf at the local Best Buy.

In order to move forward, we need a machine capable of running the current versions of the software we use. We've been limping along on old, outdated versions of Adobe Creative Suite that isn't supported by Adobe anymore. Bare minimum needs for the computer, software updates, and other miscellaneous gear come up to close to $2500. That's way more than I found in the cushions of our couch.

Many of you are very interested in the program continuing and in our conferences, especially the Sex, Porn, and Freedom seminar. As I said, none of that can happen without a fully functional computer. I'm asking you to prayerfully consider supporting us in this hour of immediate need. There's a PayPal button on this page and on the Jesus' Outsider site under the "Support" tab. We tried Patreon but this isn't the kind of need that fits well into a site for supporting artists.

Please, prayerfully consider how you can help. We need everything we can get. As a bonus, everyone who donates $25 will receive a free ticket to the conference and a conference tee shirt (design pending).  Anything received above and beyond the immediate need will go to the conference costs.

Thanks you for supporting our efforts.