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Easter 2010 CHCTVM (Delayed Post)

April 18, 2010, 7:09 pm

Okay, I’ll try to do these posts bit by bit. Quite a number of photos, so less writing, more photos, and hopefully it’ll spice up the page somewhat.

Anyhow, gonna post on Easter first. But gonna separate it into two posts. One from ministry side, another from CG side. :)

LINK IS UP!! CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 of EASTER POSTS!!

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Easter was an interesting experience this year. Thankfully it happened over the public holidays and weekend (like it always does every year), but that was good because I didn’t need to take leave from camp do I? Awesome.

Spent the most part of the Easter serving in TVM. Feels great to serve especially during big days, to stand in the gap to ensure that the production continues running. Where there were gaps, just fill it!

I wasn’t part of the drama crew though, didn’t have time to go down for rehearsals and such. But supported the services at both JW and expo. Awesome time I tell you.

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Drama rehearsal before the first (and last) Easter service at JW.

And meanwhile, the rest of us service crew outside,

Playing with iPhone games. LOL!

And of course playing around with my DSLR as well. Trying out a couple of super close up shots. Came out pretty well. Note, not all photos are taken by me though, we were all playing with the camera.

Me, clearly.

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One of the other crews.

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And just before service starts!

Look at the hall. This was like, before the service started. Never seen a hall so packed BEFORE service starts, not for the longest time that is.

Kindly just ignore the person in front. It’s just super bad timing. LOL! But man it was packed. People sitting on the aisles and floor etc etc.

Anyhow, after the first service on Friday, went to join CG for post-service games and stuff. Gonna do up another post on that.

LINK IS UP!! CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 of EASTER POSTS!!

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Anyhow, move on to the next day, Saturday. Woke up like freaking early in the morning, then drove down to Expo. Call time was like 7am man, but that ain’t a surprise, considering this ain’t the first time I’m been at Expo that early. LOL. Prayer meeting to start the day, and off to work, set up and stuff. First thing up in the day, Children Church’s (CCH) Expo service.

This is my camera! Or at least the camera I was working on for CCH Easter Service. Like this camera, minus the weird carpeted flooring and weird drainage locations.

Just gonna let the photos do the talking.

CCU panels. Which Bryan had the privilege of working on. LOL. Eh, not easy also ok?

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Director’s screen. 8 cameras. And this is just 1 of the 3 screens in the control room, aka fish tank.

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Another shot of Cam 6. Like those starry stuff created by the cross filter. Super nice.

But also super weird when shooting stuff like spitting fire, just doesn’t look nice when a fire spurts out, and a star comes out with it too. Just weird.

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And a group shot of all CCH Media Crew! All who helped out with the service that is. Haha.

Cool people man.

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Bryan went round taking a couple of shots (not the best cause a bit blur, but nice profile shots for some of them).

JKoh with the tech side.

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Lifang…. Low lighting condition la ya? Haha.

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Paulyn… Cheerful and bubbly all the time man.

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Clear me, probably updating my Twitter or something.

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I LOVE THIS SHOT THE MOST!

Tony! Like teleporting or something… Cool shot.

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Ah poon!

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After that went out for lunch and stuff, and back for 2 more English Easter services!

Supposedly, I was rostered as Cam 6′s grip for the first service on Sat. But then the roster changed, and I was on Cam 7. The one way up at the top. Then because of some *miscommunication*? At least I think so. I got to do Cam 2! On Easter service! Goodness.

A bit panicky cause quite last minute. But glad that I could stand in the gap when needed. Really felt awesome. Luckily I had some experience doing Cam 2 before, otherwise, I would probably really freak out. LOL.

Can’t be that hard right? Just flow with the Spirit, find the right shots, track Pastor on stage steadily. Quite shiok ah the feeling.

But also freezing cold without a jacket.

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Took this photo before service.

Cam 2! Woo. Super happy. This like super huge, heavy camera. Okay I know the thing says it’s “live”, and I’m taking a photo of it too. LOL!

Good experience nonetheless.

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Oh, someone found my DSLR and started taking photos when the service was in progress, found them in my camera after I imported them. Haha.

Wei Ming checking out the fish tank. I can see my Cam 2 shot of Poh’s guitar right there too! Cool!

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KK…

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I like this shot. Nice perspective of the TVM logo. Perhaps can put it on somewhere. Haha.

Also served for the second Easter service on Sat. Was on, Cam 6? Yeah man. Awesome!

