Reflections 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, we at Parable Media are wrapping up our first full calendar year as a registered 501c3 nonprofit ministry. As the world continues to separate from the pandemic shutdowns, churches continue to look for new ways to invite people into their community as well as to serve those who opt for more of a virtual presence. For us this meant more opportunities to go out and connect with the people, the churches, and the organizations we serve as we worked with them to create engaging and inviting digital media content. This led to a multitude of digital media projects serving these individuals and communities, which has allowed us to continue to grow as a ministry throughout the year.

So, in what is becoming a year end tradition for us, we take a moment to stop, reflect, and celebrate all that God has done for us this year.

Sharing Stories:

We began this year with the opportunity to share a unique story with WARM NC, a ministry created to serve low-income homeowners across much of eastern North Carolina. In this particular case, the home was damaged beyond any hope of normal repair. In searching for a solution to help the homeowner, WARM NC was able to demolish and fully replace his home, providing him with a new, safe place to live. We were able to follow this process as we learned of the homeowners hopes for the future, were present for both the demolition and new home delivery, and were able to share in the joy the homeowner felt as he settled into his new home.

Throughout the year we found a renewed emphasis on photography with many of the churches and organizations we partner with. Through this, we were able to be present for many events and gatherings for these communities, sharing the stories of these places through the photographs we were able to take. These photographs served as a means to share the love, joy, and hope present in these communities as they shared life and fellowship together.

Towards the end of the summer, We were able to join Hayes Barton Baptist Church on their pilgrimage trip to Israel. We were there to help them share the stories and experiences of those who went to experience this journey to the holy land. This translated to several videos, each with a unique purpose, as well as pictures taken throughout the trip. For us this was a unique experience, both in the stories we were able to share and in the opportunity to be a part of that spiritual experience of pilgrimage. 

We also continued to emphasize creating original content for churches and Christian organizations to use for their ministries. This year, that translated to five new blog posts and two new RESONANCE videos. Our blogs started with a reflection on fear and the call to surrender. We then followed this with an opportunity to reflect on what it really means to “love our enemies.” Next, we recognized the importance of the good experiences, the bad experiences, and everything in between. After that we gave an invitation to recognize the sacredness of each person. Finally, we recognized that we are all equally important characters in God’s story. Our RESONANCE videos focused on scripture and spiritual discipline, helping to expand an already useful series for small group reflection and discussion.

Inspiring Action:

While many of the projects we worked on this year helped inspire people to action, there were several which stood out to us. 

The first one was a video with Wake Forest Baptist Church, which shared the stories of the many ways in which the ministries of the church helped their community. The purpose of this video was to inspire members to engage and participate in these ministries with generous hearts—whether that was through volunteering or donating. This video helped inspire the congregation to support the ministries which were having a real impact on their community.

Starting in the fall, we were able to partner with Campbell University Divinity School to help them with an initiative to “make seminary education more accessible and to recruit and educate more students from diverse backgrounds.” This led to Conversations @ Campbell, which helped engage viewers in some common topics in theological education, with the hopes that this inspires them to more fully pursue whatever calling God has placed on their lives.

Towards the end of the year, we were invited to share the particularly inspiring story of Jonathan Lazenby, an individual who struggles with a condition known as disfluency, or stuttering. Jonathan shared a little of his story, spoke about how he would like people to interact with him, and showed how the gift of music freed him from the bondage of his condition. This story inspired many in the Hayes Barton Baptist community, and was shared with other churches as far away as Georgia.

Creating Community:

Thank you to everyone who is part of the Parable Media community! This year we were able to be a part of annual gatherings for both the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC and Baptist Women in Ministry of NC. We are proud to be a part of both of those amazing communities, and are happy to be able to serve them through our ministry. We also continue to have strong partnerships with many churches and Christian organizations. This allowed us to connect with and serve 18 churches and denominational organizations, 9 Christian organizations and ministers, and 2 divinity schools which amounted to 151 total projects! To help us serve these organizations, we partnered with several talented photographers, videographers, designers, and AV specialists. 

Additionally we thank everyone who supported us financially over the course of this year. As Parable Media continues to grow, donations are becoming an important part which allows us to better serve these churches and organizations while still keeping our services affordable. This support has also allowed us to hire a new Communications and Development assistant who will use his unique combination of ministry experience and nonprofit expertise to help us better connect with and support our donors.

2022 has been a great year for our ministry here at Parable Media, and we are excited to see where God leads us next year and beyond.

Thanks be to God.