Shalom

Last night I was at a workshop lead by composer/arranger Eleanor Epstein. This was during rehearsal time for Women's Voices Chorus which is directed by Mary Lycan. Over the course of the evening we worked on two songs. One was Mizmor l'David, Psalm(23)of David, and the other was Hafleh Va-feleh, Wonder of Wonders, a song based on the book of Exodus. The experience of a Jewish woman who speaks and reads Hebrew, who read us the psalm in Hebrew and provided us with English translations for both songs was amazing. The passion in the text was magnified many times by her emphasis on the tune, which is the most important part. In the Hebrew culture you can't sing a song with any effect without the deeply emotive aspect of the tune. There are even Jewish keys, for instance augmented 2nd/minor third, and so forth. Best of all, I now have a much enhanced understanding of the 23rd Psalm! Little nuances such as how the word for "restores" in Hebrew also means "returns", and the word for "paths" means "circles"-think about that one! And lots more. It was the best sermon and Old Testament study I've had in awhile. After all this I'm wondering why we don't sing any Jewish songs at CHBC. I'm wondering how we could not, given our heritage. These two songs would be a little much for the choir as they are demanding of dynamics that are not notated, but felt or understood from tradition in Jewish culture. The words of these particular pieces are as difficult as the music, possibly more so. But, there's got to be some stuff out there. Also, I've encountered a few Messianic Jews in the CHBC congregation who might be of help, if needed. Please consider this.

Marilyn

BIG PICTURE

Greetings All,

I have been corresponding with Mark Acuff about him attending the meeting this weekend. He has notified me that he is not able to attend but given the busy season of life for many of us I am going to suggest that we meet this Sunday.

Big picture here....I feel we have gone through a very productive "goal setting" phase over the last year, but we now need to talk about how we implement some of the goals deemed most important.

Right now we talk and leave our meetings, but there is no clear connection between what we talk about, perhaps agree upon as important, and what gets done on Sunday. The best we can do is trust that some of what we talk about is having an influence.

I think the majority of what we should be doing is providing Nat with a good sounding board as he thinks through how to lead us in worship. I also agree that there needs to be a lot of trust on our part to speak our hearts and minds and allow Nat to respond as he sees appropriate.

However, when we identify problems or opportunities that simply are not on Nat's radar screen, for whatever reason, we as a "body representing" group, need to find ways to help Nat become an effective chief executor of the best of those ideas as well.

We need to find very loving and genuinely supportive ways to help Nat be more "accountable" to some of the more important ideas that come out of our meetings.

We can do simple things like presenting an agreed upon list of "action items" at the end of meetings, have Mark, Nat's supervisor, become aware of that list so he can be a support, and allow Nat to give us progress reports. The list of action items can periodically go to the elders, via Keith, as well. Brent Clark, as the pastor in charge of staff, is also willing to play a positive and loving role in follow up.

I have been very encouraged by the warm and positive response to this desire for more "fellowship" and integration in what we do as a group. God's grace abounds.

Please notify on this blog your intent to come this Sunday. We can meet in the same room as last time.

Thanks

Andrew

Greetings faithful Waggites,

Since Marilyn and Mary Fran are not able to attend on the 12th we will postpone, and I can check with everyone to see when the next available date is for everyone. I will personally call.

Mary Fran... re: the group planned service, Nov 5th was suggested as a new date but didn't hear back. We can still keep planning, as much progress has been made on my part. I presented part of it to a young adult class...great learning experience (for me...hopefully for some others) and I am also hoping to present an age appropriate version to the youth group in a couple weeks. (To be confirmed). I will give you updates, or perhaps some of you may be interested in coming along.

Mary Fran, Keith and Nat, I will call to discuss.

Also, I am meeting with Brent Clark on Thursday to discuss some big picture things, and I am hoping he can help us get a better handle on how the staff can assist in implementing some of the more administratively burdensome action items that come out of our meetings.

Hope you are all well.

