Lane Palmer
Who am I?
And now, here's the news of the day. As the e-team webcaster, you are the heartbeat of information for the youth group. You are the all seeing - all knowing - person on the scene with all the latest info. Sound like a big job? It is, but don't worry, if you are reading this, you're already on your way to being a great webcaster.
What am I like?
The webcaster must essentially have the mindset of a reporter. Can you think of a reporter that you have ever admired? One of my favorites was Lois Lane - y'know, Superman's friend? The funny thing was, she was always on the scene when Superman performed one of his heroic acts. Of course, we all know that Superman arranged that for her, but she never knew that. To Lois, she was just always at the right place at the right time, and she always had the information for the day. In much the same way, you as a webcaster are reporting on a real Superman (Christ) in real rescue operations (saving people from Hell). So grab your notepad and be ready - Superman is coming!
What am I doing?
Alright, so you have your press card and you are ready to go - what next? Here's your assignment:
Research
One of your primary jobs is to research potential witnessing problems for the youth group. For example, let's say a youth group member tried to witness to a wiccan, but really had no clue what to say. You hop on the web and download tips for sharing Christ with wiccans, e-mail it to him/her, and boom! He'she is ready to go.
Report
Imagine yourself being at the scene of some amazing news event. Picture arriving on the scene when a huge breaking story is just unfolding. Your adrenaline is up, and you are primed and ready to take the story to the general public. As a webcaster, every week you really are at an amazing event. You are witnessing a huge battle - the battle for eternal souls! When the gospel is given - there is a bomb dropped on the kingdom of darkness. Angels from both sides are present, and God's Word will not return empty (Isa 55:11). So gather all the information you can about each meeting. What was positive? What was negative? Were visitors welcomed? Jot down all the details you can and make up a weekly report to give to your Youth Pastor and youth group. Also, make sure that you report back to Dare 2 Share everything (positive and negative) that is going on - we need to know!
What else?
Webcasting is a fun but difficult task. Let me throw you two suggestions that might be helpful in your cool endeavor.
First
Write down specific details and stories from your e-team adventures, then archive them on your computer. Youth Pastors not only have a short attention span, they also have short term memory loss - so keep a saved file with all the reports, ideas, and stories so that you (or your youth pastor) can go back and look at the track record of what's going on.
Second
Set up some sort of system so that everyone in your youth group can be up-to-date with the outreach meetings. Past stories, future events, funny incidents - whatever you think would be helpful to keep the passion for lost souls alive. This might be a monthly newsletter, a weekly flyer, or some kind of regular e-mail report. There are lots of ways to communicate, and the important thing is to just do it! Remember - communication is the oil that keeps the engine running, so don't let your e-team engine seize up - lives are at stake.
For a more detailed explanation of your goals and duties, check out the e-team wheel.
To Summarize
You are the reporter - so gather information.
You are the communication link between the e-team and the Youth Pastor, and Dare 2 Share with you.
Communicate with your Youth Pastor - share responses and ideas
Communicate with Dare 2 Share - stories, ideas, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
INCLUDEPICTURE