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iPhone Notifications

We upgraded our iPhone app with the ability to do notifications. Version 1.1.1 of our iPhone app primarily includes push notification, but also has some other minor updates. If you already have the Table app installed, you can upgrade it by going to the App Store, clicking on Updates and scrolling down to the Table app.

When you upgrade and open the Table app for the first time, it will ask you if you want to allow push notifications. On the web version of the Table, notifications alert you to activity on the Table. On the iPhone app, these notifications can appear within the app, as a numbered badge on the app icon on the home screen, as a pop-up alert and as a sound.

As you can imagine, this is a powerful way to instantly know what's happening in your church. 

You can adjust these settings two ways:

1) Within the Table: On the web version of the Table you can access your profile, go to Edit Profile and then Notifications & Email. These recently updated settings allow you to turn notification and email alerts on and off for different aspects of the Table. These settings control notifications for both the web version and the iPhone app. So if you're getting too many notifications about prayers on the iPhone app, this is where you can turn off those notifications.

2) Within the iPhone: On the iPhone itself you can turn different styles (badges, alerts and sounds) of notifications on or off. Go to Settings, Notifications and then to the Table app. Then you can turn the badges, alerts or sounds on and off.

Note that you'll only receive notifications on the iPhone for things that currently work on the iPhone app, namely prayer requests, Serve items, friend requests and quicknotes. Discussion board and photo app notifications, for example, will not appear on the iPhone because they're not a part of our mobile app (Yet! We do hope to add them eventually—one step at a time!).

And for our eager Android friends out there, we do hope to roll this functionality out to our Android app soon, along with some other needed improvements.

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May's Table 101

If you're curious about the Table join us for next week's Table 101 webinar. We'll give a tour of the Table, talk about best practices for launching the Table and take questions at the end. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the Table and see if it's a fit for your church.

We offer the Table 101 on the first Wednesday of every month. The next Table 101 is Wednesday, May 2 at 3 p.m. CDT.

Register now for this free webinar.

(If you can't make it for the live webinar, check out the archived Table 101 webinar from April.)

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So Cool To See Prayer

That's why we created the Prayer Video. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

Do you have your own story about prayer on the Table? Share it.

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Prayer Video: Will You Pray?

We've created a one-minute video you can use to promote the Table's Prayer Wall to your church. It's a top-notch video dramatizing how powerful it is to know that people are praying for you.

We're now making this video available publicly and there are several ways you can share it with your congregation:

1) Show It On Sunday Morning
Download the video and show it to your congregation during your worship services. It's a short video and powerfully communicates how the Table can impact lives.

You could go a step further and follow up the video with some personal stories of how the Table is impacting your church. We hear lots of stories about the Prayer Wall so there are surely some in your church as well.

2) Share It
Share the video through all your online communication channels. Either download it and create a custom version to share or use the generic version we've uploaded (see details below). Embed the video on your website, share it on Facebook, feature it on YouTube, talk it up on Twitter, plug it in your email newsletter. This is the kind of video people will share, so it's an opportunity to spread the word about your church and the power of prayer.

Here's some sample text you can use to spread the word:

Long form text:

Version 1:
You get that dreaded phone call and you're off to the hospital. While you sit in uncomfortable chairs waiting for more bad news, you feel so alone. But your phone chimes and you've got email—people are praying for you. On the way to the hospital you posted a quick request on the Table's Prayer Wall. You're not alone. That's the power of prayer. Watch this video to see how it works with the Table: [link/embed video]

Version 2:
Prayer changes lives and can deepen and strengthen our community. Will you pray? When you post a simple prayer request to the Table, emails are automatically sent to people in our church who are waiting to pray for you. When they click that ‘Pray Now' button, an email comes back to you—instant encouragement when you need it most. Watch this video to see it in action: [link/embed video]

Version 3:
The Bible tells us to be devoted to prayer, that our prayers are powerful and effective, to pray without end. Jesus asked his disciples to pray with him in his most desperate hour. The Bible tells us that God is attentive to our prayers.

So let's pray! When you post a prayer request to the Prayer Wall on the Table, it closes the loop on the old school prayer chain. People willing to pray are instantly notified, and when they pray you're notified as well, giving you the encouragement you need. Watch this video to see it in action: [link/embed video]

Short form text:

Version 1:
How can we pray for you? Post your needs to the Table. Here's what that kind of encouragement can look like: [link/embed video]

Version 2:
Will you pray? We have requests on the Table that need prayer. Watch this video & see how prayer can impact lives: [link/embed video]

Version 3:
The Table's Prayer Wall is an amazing way we can support and encourage one another. Watch this video to see it in action: [link/embed video]

Get the Video
We've made two versions of the video available.

1) Generic Table Version: This version is meant to be used as is and closes by pointing people to the tableproject.org. If you want to share this video immediately, this is the one to use. You can download the video and then upload it yourself, or just share or embed the versions we've uploaded to several video sites. Notice that this version won't point people specifically to your church's Table, so you might want to add your church's Table url (yourchurch.tableproject.org) to any description or comment text when you share it.

Download: Generic Prayer Video (ZIP, 70 MB)
YouTube / Vimeo / Facebook

2) Customizable Version: This version is meant to be customized by adding your church's logo and Table url at the end. This will require some video editing skills, but the bonus here is that the video can point people directly to your church. If you have the time and skills, we strongly recommend going this route as it will drive people to your church (and that's really the point, right?).