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Random shots from here on.

Oh look! Jesus came to visit us in the control room! Making sure the production is running smoothly. Sweet!

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Think these photos were from Sunday’s services.

Went out with Wanxia to pack lunch for the whole crew! Since I wasn’t doing anything during the first service on Sunday. Haha.

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Group shot of the TVM drama crew.

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Another group shot. With some of them “devils”. lol.

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Suci and Debbie! Sweet eh?

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And the ladies, right at Radio City Music Hall!

LOL at Huiyun’s reaction. Super classic.

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With Mabelin and Yuxin! Recognize the set? And don’t be fooled! That’s not wine!! LOL. Shan’t say what is it. Ask me!! Muahaha…

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Oh, found this rather interesting.

Paparazzi man! So many cameras!

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After that went off to find my CG already man. Not before another couple of shots.

Poor photographer…

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Here’s a nice clearer shot of Cam 2! Super huge right?? Compare with that A4 paper or that Starbucks cuppa in shot! Goodness. But damn fun operating this thing.

Next up crane?

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Lol. Last shot. On the way out.

Know where this came from? LOL

Apparently there was so much breakfast ordered in the morning, that they came delivered in 4 boxes, and the delivery guys had to take cab. Whoa. Dunno whether they earned anything from this sale actually. Maybe just a small figure, considering they took cab.

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Really enjoyed myself during the Easter weekend. Serving TVM, serving God, availing myself during my time offs to be in church. Really feels good. Awesome time. :)

Posted in Big Day Events, Church and TV Ministry | 0 Comments

Workflows and Processes

April 11, 2010, 12:57 am

Currently importing like what might seem to be over a thousand photos from this morning’s MJZone Event “The Winning Look” Part 3.

And I realized a horrifying fact.

Importing and copying the files over, is TWO SEPARATE things.

I was like so happy when the counter finished counting the number of things it had to import, which meant the start of processing previews, thumbnails and face recognition. And guess what, I haven’t started on the actual sorting, editing and post-processing. Hmm. Long night ahead.

Had a blast today. Really felt like I was flowing with the Spirit the whole day. From the start till now, everything that I did, I felt Him guiding me. And unlike in the past, I felt this sense of peace. This peace never existed say, 2 years ago.

I would be panic over everything. Like “what’s going to happen?? what’s going to happen??’ That kinda thing.

But guess it kinda built up over time. Knowing what to do at this time and that time, what needs to be done now, what is required for this and that. And it all comes naturally now. Even sometimes when I don’t know what to do, I just go by His guidance. It’s amazing the way God presents Himself in situations like these. After all, all these are His works, and for His glory. And as a steward, I trust that God is guiding me all the time, all the way.

From things like having a toilet break, when to put up slides, when to play a certain audio track, where to find these audio tracks, how to put the graphics in a way that will have a greater impact, having ideas that will get the media team up another level in standard and efficiency. All these, God knows, and guides. From this, you do that, then do this, then do that. And it goes on and on. And every step of the way, it brings about a certain joy. And I know it’s God guiding me in my work.

Workflows and Processes. Emotions and feelings.

And God provides too. Things like drinking water, which I clearly tend to forget. And God will let me find an unopened bottle of mineral water at random places, like at the bottom of a chair. Well, obviously someone left it there, either forgot about it or what not. But it’s God’s unique way of providing for other people. You may lose a $50 bill say on Orchard Road, and never get to find it again. Grumble as you may, but this $50 became an indirect blessing to another person. Get the picture?

And at other times, like when someone blesses you with meals and stuff, like over the Easter holidays. God provides too.

You are the way, the truth and the light.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying that everyone should start dropping $50 bills along Orchard Road, leave bottled water for the thirsty, packet food for the hungry just about anywhere you know. Though, the former idea is quite a good one. Just let me know when you’re going to do it, perhaps it might be an experiment. LOL.

Posted in Church and MJZone | 0 Comments

100407

April 7, 2010, 2:57 pm

Finally managed to get a hold of some Internet connection. How naked I feel without it.

But unfortunately, that doesn’t mean there’ll be pictures, just text updates. But hey, it’s better than nothing right? Haha.

Really enjoyed the Easter weekend together with CHCTVM and W369.  Served for every service except for the expo ones on Friday night. Feels so awesome to be able to stand in the gap to serve TV in God’s House. Even though it’s just a backstage position, and many people are probably unaware of the ones who are running the production, I’m sure it definitely created an impact on the new friends who came to church. A small part makes a big difference.

