As the purchasing assistant, I don’t have a lot of opportunities to actually interact with the customers and hear their stories, but I am nevertheless blessed daily. My main interaction is with our vendors and working with them to get our products here in time. One thing that I have found inspiring from this angle is when I show one of our vendors around PCI. Rather than just being a voice on the phone or another customer to them, they see what it is that Portable Church Industries is all about and what we are trying to accomplish. They get excited about what we are doing and will often go out of their way to help meet our needs.
Another inspiring moment for me is watching our towing company pull a church’s trailer out of our parking lot and onto the road on their way to the delivery. There is a feeling of satisfaction at the sight, knowing that we are helping a church to make a difference in their community... all over North America!
Debi is part of our Purchase & Design Team. She has been with Portable Church for four years, and has often been the voice on the other end of the line greeting clients! Personally, Debi is a devoted blogger, reader, cat aficianado and is married to the affable (and Red Wings Fanatic) Jono.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
What Inspires Me (Debi Martin)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thank You!
Tomorrow, several team members from Portable Church Industries are headed off to The WhiteBoard Sessions, an incredible conference in Reston, VA. PCI has had the great pleasure of providing all of the audio, video and lighting for the conference. It has been a great project to "dream" with Ben Arment, the conference visionary and build the WhiteBoard System.
- Yamaha Commercial Audio - providing the board, speakers and rigging efforts
- Shure - providing vocal and instrument microphones
- Nexo - providing amps
- Aviom - providing in ear monitor mixer supplies
- Quik Stage- providing stage accessories
- Advance Sound & Lighting - providing the Truss
- Eiki - providing (2) 15,000 ANSI Lumens Projectors
- Renewed Vision - providing a copies of Pro Presenter & Pro Video Sync for video
- ETC - providing almost the entire lighting system
- Panasonic - providing (1) 15,000 ANSI Lumens Projector
Our support of the WhiteBoard Sessions is made possible because these vendors have generously granted us the use of their equipment for free. If you have a chance to stop by our booth at the WhiteBoard Sessions, you can see the equipment up close & personal. All of the equipment in use at the conference is equipment that we (PCI) integrate into Portable Church(TM) systems on a regular basis.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to our vendors for partnering with us. You have allowed us to showcase a beautiful system, and help hundreds of church planters & multi-site pastors enjoy a great conference!
As the Project Manager for the WhiteBoard Sessions Design, I have been acting as both the client & the supply partner. I have seen first hand how things come together for the clients, and I have been amazed at the technical expertise required to execute this project. I am excited to see the system perform. Be sure to stop by the engineering station or by the PCI Booth for more details on how we can create a system like that for you.
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Whiteboard Sessions
PCI Sponsors Unique Conference for Church Planters and Leaders
PCI will provide complete state-of-the-art audio-visual and lighting solution for the conference itself. Guests will get a first-hand experience of PCI’s capabilities.
Whiteboard is a one day event that will feature eight influential ministry leaders, presenting one compelling idea in 30 minutes each. The speakers have been asked to address a core idea that drives their ministry, their one pure and holy passion.
The speakers will include:
The conference will also feature the music of Lashey & Joyner, a combination of two gifted worship leaders from different churches in Virginia. You can read about their latest CD project called HYMNS at www.myspace.com/lasheyjoyner.
The Whiteboard Sessions will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel, which is located in Reston Town Center near Washington, DC.
You can register and find more information at www.TheWhiteboardSessions.com or by contacting Ben Arment at (703) 869-9523 and ben@towncenterchurch.com.
Portable Church Industries Honored
Local Company Receives Top Honor
Second Stage Business Honored as one of “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”
Troy, MI March 3, 2008: Portable Church Industries has been recognized as one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation.
Portable Church Industries was recognized at an awards ceremony during the third annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, April 24 in Lansing.
"Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” is a unique awards program designed to shine the spotlight on second-stage companies,” says Mark Lange, executive director of the Edward Lowe Foundation, a not-for-profit operating foundation based in Michigan. The foundation’s mission is to “champion the entrepreneurial spirit” by encouraging entrepreneurial cultures in communities throughout the country and helping second-stage companies learn from each other.
"When it comes to a robust economy, second-stage entrepreneurs play a critical role because they generate new jobs and sustainable growth,” Lange says. “And yet, they’re not often recognized or appreciated for the impact they have on the economy or the community.”
Portable Church Industries (PCI) is a professional consulting and equipment supplier, specializing in churches who rent their primary meeting space. Using specialists in technology, specialists in project management and a customized cargo approach, PCI provides a one source solution for nomadic churches.