Download: Customizable Prayer Video (ZIP, 380 MB)

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Table Tip: Start a Group

We're firm believers that church is not for spectators. The pastor is not the only who can preach. You don't have to be on staff to do ministry. The church is a body and we all have a role—spectating is not a spiritual gift.

Peter Haas, pastor of Substance Church in Minneapolis, tells a story about ministry happening all by itself. That's what the Table is here to encourage.

So get involved. One easy way to do it is by starting a group.

• Existing ministries: Start a group for an existing ministry. This is a good way to organize your efforts and create a consistent place to communicate and connect. Your church's bulletin may not have room for every announcement and update you have, but a group on the Table gives you all the space you need. Post your own updates, prayer needs and volunteer opportunities.
• Informal groups: Just because you're not a formal ministry doesn't mean you can't set up a group. Start a group for your book club or knitting group. Maybe it's a group of youth group guys who watch football together on Sundays or young adults who go out to lunch after church. Use your group to plan events, invite new people and share info.
• Non-existent groups: Maybe the group you need doesn't exist yet. You can use the Table to pull it together. Maybe you want to connect stay-at-home parents, bikers or musicians. Search the people directory for skills and interests and invite people to join you. Use the discussion board to get organized, post events, share stuff and serve one another.

Church isn't supposed to be passive. Get involved and start a group today.

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You Can't Do That on Facebook: Groups Directory

People often point to Facebook and wonder why the church would even need the Table. Facebook is ideal for outreach, but it falls short at building community. That's what the Table is all about. We encourage churches to use Facebook and the Table together. But the fact is there are things you can't do on Facebook that the Table is designed to do.

Like having a groups directory.

You can set up as many groups as you want on the Table. They can be official ministry groups like women's ministry, youth group or your small group, or they can be fun groups based on interests, like football fans, music heads or knitters. You can designate official groups and even make groups private.

You can create the same kinds of groups on Facebook. But good luck finding them. There's no connection between those groups and your church. If someone visits your church's Facebook Page, there's no automatic way to find all your groups. That makes connecting and plugging in kind of hard. There might be some manual work arounds, but that's staff time to set up, requires constant maintenance and discourages people from setting up their own groups.

But it's different on the Table. There's an entire directory of groups:

• You can browse through them all to find the group for you.
• You can search for a group that might appeal to your interests.
• You can launch your own group and invite others to join you.

You can do groups on Facebook, but you can't do interconnected groups. Which is really what happens in church, right? You've got your entire church, but then you have all kinds of groups within your church. The Table's groups directory was designed with that in mind: Simple groups that are easy to find and encourage connection.

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Webinar: Let's Pray

Prayer is one of the most vital and most popular apps on the Table. We hear so many stories of people being encouraged, supported and lifted up through the Prayer Wall. For this webinar we walk through the Prayer Wall, talking about how your church can get the most out of the Prayer Wall. We talk about why prayer on the Table is so revolutionary and how you can do more with it. We talk about searching for prayers, exploring the history of prayers and notifications. We also talk about more involved uses, like integrating the Prayer Wall with your prayer ministry and using the Prayer Wall in groups.

We've also got two versions of this webinar. You can get the full 25-minute version or watch this quick, 8-minute version:

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How Fast Can We Launch?

Bob is the family pastor at Kenosha First Assembly. He oversees the serving ministries and was meeting with his leaders when someone asked, "How do we get the word out and communicate to our people about the needs here in our church and in our community?"

Bob had already done some research and showed them the Table Project. Heads were nodding and faces smiling. Their first question was, "How fast can we get this thing going?"

Watch Bob's story:

What's your story?

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You Can't Do That on Facebook: Map Your Church Members

People often point to Facebook and wonder why the church would even need the Table. Facebook is ideal for outreach, but it falls short at building community. That's what the Table is all about. We encourage churches to use Facebook and the Table together. But the fact is there are things you can't do on Facebook that the Table is designed to do.

Like mapping your congregation.

The Table offers a map view of all the people in your church. There they are, little people icons spread across the map. Each one gives you a general idea where people in your church live (icons are shown within a half-mile of the actual address to protect privacy).

• You can see who in your church lives in your neighborhood.
• You can plan a small group or an evening hang out based on location.
• You can find a central location to have a meeting.

It makes planning and connecting that much easier. You can't do that on Facebook. And with a worldwide social network, you probably wouldn't want to. Sometimes smaller is better.

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You Can't Do That on Facebook: Church Directory

People often point to Facebook and wonder why the church would even need the Table. Facebook is ideal for outreach, but it falls short at building community. That's what the Table is all about. We encourage churches to use Facebook and the Table together. But the fact is there are things you can't do on Facebook that the Table is designed to do.

Like having a church directory.

The Table gives you a picture directory of your church. It's an easy way to connect with your congregation, whether you're meeting an old friend or getting to know a new one. You can learn names, search for interests and skills and even find contact information.

Not so much on Facebook. If your church has a Facebook Page, the best you can see is your fellow friends who also like the church page or maybe you can click on people who comment. But there's no easy way to meet people you don't know. There's no way to see all the people in your church. There's no way to connect and interact, unless you're already friends.

But with the Table's directory, you can do so much more:

• You can find and connect with new people.
• You can search for interests and invite people to join a new group.
• You can use the random feature to learn names.
• You can use the map to find out who lives in your neighborhood.
• You can use your mobile device to look someone up when you forget their name.

There are all these ways to connect as a body. You can't do any of that on Facebook.

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