And especially when there was a missing camera person, I’m just glad that I was there to stand in. Thank God for the skills and talents that He has blessed me with. Woo.

It’s really fun, haven’t handled these HD cameras for so long now. Was operating Cam6 and Cam2 most of the time. Not to mention running across the front stage to be in position for the drama. Really fun. LOL.

Only thing, just didn’t take enough photos after the production finished. Guess everyone was quite shagged out by then. Oh wells.

Anyhow, shall post them photos up once I get the chance, I.e., when I book out of camp. There’re like almost 100 photos. LOL.

Chao for now.

Posted in Church and TV Ministry | 0 Comments

City Harvest Church – Arise and Build 2010: Suntec Convention Centre

March 10, 2010, 12:11 pm

We finally got our promised building! Here’s the announcement video shown over the weekend service, revealing the exact location of our new premises!

I absolutely love this video.

Anyhow, grabbed this following FAQ from CHC’s website. Do take a look, it’s quite informative.

1. Why is there a need for CHC to secure such a huge facility?
We need a facility that will be able to accommodate the congregations from our English Services, Children’s Church, Chinese Church, Dialect Church, JAMs (Jesus for All Minds) Church, Indonesian Service, Tamil Service, and Filipino Service. By God’s grace, our membership has been growing steadily and it currently stands at 32,731.
At the same time, the cost of hall rentals in Singapore has been increasing. It therefore makes financial sense to have our own facility in the long run. What’s more, our ability to rent halls for worship depends on their availability and other contractual terms. Having our own property means we will no longer subject our congregations to the risk of not being able to rent a facility for use, or having to move from time to time to different venues.
2. Why does the project cost S$310 million?
There are three factors to consider regarding the cost of a project:
a. The size of the property: the land size of the property is large enough to contain a 12,000-seater auditorium to accommodate the needs of our growing congregation.
b. The location of the property: CHC has members coming from all over the island. Centrality and ease of access via public transportation is important to us.
c. The facilities of the property: The building will have many meeting rooms and restaurants, with sufficient car parking space for our congregants and the general public.
3. What type of building will the facility be housed in? Integrated mall? Or purely a place of worship?
It is not purely a place of worship. This property has a 12,000-seater auditorium, and many other meeting rooms and F&B outlets.
4. Why does the church need to be in the CBD area?
We already have an existing church building at Jurong West. But our members come from all over the island. Proximity and accessibility by public transportation is the key factor behind our decision to find another facility that is in the central district of Singapore.
5. How does CHC plan to finance the project?
We will finance the project from the free-will contributions of our members.
6. CHC is planning to spend S$310 million on their building, shouldn’t CHC take care of the poor and needy instead?
CHC spends 20 percent of its annual budget on local community and overseas humanitarian work to help the poor and needy. This work has been ongoing since the church began in 1989. For example, in the aftermath of the Aceh tsunami and Haiti earthquake, CHC volunteered teams of doctors and disaster relief workers with medical supplies, tents and water filters to help the victims. In addition, CHC has been actively giving to missions work and supporting its network of churches all over Asia. With a facility to house the church’s growing congregation and multifaceted ministries, we can serve the needs of the community in an even greater way.
7. Economically, wouldn’t the church save more money if its facility is outside of CBD or in the suburbs of Singapore?
Properties are scarce and property prices are generally high throughout Singapore. The key consideration behind our choice of location is proximity and accessibility for our members.
8. What does CHC plan to achieve in undertaking this massive project?
The facility is meant to meet the needs of our growing congregation for a place of worship. It also allows CHC to move from its present expensive rental model to a more financially sustainable ownership model for the long term.
9. Since majority of the activities of the church are on weekends, how will the building be used during the weekdays? Isn’t it a waste of space?
The facilities of the property and F&B outlets are open to the public daily. During the weekdays, the auditorium will be used from time-to-time as a venue for seminars, conferences, arts and cultural performances.
10. According to the laws of Singapore, can worship services be held within the Central Business District?
There is no legal restriction against conducting worship services in the CBD area, provided zoning and other legal requirements are met. Currently there are more than 30 places of worship in downtown Singapore. These include churches, temples and mosques such as St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Wesley Methodist Church, Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Sri Mariamman Temple, Masjid Jamae Chulia, Kwan Im Thong Cho Temple, Maghain Aboth Synagogue; just to name a few. We will ensure that use of our new facility does not breach zoning restrictions or other legal restrictions applicable to the facility.
11. Since CHC already owns a property in Jurong West, why does it need another facility?
CHC has long outgrown the facility at Jurong West as its capacity is limited to 2,300 people.  Our present congregation is more than 14 times the maximum capacity of our Jurong West building. Since 2005 we have had to rent premises at Singapore Expo to accommodate our congregations.
It should also be noted that the new facility does not mean the Jurong West church building will be redundant. Activities such as outreach to the elderly and children living in the Jurong area will continue. The property in Jurong West will still be utilized for training, counseling, prayers, etc.
12. Should CHC elect to have its facility in the downtown area, would there be a potential for crowds and traffic jams in the already crowded CBD?
This is an important consideration which we factored into our planning for the new facility. There is ample car parking space, and the roads surrounding the property are wide enough to ensure smooth traffic.