Companies nominated for the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list must be second-stage companies, defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants. In addition, the companies must be privately held and headquartered in Michigan.
Monday, April 14, 2008
C3 Church - Our Featured Dinner & a Movie System
There are still a few seats left for our Dinner & a Movie Event on Wednesday, April 23, and we hope you'll join us (which you can do, by clicking on this link here). In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about our featured partner - C3 Church.
If you are coming to our Dinner & a Movie Event, you'll not only see the logistics it took to fit a 60,000 square foot facility into four trailers, you'll also get to see some incredible technology. Here are just a few things you'll get to see...
- 32 Channel Digital Mixing Console & Road Case
- In Ear Digital Mixers
- Intelligent Lights Running w/ Light Jockey
- 15,000 Lumens Projector
- IMAG
- Children's Portable Electronic Registration
- Children's Toys, Floor Coverings and Aesthetics
- Children's Television & Cirriculum Areas
- Starbucks Coffee & Welcome Area
The C3 Band will take the stage to show off their chops and show off the speakers, and rumor has it that Byron and Barry will be on hand to answer questions about the personal experience of C3 Church.
Remember- this experience is designed to not only show you what can be done in a theatre, but to help you dream about what you want your church to look like in a theatre! We certainly hope you'll join us for this incredible event during the Exponential Conference.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Dinner's On Us!
By now, you've probably received our invitation to join us again for the 2nd Annual Dinner & a Movie Event during the Exponential 2008 Conference (if you missed it... click here to register).
We are excited to have you join us after the last session of the day on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 from 5pm - 7pm. National CineMedia and Portable Church Industries are renting out auditoriums at the Cinemark Festival Bay in Orlando, FL. Whether you're a multi-site church, a brand new church, a church planter thinking of starting a church, or an existing MovieTheatreChurch - this conference event is for you!We'll show you just how effective your adult, children's, guest relations and growth ministries can be in a movie theatre!
Every attendee will receive a tour of a simulated Portable Church(TM), a FREE dinner and a FREE Admission to the movie of your choice! NCM will walk you through the steps to renting a theatre in your area, and PortableChurch(TM) will show you how mobile church can be done with excellence and efficiency. From audio to video, from lighting to children's ministries to conversations with your landlord - this workshop will cover it all!
Bring your staff, your team members and your ministers! This is the perfect opportunity for you to interact with our companies and ask questions.
This is a Visual & Informative Event you won't want to miss.
If you haven't received YOUR invitation, email kendra@portablechurch.comfor your personal invitation.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Second Annual "Dinner & A Movie" Event
We are exicted to announce the 2nd Annual Dinner & a Movie Event, done in conjunction with National CineMedia and the Exponential Conference.
Stay tuned to this blog and to our website for all the details.
Here's our first promo.....
**Statistics provided by the US & Canadian Census Bureaus, The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association and The Motion Picture Association of America. Statistics cited in this video include the numbers for both US and Canada, and were combined for the purposes of this video. Statistics are from available numbers for research conducted in 2004-2006 by said organizations. Mexico's information was largely unavailable, and therefore excluded from this video.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
What Inspires Me (Mike Albon)
Mike Albon is the Campus Pastor for LCBC Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. We had the great pleasure of helping them with their portable equipment needs for their launch in October of 2007. We received this email today.
... This weekend we had 323 people at LCBC Harrisburg, and I am sure at least a third of them were first time guests. It was very cool!
Nathan* has attended our gatherings twice now and had never been to church before he came three weeks ago. He was known by some of our band members because they had been in a band together several years back. Last week he told us he trusted Jesus, this weekend he brought his daughter. Very cool!
Joe brought Michael* about 6 weeks ago. Michael is living in a transition house as he recovers from addiction and homelessness. You can see life's difficulties on his face, but there is a hope in his eyes that only the Spirit brings. Michael has joined the set-up team and this weekend made a point to introduce me to his daughter, who was there for the first time.
Jim and Lisa* (not their real names) were introduced to me by the kidmin staff. They were there for the first time, had seen our signs on the road, and were just kind of checking the place out. They made sure to tell me their church history. It was cool to see the stunned look on their faces during the song set. I think they'll be back.
Yesterday’s services were very powerful and left me that much more convinced that God has high hopes for LCBC Harrisburg. A bunch of people brought friends which made for a very cool atmosphere (lots of watchers and folded arms – just the people God wants to connect with). It is so cool to serve a God who "devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him." (2 Samuel 14:14)
What's your story? Email us (even if you're not a previous client...). We'd love to help you broadcast your story!
*Names have been changed