Andrew

Just to Let You Know

The first two weekends of November I am at my house where my gallery and studio space will be open to the public for the Orange County Artists Guild Open Studio Tour. I won't be able to be at CHBC for WAG and will miss y'all.

M

So...

...are we meeting Sunday, Doctor Stillwell? It's gonna be the second Sunday and all.

Songs of Deliverance

No, not "Dueling Banjos"....

I received some responses about worship yesterday that it was a great time. We moved from heart-cry to heart-shout, a time of confessing our souls' sickness and need to one of rejoicing in the redemption that comes through Christ's blood. It was awesome. I feel that the congregation responded with a visible and audible joyfulness that I haven't seen in a while! (i. e. It seemed the place was really rockin' yesterday, especially during our second gathering.)

I think the BC community will experience great things as we continue to fall on our faces before the God of Grace.

Decanted Recanite

canite domino canticum novum

Yesterday morning we had a smaller choir, two worship leaders with one quitar and two violins that charmed me completely, and not a very full house. The music was not technically very intense. The tone was more laid back due to Wade's and Annie's personalities. I thought it was the kind of change that one could hardly plan, but that was very, very nice. It wasn't about new music or anything "challenging". it was just uncomplicated and sincere. Additionally there was a very young lady combining dance with what appeared to be American sign language at the back of the church. She was near the door to the sound booth, a place to which Nancy Davis has advised me to go and dance during the services. I loved it. Just my thoughts.

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." ~Aldous Huxley

M

Nat, I have been meaning to ask....What did you think of the band Roman Candle, in light of our discussions about including more varied worship? Did you find their music worshipful?

Andrew

Nat....thanks for the blogs. Will pray for Annie. Had a few thoughts on "experiencing" God...

I actually do think that we should strive to be conscious and aware of the holy spirit. We don't "experience" the holy spirit because of our weakness and blindness, our limits as humans, but God is gracious even as we fumble along. God continues to work in our lives, even when we are unaware. But I think the fruit of maturing in Christ is that we do experience His presence more and more. We learn to identify His subtle and simple presence.(Just a closer walk with Thee...)

I think part of the problem is more the expectation that the experience has to be intense and vivid. When we live with the deeper truths that have been revealed to us, and believe to be true, we are not dependant on emotionally intense experiences. We can always "experience" the hope that comes from the knowledge of who we are in Christ and who we are becoming through his good work. HOPE is an experience, one perhaps not as well understood in a "get it now" culture. Sometimes the experience of God is a quiet peace that comes from remembering His promises.

I can relate to often not "experiencing" God, and I try not to beat myself up when I feel disconnected, (bad christian...bad christian) but I take that thirst as a cue to take a drink, and I pray for a fellowship that is real and satisfying. When I do reconnect it is often in a very simple way, sometimes as simple as being more patient or open to others.

A fellowship that is not experienced is too abstract for me. Aren't alot of the psalms about guys who were crying out to God and asking that He make His presence known?

Good questions.

Andrew

Twenty-Four Seven, anyone?

Any thoughts on the 24-7 prayer? Have you gone? You should.

This Sunday

Annie Hoyle will be leading our worship gatherings this Sunday (with Wade Baynham helping her out). She was recently hired as the Worship Intern for the Youth Ministry, and Carlye Daugird had asked me to "quasi-co-supervise" Annie with her. Annie, as you probably have sensed, has a lot of talent, a fervent love for the Lord, and a wonderfully charismatic spirit. I feel strongly that these gifts will help her become a wonderful leader; they already have on many levels. I am excited about this opportunity for her.

Do a couple of things, if you would:

• Pray for her - her leadership Sunday morning, her nerves, her confidence, etc.

• Let me know how it all goes. Rachel and I will be in Asheville attending the wedding of David Spencer and Jane Lawrence. One "fear" is that the music may be a little "low-key", with guitar and violin being the only instruments (with the choir also singing on a few songs). There is also a philosophical question at work as well: is "low-key" a bad thing? Of course not, but it is possible that it could be...well, let's not launch into all that just now...just let me know any thoughts you have about this Sunday morning.

Thanks, y'all. Peace out.

