Have you heard all the latest design trends for the new year? According to iStock photo  (which is where I was hunting a cool image to use for this post) some of the big trends this year are beards, multi-racial models and “lens flare;” which used to be seen as a photographic blemish but is apparently now an expression of authenticity.

People in our culture today seem to have a fascination and genuine hunger for real (and facial hair). People no longer want to be force-fed the picture perfect ideal. Instead, people want to see the blemishes. Perhaps because blemishes are inevitable. Therefore, I’m really doubling up this year, because my beard is far from perfect and I don’t spend much time trying to make it look like it is. (Actually, I started growing it assuming I’d be asked to replace Phil Robertson, but then A&E decided to kiss and make up.) I’m not sure, however, that I can take advantage of the whole “multi-racial model” trend. Any suggestions?

The other big trends soon to catch on (which oddly were not on the iStock list) are 801South small groups and ministry training! The 801South ministry coaches are meeting regularly to plan for the next Launch Team event on the evening of January 23rd. Go ahead and add the date to your calendars–more details will be announced soon. At this event, we will focus on the next steps for our Launch Team as we move closer to the launch of our 801South worship experience in April.

Some of the next steps include equipping those on the Launch Team for serving in our areas of ministry: Hospitality, Band, Tech, Set-up, Creatives, Children, and Small Groups.

Along with the ministry training, participation in the intentional community of small groups is a key component and an expectation for all Launch Team peeps. Here is a sneak peek of the small group offerings prior to the April launch:

We will be tweaking the details of these groups and adding more groups next week. The final list will be available at 801South.org. There will also be a form through which you can choose a group (if you have not already spoken to one of our trained small group leaders).

We are also putting together some relational marketing tools for our Launch Team and other Matthews UMC church peeps to use while inviting others to come alongside for this 801South journey. We are especially excited about a very short promo video; which will launch at our next event on January 23rd.

So what trends do you notice for 2014?

Are you reordering your priorities in 2014 to make space for intensely focusing on launching 801South this year?

If not you, do you know of someone who might be interested in participating?