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Now, I kinda realized that there has been a bit of mixed feelings among folks around me regarding the location of the place. Some say that it was unexpected, and thought that we would have secured a piece of empty land that would allow us to build a place of our own, somewhat similiar to the AnB project of the JW Building. Build from scratch, it will allow us to have more customization of the building and facilities right?

Admittedly, that was how I also felt initially when hearing about the news. There was mixed feelings. On one hand, we have finally gotten another bigger place to house the congregation. On the other hand, it’s not exactly OURs. Get what I mean? Occasionally when there are super huge international events, we will still need to move to another location. However, this is not because we’re being evicted, it’s a voluntary decision so that the Government still can use the place at it’s full capacity. Doesn’t sound that bad eh?

But the most pressing issue I hear, and personally feel as well, was that there won’t be sweat of constructing another building altogether. And for the bunch of folks who had attended church post AnB of the JW Building, we all do feel a yearning to have been part of that project, and also anticipating an upcoming project that might somewhat allow us to really “build God’s house” in it’s literal sense.

But hey, I mediated on this, and got reminded of this story I read online. Don’t mind my English ya? I’m paraphrasing as much as I can remember.

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There was a small church in NYC, located along a busy street. However, after decades of using the building, it was starting to look rundown, with all the new establishments that have sprung up over the years. Not to mention, the growing size of the congregation also proved to be a problem for their services in the small premises. The Head Pastor was troubled. He knew there was a need for a new, larger  building. But how was he going to find another plot of larger land, especially in NYC? The church just didn’t have the finances to finance a building project of that scale.

One night, a fire broke out at the church. Fortunately, there weren’t any casualties, however, the flames had engulfed the entire church building. After the fire was put out, there wasn’t anything left of the church at all! The church had been literally burnt down to the ground.

A passer-by saw the Head Pastor standing alongside the street, looking at where the church once stood. The said passer-by felt a great sense of grief towards the pastor, walked over and wanted to offer his condolences (I seriously don’t think this is the right word to use!!) to him, only to realize, the Pastor was actually smiling! Feeling odd, he asked the Pastor why.

“God knew we needed a new building. A new larger building. He also knew that we didn’t have the finances for the entire building project from start to finish. So He decided to help. Now the church has been burnt down, we save a huge load on the demolition costs itself! And in addition, I don’t have to look for another plot of land! This has where the church has been for decades, and this is where it will stay.”

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I was really blessed by this story. And lead me to think, hey, God has this building standing there for such a long time. It has already been built, facilities and all has been provided for. All we need to do is to move in. In this time where construction costs are going through the roof, literally, God has saved us much by not having us build our own building! Awesome.

Can’t wait to move in next March 2011. It’s gonna be great.

Posted in Church | 0 Comments

Weekends

March 1, 2010, 1:20 am

Really love the weekends. Though unfortunately, they only occur like every 6 days.

And as limited as it already is, SAF just had to burn our weekends. True they pay us back with day off on a weekday, but what’s the point? Everyone else is either working or studying on said weekday! Get the picture?

Anyhow, was supposedly confined over the weekend for some live firing exercise that I wasn’t even involved in. Not saying that it’s stupid, but it’s definitely redundant.

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God does hear our cries doesn’t He? No matter whether our prayers are long, short, detailed or not, God hears them, and He sees the faith in the heart. Thank God they managed to finish their stuff on Saturday. And eventually, I was able to book out on Sunday morning! PTL! Of course it isn’t the most ideal of timings and plans, but hey, God does set a challenge for us from time to time I guess.