Experience? Part II

Brian Funderburke [Duke Div. student and Young Adult Intern at the BC] and I get together for lunch every once in a while. He is a very deep intense thinker and carer about theology, worship, God, and good stuff like that. Without a prompt from me, he commented on how the expectation in a worship service like ours (perhaps in most contemporary evangelical churches) is that in order for it to be 'true worship', one must consciously "experience" or "feel" something. Brian contends that there is more going on in worship than just our "experience" -- that we are joining in with the saints past and present in proclaiming the glories of God, that the Holy Spirit is present whether we "feel" it or not, that there is something different that happens when we gather to worship as a community than when we are worshipping alone. I gave him the visual of the field of pods from The Matrix, and how even though there is a gathered community of people, we still are worshipping in our own little pods.

While I think we must look outside ourselves and our personal experience(s) to truly measure what it means to worship, I still believe we leaders need to be aware when/if people are not connecting to God through our corporate worship gatherings. How do we balance this?

Experience?

I think there is often too much emphasis on one's "personal worship experience", from the perspective of both the worshipper and the worship leader(s). From the planning/leading standpoint, I often feel that the (unrealistic) expectations are that the leader (a) give people a "powerful worship experience" (not sure exactly what that is), and (b) see to it that this experience is not distracted, disturbed, or foiled in any way at all.

After all, there is only One Who is able to give us a "powerful worship experience" in the first place, am I right? He is not going to be thwarted by some worship planning miscue or some baby crying in the auditorium. If He's got something to say to me/us, He's gonna say it...and if it's truly a work of or word from God, there will be continual Conversation loooooong after we've left the building.

So, that leaves the age-old question still staring us in the face: exactly what then is the role of the worship leader?

Something of Worth

I was struck by Don Taylor's comments on Sunday morning when he announced the dedication of the Williams family's new house. He reminded us, complete with his DonTayloresque intensity, that God is in the business of turning death into life. That is true on sooooo many levels, and that is why God is worthy of praise.

We're having the band Roman Candle play on Sunday morning. Some of you may have heard of them. They are a local band who is gaining national recognition for their latest record. They, among others, are playing the Carolina Hope Festival on Sunday, 1 October. Many of their members have been coming to our church off and on over the past few years. In addition to playing a song or two of theirs on Sunday morning, I asked them to be the 'worship band' as well. We practiced last night, and they've got a really sweet spirit. We had a really fun time. I also learned that Skip the lead singer and Timshel the keyboardist were married (to each other) on the same exact day as Rachel and me! Wow. Crazy.

OK, I really love you guys.

i loooove you guys

this is just a note to say that it is officially on my radar screen to put something of worth on here this week. see ya later on...........

Agenda for Sunday Meeting.

1. Some concrete ideas on how other gifted planners can start collaborating with Nat for Sunday services.
2. I have observed that as a group we have had truly inspired dialogue about worship and specifically where the CHBC leadership and body are being led. I have, however, also observed that we are struggling getting from idea to implementation, some notable progress notwithstanding. I would like to discuss how we can improve implementation.
3.The relationship between the TAG and WAG.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow after the second service.

Andrew

Next meeting

Okay...let me be very clear this time. Nat is not here the second Sunday of August, nor will I, so we will need to try for the 3rd Sunday in August. That will be the 20th. Please leave a comment confirming your availability.

Nat, as you see Mark most days, can you let him know about the meeting. I would like to invite him to our meetings until he is able to come, and begin the small steps in removing the odd division between worship and teaching.

Worship planning thoughts

It happened again, though not as bad.

Just before I left for my vacation (middle o' June), I felt that little burn-out from the job, much like I did back in January of this year. It wasn't the worship leading that was the culprit, or the relating with people, or the meetings, or the work environment, or the 17-minute commute to the church from my house --- it was the worship planning that was doing me in!! That last week came, and I thought, "I just don't want to plan any more worship gatherings!!"

