Facebook is a great place to reach people — but it's rented space. This episode is about using Facebook to bring people to a site you actually own, where they can watch your sermons, follow a teaching series, and tune in live every Sunday without needing an account or fighting an algorithm. Covers the Sermons section in B1: adding your library, setting up playlists, getting your live stream on your own site, and why your archived services should probably be just the sermon — not the whole service recording.

1) ADDING SERMONS
How to add a sermon:
- Sermons → click "Add Sermon" (top right dropdown)
- Select video provider (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, or custom embed)
- Paste the YouTube video ID → click "Fetch" — B1 automatically pulls the title, description, publish date, and duration
- Add a thumbnail manually (Fetch does not pull the thumbnail)
- Assign to a Playlist (optional), set the duration, and save
→ Support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/managing-sermons/

Have a large existing archive? Use Bulk Import:
- Sermons → "Add Sermon" dropdown → Bulk Import
- Bring in years of sermons at once instead of adding one at a time

Local backup tip: Don't rely on YouTube as your only copy. Keep original video files on a local drive. Losing years of sermons to an account issue is a real risk.

2) PLAYLISTS (SERIES)
How to create a series:
- On the Sermons page, look for the Playlists panel on the right side
- Click the + button → give it a name → add description and thumbnail
- When adding sermons, select the playlist in the sermon form
- Visitors see series listed under a "Series" tab on your public sermons page

3) LIVE STREAMING — PERMANENT LIVE URL
Set up once, works every Sunday:
- Sermons → click the dropdown on "Add Sermon" → choose "Add Permanent Live URL"
- Video provider is already set to "Current YouTube Live Stream"
- Paste your YouTube Channel ID (click "Get Your Channel Id" link in the form if you're unsure where to find it)
- Save → your B1 sermons page automatically shows your live stream whenever you go live on YouTube
→ Support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/live-streaming/

Not sure how to get your stream to YouTube? OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a free, powerful streaming tool used by churches and creators everywhere. Point it at YouTube and you're streaming. There are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube to walk you through it.
→ Download OBS: https://obsproject.com/

4) LIVE STREAM TIMES
Show a countdown and "Live Now" indicator:
- Sermons → Live Stream Times tab
- Configure your regular service days/times
- B1 uses this to show a countdown before services and a "Live Now" indicator during

Public sermons page:
- yourchurch.b1.church/sermons
- No login required — visitors see your latest sermon, Recent Sermons, and Series tabs
- Mobile: hero card with latest sermon at the top

LIVE VS. ARCHIVE DISTINCTION
- Live stream: keep the full service (worship + sermon) — that's the real experience
- Archived sermons: upload just the sermon clip
- Why: worship audio is mixed for the room (optimized for the people in those seats). On earbuds or a phone speaker, that same mix can sound rough — echo, reverb, levels that don't translate. Visitors watching online came for the teaching, not a room recording.

Try It This Week:
- Open Sermons in B1 Admin → add your last three Sundays. Paste the YouTube ID, hit Fetch, save each one. Takes about 15 minutes.

NEW TO B1? START HERE — IT'S FREE
- First time? Go to b1.church to create your free account — no cost, no credit card.
- Already set up? Log in at admin.b1.church.

TRY IT YOURSELF (log in at admin.b1.church)
- Add a sermon: Sermons → Add Sermon → paste YouTube ID → Fetch → Save
- Create a series: Sermons page → Playlists panel (right side) → + button
- Set up live stream: Sermons → Add Sermon dropdown → Add Permanent Live URL → YouTube Channel ID
- Configure service times: Sermons → Live Stream Times → Add Service
- Public page: yourchurch.b1.church/sermons

Resources:
- Create a free account: b1.church
- B1 Admin (log in): admin.b1.church
- Help & Support: support.churchapps.org
- Sermons support docs: https://support.churchapps.org/docs/b1-admin/sermons/
- ChurchApps on GitHub: github.com/ChurchApps
- OBS (free streaming software): https://obsproject.com/