FX Live

We’re Back!!! FXLive is returning to a gymnasium near you and we look forward to seeing you and your family be a major part of the experience this fall. For those of you who are new (or have just forgotten) let me explain what FXLive is all about. FXLive stands for Family Experience Live. It is a once a month worship service where the motto is, “Where kids bring their parents to church!” FXLive is a 60 minute worship time for parents and their kids-that uses music, drama, dance, and storytelling to entertain and inspire.

 

It uses the “Lion King” mentality for joining the world between parents and kids. Disney creates entertainment that seems to be targeted at kids, but in reality contains elements that all members of the family find interesting or funny, although they may not be the same thing. Haven’t you noticed that as your family gets back in the car to go home after a movie, that you are all talking about the experience they had just shared! Every one of them understood something different about the movie and could participate in conversation about what they had just seen. Isn’t this how you want your family to interact as you leave church.

It is also:

1. Family Centered- FXLive is not "children's church". It is a "family-centered" production that requires parental involvement. By creating an environment for parents and kids to attend together, FXLive serves as a catalyst for the parent/child relationship.

Every month FXLive reminds families that the children's ministry doesn't exist as a substitute for parenting, but rather to complement parenting. At every age level, the church hopes to make sure parents never have the attitude "I'm going to drop off my kids and hope the church can fix them spiritually or morally".

FXLive is a monthly production that encourages parents to spend quality time with their kids and to assume the role of spiritual leadership with their children.

2. Kid Focused- Target the everyday issues in a kid's elementary world. FXLive is designed to create an upbeat and fun atmosphere for elementary-age children. The goal is to establish an environment where learning about faith and character issues can be fun and relevant. There is a percentage of the production that strives to relate to a range of age levels.

At times the humor and dialogue directly target adults, and at other moments, the message is geared for young children. However, the largest percentage of the production is aimed at fourth - sixth graders. We have discovered that, if we successfully connect with the older kids, we still keep the younger audience engaged.

3. Virtue Driven- Emphasize a specific virtue to help kids develop faith and character. A virtue along with a simple definition is displayed on stage and becomes the bottom line for the next month to study in Children’s UpStreet. The meaning of the virtue is taught through examples from the Bible, nature, object lessons, and sketches from everyday life.

4. Creatively Wired- FXLive uses innovative and creative tools to communicate a timeless message. In a 60-minute production, storytelling, drama, video, and music are used that is designed to entertain and teach families.

5. User Friendly- Create a predictable and non-threatening place for families to bring friends. The primary marketing tool for promoting FXLive has been word of mouth. Regular attendees know they can invite other families to go to FXLive and be confident they will have a quality experience. FXLive has become a great entry point for unchurched families because it is a non-threatening environment.

6. Volunteer Fueled- Develop a strategy to recruit and maintain volunteers. FXLive is a team effort. Around 50 people and groups of teams make the productions successful each month. FXLive parents are invited to participate by helping each month by working on one of the teams. By providing a variety of low-key volunteer options, there is something any parents can do to help FXLive. It's not unusual for unchurched parents to volunteer assistance and, as a result, develop a relationship with seasoned leaders to ultimately help them get connected in worship.

FXLive has the potential to reach hundreds of families in our community and have a dramatic impact in their lives. If you are a seasoned veteran, then welcome back! If you knew about FXLive but just have never come, then please come check us out. If you are new to our church community, then I know you and your family will find yourselves a home at FXLive. Let’s make this year’s FXLive bigger and better for the kingdom than ever!

The first FXLive is scheduled for Sunday, August 29 at 6:30PM in the Family Life Center Gym. Please call to ask any questions or to volunteer to help!