To expect to plan worship practically every week, essentially by myself, is a daunting...expectation (redundancy intended). In many of the books I've recently been reading on worship, there is emphasis on planning worship in community -- valuing broad active participation not only in the executing of worship but also in its shaping. That has happened at the BC to a certain extent: for almost four years now, Mark, Cyndi, and I have been meeting each Monday to debrief the previous worship gathering and plan for the next one (or two or three). But really the bulk of the "music/worship portion" (you know I'm not fond of that sharp division 'tween worship & teaching) is designed by me.

I have started to not like that very much. (Perhaps some of you are reading this and thinking, "It's about time, Nat...") I have a deep desire to be creative in planning worship, but it's hard to be creative practically every week, essentially by myself. I'm not just talking about the old conversation about a variety of musical styles and genres, but I mean really creative, even risky -- not being sure if something is even gonna work at all! Creative with sound (more than music), visuals (more than art), other creative expressions, prose and poetry, dance, creative presentation of Scripture (not just read), use of other media like video and stuff, reconsidering of the worship space (chair set-up, use or non-use of the stage, use of lighting, etc.), people getting up and out of their seats, interacting with one another and God in a holistic (physical/emotional/relational/spiritual) way. Man, it needs to happen! If this community, this culture, is going to be reached for Christ, it's gotta happen.

I want people to dream with me on Monday mornings at 7:30 AM. I want to meet for breakfast, share ideas, leave by 8:45, be in constant contact for the next couple of days as creative juices flow and ideas are exchanged amongst the group. I want the Chapel Hill Bible Church to have a fresh experience of God and each other as we gather on Sunday mornings. I want this body of worshippers to worship with their gifts and lead others to do the same. I know I've been relatively resistant to it before, but I think I am ready to explore worship planning in a community context.

Somebody talk to me.

Had a little epiphany...thought I would share. we have been all trying to attach meaning to the word missional, and get beyond the very traditional interpretation.....(go to africa).

I had this nice little picture that came to mind, of someone breathing. In and out...in and out.

Perhaps missional living is like breathing, we must breath in (the first commandment being that we love God with all our hearts, souls and minds). Breathing in is the "loving of God" allowing him to invade every cell of our being. Then we breath out, (the second commandment is to love your neighbor as your self). We breath out the love of God to others.

I like this way of thinking about it because we cannot breathe out until we have taken a breath in. We have nothing to give others of true spiritual value until we have filled ourselves with the Giver of Life and breath.

I also like the idea that breathing in and breathing out are so closely related in time. Very shortly after we breath out we must breath in. We cannot love others for very long without breathing in the Love of God in our own lives. We are dependant on the love of God to love others. Breathe in....breathe out.

I think of the very first thing a baby does, it breathes in, then it breathes out with a cry to the delight of the mother and father. I have yet to hear a more beautiful sound.

Breathe in...breathe out....taking God's love in....giving God's love out.

We are meeting tomorrow

My mistake....we ARE meeting tomorrow after the second service. I was thrown off by Nat being away and the fact that the second sunday is upon us so quickly. Just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page!

Andrew

Next Meeting and the 1st and 2nd commandments

We had agreed that we would meet every second Sunday of the month, but I believe this month it is the third as the July 2nd was a Sunday. (doesn't really count as the 1st Sunday) For those who can attend please say so in the comment section. Thanks

A reminder...we were going to discuss the chapter on Worship from the book by Minatrea.
I think discussing Nats great thoughts can also be on the agenda.

One last thought, something I have been thinking about.

The first two commandments are as follows

36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

I think the order is very significant, and especially relevant to our discussion about becoming more "missional".(neighbor centered)

What this says to me is that the relationship with God really needs to comes first (the "greatest" commandment), and loving our neighbors (similar but not "as great") comes a close second.

As those charged with thinking about how we worship, the first two commandments strongly suggest that every Sunday needs to focus on both but with a lean towards "Loving God with all our hearts,souls and minds". This would mean alot of getting to know the heart of God through the word, listening in prayer,....alot of adoration through songs and praise. The service content needs to help encourage everyone to really consider how God is impacting their daily lives, transforming, healing, encouraging, forgiving, loving. Then, out of an electric awareness of God's goodness in our lives, we overflow to the second commandment..."Love you neighbour."