Rushed back home for breakfast and to unpack my stuff, and then it’s off to Expo for Service 3! Definitely won’t want to miss the Vision Weekend for CHC. The feeling of just knowing that you can attend a service when you thought you can’t, is just exhilarating! I didn’t know what to expect though, but God made it happen for me. Had already missed a service the previous week due to another live firing exercise, so being able to attend this week’s was definitely a plus.

Okay, here’s a typical breakdown of my weekends. Serve TVMinistry on Saturday for Svc1, after that fellowship with CG after service at JW. Occasionally will also service TVMinistry for Children Church on Saturday morning as well. On Sunday, go for Service 3. After that, occasionally hang out with close friends. If not, then I got some free time with my family and myself. And by Sunday night, gotta book in to camp.

Quite tight eh? But I like it that way. Cos it’s in God’s house that I feel a whole different sense of happiness. That unmistakable sense of joy and peace whenever I step into His house, to serve or just to attend service, is irreplaceable. Won’t miss it for anything else in the world, even my filming or photography stuff.

So, today. Not only did I manage to attend service, I also got to serve TVMinistry at Expo too! Been a while since I touched Expo’s equipments. So I was on 4 together with Shaoda for the service prayer meeting after the service. Though it was a completely new position, it still felt great to serve. And I believe I learned some things along the way too! It’s a new camera position I’m learning after all. Though, I would definitely love to learn and handle the crane. Handling the jib arm in poly was too simple. Think I handled a crane during show businesses before too. Need to practice more though. Wanna upgrade my skills. And my dream, to use to Egripment Crane Xtreme T12. It’s like… AWESOME! Do you suppose the new CHC building will have it? Man, how I wish to handle that monster crane.

See the video here!

It was a good time of serving I felt. Really felt the presence of God, being refilled with his Spirit every week is a must.

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Even the smallest amount of time with a close friend in the midst of darkness, brings about His light and hope. Really appreciate it.

Posted in Church and TV Ministry | 0 Comments

Video Inspirations

February 15, 2010, 1:17 am

Have been viewing a lot of videos recently. Being inspired in the process. Having many different ideas going through my mind as to how to enrich a viewing experience of media and video, and how to apply it to the context of the church and MJ zone too.
So many ideas, so little workspace, even lesser time to execute them.

Anyhow, leaving Singapore for CNY. Here’s a video from Hillsong on their Vision Sunday. It’s really really awesome.

Vision Sunday 2010 from Hillsong Church

Posted in Church and Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Are You A Season Ticket Holder of Church?

February 8, 2010, 9:47 pm

Am deliberately setting aside time to blog. See how devoted I am?

Autoplay disabled. Might take a while to load though. Apparently the server speeds from US aren’t fantastic. Plus, I’ve already compressed it down for faster downloading and viewing on your mobile. Try viewing this on your iPhone!!

Can’t see the above video? View and share it from YouTube HERE!

Download the video HERE! Right click and save.

Managed to get this video that was shown during the weekend services with Rev. Paul Scanlon.

This is exactly the kind of video that is so impactful to the people. Gives an insight to what church is. Really fantastic video. I mean, check it out, they had a half-pipe in their church on stage!

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Anyhow, managed to book out for the night. Cause need to be at Jurong Camp tomorrow thru Friday for ATP. (Advanced Trainfire Package). Basically it test you on how well you can shoot. Not really looking forward to it though, cause the $200 bonus doesn’t apply to Pes C personnel like me. So whether we shoot it good or not, doesn’t really make a difference. What a waste of time, really.

On the other hand, it allows me to book out for the night, have a warm bath, a warm bed, air con, home food and drinks, getting away from annoying bunk mates and all the stress in camp, and more importantly, close friends to talk to. Not that I can’t talk to them in camp though, it’s just not as convenient. Praise God for it. Had been debating whether I should skip it or not, but couldn’t find a way, so eventually had to go, and I got to book out for the night! AWESOME.

Posted in Church and YouTube Videos | 0 Comments

TV Ministry Appreciation

January 31, 2010, 7:00 pm

TV Ministry Appreciation Day! Is where I am now!

Didn’t bring my DSLR along though, of course there will be other people with cameras, or I could just use my iPhone for candid ones. Haha.

Will have another post for this!

Posted in Church and TV Ministry | 0 Comments