CiCi’s or Bust!

26 Sep ’11 By 14 Comments

Opening day.

Was huge.

Our first CiCi’s guest got in line at 6am.

Over a hundred people were in line at 9:30am – 1.5 hours before we opened.

And the lines continued out the door all day long. Standing room only inside.

Jefferson County showed up today. In force. Far beyond our wildest imaginations. We’re now contending for national franchise records right here in Watertown, NY.

I thought this picture of one enthusiastic guest summed up the whole day.

Four years of very hard work. And it was all worth it. ch:

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For the Love of the Game

25 Sep ’11 By 22 Comments

Our CiCi’s Pizza in Watertown opens tomorrow at 11am.

The first 100 customers through the door get a free adult buffet once a month for a year.

If you don’t come for the pizza, at least come for the games. ch:

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CiCi’s Progress Pics

30 Aug ’11 By 6 Comments

In honor of our newest CiCi’s Pizza store in Watertown, NY starting its new hire interviews today, I thought I’d share some of the behind the scenes pics I’ve collected of it’s development.

As with anything worth doing, the team of talented men and women who’ve collaborated on this project deserve a great deal of thanks. I’m very excited for its completion and grand opening in just a few weeks.

LOCALS: If you know of any hardworking, fun-loving people looking for new work – or just a game change – send them over to New Life today and tomorrow between 10am-12noon. ch:

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Live Recording: Jan 2010

10 Nov ’09 By 4 Comments

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Hey Hoppsters! A quick update on the LIVE RECORDING weekend we have coming up. For two nights only, the Christopher Hopper Band is inviting you to be a part of our next live worship CD, being recorded at New Life Christian Church in Watertown, NY on January 1st and 2nd 2010. Both the Friday and Saturday night concerts start at 7pm, and are free and open to the public. There is no reserved seating in the sanctuary, and overflow seating will be available in the lobby. For those that can stay through until Sunday morning, we will also be leading worship at New Life at 10am. Come for one or all of the sessions! Hotels within a quarter-mile of the church include a Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Days Inn, Ramada Inn, and an Econo Lodge. Please feel free to contact the church office by email or by phone (315.788.0825) if you need any further information or recommendations for your stay. We look forward to seeing you! ch:

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The Perfect Storm

31 Oct ’09 By 6 Comments

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In marketing, there are certain scenarios and events that make up what may constitute “the perfect storm.” Last night’s book signing at Borders in the Salmon Run Mall, Watertown, NY was just such a case. wtb_indianriverA week ago I was interviewed on the #1 talk radio station in town (which subsequently ran all weekend), followed by an interview in the local section of the Watertown Daily Times. The day-of the event, Wayne and I did a presentation at the largest Middle School in the county (Indian River), and it was kid’s Trick-Or-Treat night through all the storefronts at the mall. Add on top of all this my “9-5″ job (and then some) of pastoring a modest sized youth group in a very loving church, and you have a monster pre-Halloween book signing (pun most definitely intended). We sold out in the first hour, and resorted to handing out thousands of promo cards to the rest of those in line. Moral of the story? The Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared (because perfect storms do happen). ch:

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Wiley Middle & FFT Costume Prep

1 Oct ’08 By 3 Comments

This week I had the amazing privilege to speak at Wiley Middle School in Watertown to over 300 5th graders yesterday morning and over 300 6th graders this morning. What a blast! The subject was bullying, and how to confront them and then make them your friends. All bullies, after all, are in need of real friends because inside they are insecure, unstable, and afraid…they just act tough on the outside. We talked about standing together, sticking up for your friends, and even delved into the amazing world of what I call “crazy kindness” which is doing kind things for bullies, like buying them lunch or inviting them to your family’s house for dinner…ya’ know, stuff that really freaks bullies out.

I also had a lot of help from the DIBOR Step Team, and three stories from our DIBOR Disciples as well: one was a skit by Chrystelle, one was a story from Joe who experienced being thrown in a trash can, and Melinda who once was a bully! It was a very rich experience and we really felt like we connected with the kids and the teachers. God is continuing to open amazing doors for us here in northern NY, especially in the public school system.

The last bit of music news has to do with our gig in Jamestown, NY with JumpStart Generation tomorrow night at 7:00pm which we’re leaving for right after worship at 33 Live tonight. If you live in that area, please come on out and worship the Lord with us as we partner with the local area churches, Out of The Box Ministries, and Ron Hutchcraft Ministries.

And first thing Friday morning, Jennifer and I will be flying out to Seattle to join seven other authors and ground crew to embark upon the highly anticipated Fantasy Fiction Tour 2008 West Coast! If you haven’t check out the website lately, please do. I’m really looking forward to meeting all our fans in Washington, Oregon and California, and stoked to be traveling with all my author pals. We’ll be doing presentations at book stores, public and private schools, even a few TV and newspaper interviews, including an exclusive interview with TBN! We’ll also be streaming each event live onto the website, three times a day via Mogulus onto our Watch Live! page. You can even send us instant messages and ask questions that we’ll answer live! And when we’re not airing something live, you can watch re-runs of the tour’s daily video journals, so please travel along with us! This last picture is of me trying on my tour outfit. All our medieval swords and various pieces of garb and armor have once again been graciously provided by John Cooper over at Real Armor of God (.com). Please pay them a visit here and purchase something for the sword lover you know!

Thanks for reading, for all your prayers and encouragement, and for following along with us on this next tour!

CH

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