Graphics have been part of the church since before Christians could read the Bible. Back in the days before literacy was common, they relied on mosaics, frescos, woodcuts, and stain glass motifs to communicate the essential truths of the Bible and God's redemptive plan for humankind and the world. Today we use a new form of visual portrayal that takes just as much time and causes just as much frustration in its creation as any of these--projectors, Photoshop, and PowerPoint (I will use this term to include any presentation software like MediaShout, ProPresenter, or Proclaim.... you get the idea). So here are some ways to do what is absolutely necessary on a minuscule budget.
Graphics
- Photobucket
Here's a free image storage tool for you (a Pro account is still only $2.99 per month) that lets you save images where other people can access them. You can also create slideshows, which presumably you could use instead of PowerPoint if you were really in a bind. I used it for a while as a way to share photos around the church as well as allowing me to archive images without taking up valuable space on my computer. - Flickr
This does the same things as Photobucket, but where Flickr really distinguishes itself is the variety of uploads it has, coupled with an outstanding search function. I use this often to find images for use as message slide backgrounds or illustrations. If you can't afford to buy photos from iStockPhoto then this is a great compromise. I've rarely been unable to find something that works for me. - CreationSwap
This is an emerging website for churches to share graphics they've created, as well as for Christian graphic designers to showcase and advertise their talents. There is a lot of free stuff on here for the taking, not to mention a promising network of graphic designers. I feel like the library here is still fairly slim, but this is a website to watch. Give it a little time and I guarantee you'll see some great things come from this. - Outside the Box
Okay, so you all know that Microsoft Office isn't free. So what else is out their for presenting a multimedia presentation? First off, try OpenOffice by Sun Microsystems. They've done a terrific job at creating a free competitor to the Microsoft Office Suite. We'll get into it more when we cover composition and documents, but their version of PowerPoint (Impress) is worthwhile. I also recommend using Google Docs to create a .PPT file which you can then present using the free Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer. Still not your bag of chips? Then try an overhead projector and transparencies. Wait, this is 2011. Try a "BYOP" (bring your own presentation) by creating a message presentation on YouVersion.com using the Live Events feature for Groups. Anyone in your congregation who has a smartphone or iPad can view it and follow along, taking their own notes as they go.
You could also try using Impress or Draw, or even Google Docs to create image layouts. They won't win any awards but at least you could merge a few ideas together into a (mildly utilitarian) slide, which is better than nothing. - Junk lying around
No, you didn't read that wrong. "Junk lying around" is my final idea for your cheapskate presentation. Hey, it's not an insult if I use it to describe myself, right?
I had the opportunity of visiting a church where they kept all their old drama props around, had items donated, or even found things at garage sales; which they used to create a sort of "set" on stage to illustrate the series or message the church was focusing on. It's really dynamic to have something real and tangible--not coming out of a projector--that you can interact with physically. Not sure about it? Give it one shot and I guarantee you someone will make a positive comment about the props. People are kind of burnt out on computers these days, so switching it up with a return to "real" items is becoming popular.
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