How do we obey the second commandment in a service? Let there be discussion about what we are doing in the community, program initiatives, testimonials etc, and the ocassional sermon specifically about serving others. All elements can be very inspiring and encouraging to get involved missionally. But I am afraid that the motivation to love and serve our neighbor will not be sustained without the heavy diet of God. When I read the word, pray and ask God to lead me in my daily life, I find that my motivation to serve comes naturally, more spirit led.

I am really excited and encouraged about the direction of the CHBC with its no nonsense, roll up your sleeves, get real and love people message. It's been really good for me personally, tending to be a little more introverted and introspective by nature.

However, I continue to be faithfully concerned that the imbalance in the effective influence of various leaders in the church will lead us to make "serving others" more a priority than to "first love God with all our hearts, souls and minds."

Maybe the two commandments are not as different as I am making them out to be. If we love others and forget to look up at God in our service, in His grace he looks down and says....good enough. I so want us to remain very God focussed.

I am being challenged.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Andrew

Rethinking worship

Dan Kimball is a pastor out (here) in California. He has written a book called Emerging Worship – Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations. (Just so we're clear: "emerging/emergent" is not just a church or cultural fad, but an actual event that is happening now. There is a generation that is 'emerging', just as there have been generations that have 'emerged'. I hope that's something we all are able to understand and agree on.) In one of the chapters he identifies ten common values of these gatherings and the process of their planning, from genesis to execution. Check these out. They are in bold, with my synopses of his elaborations of each. I like them, even though many are things whose implementation would meet some criticism and outright resistance (probably even from me!).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Common Values in Emerging Worship Gatherings
Dan Kimball, Emerging Worship – Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations

1. Moves away from spectator type of gathering. Avoidance of “show” (“Broadway play” analogy).

2. Organic design to worship gathering. Avoidance of linear experience (e.g., five songs-sermon-closing song-benediction). Participatory, above all.

3. A sacred space is created for the worship gathering. Visual aesthetic important to emerging generations. Icons (crosses, etc.), symbols, artwork (as both worship expression and visual space-transformer) included in décor. Scripture visually prominent. Room arrangement. Placement of worship band, speaker/preacher, worship leaders, etc., not elevated, front, and center.

4. Multi-sensory approach to worship planning. More than just listening and singing. Leading is done in a communal manner (more than just one or two people – no “stars”). Eclectic styles of music, reflective of the community. Global influence. Artistic expressions, by both artists and congregation. Sermons are more the telling of a story than transferring of biblical information; move away from ‘lecture’ format.

5. Freedom of movement in worship. Movement to prayer/communion stations. Interaction with each other.

6. Different focal point. Avoidance of “stage” design, for worship leaders and preacher. Experiment with room set-up. Minimizing of leader(s)/people dichotomy.

7. Revival of liturgy, ancient disciplines, Christian calendar, Jewish roots. Embracing of ancient forms of worship, not just post-Reformation. Interest in hymn-singing. Acknowledgement of Christianity as ancient religion, not just a few centuries (or decades) old.

8. Emphasis on prayer. Opportunity to quiet the heart and listen to God.

9. Communion a core part of worship. Not 'occasionally', but each week.

10. Jesus the centerpiece of worship. Focus on following Jesus and Kingdom living.

Pensées de Nát

(Apologies to Monsieur Pascal.)

Pursuing God results in finding him. However, we often don’t see the fruit (a) that we expect to see or (b) when we expect to see it. We pursue God because we want to see his kingdom come. The fruit of our pursuit of God is love for God and love for others. It’s not always a clear nugget of wisdom, or warm fuzzies, or clarity of life-path or career-path, or more money, or more happiness, or less stress, or no pain & suffering, or a guarantee of a simple, worry-free life. It results in a sacrifice of oneself for the sake of others and for the sake of God.

I do not know what my family and I will be doing a year from now – where we will be living, what our vocations will be, what life-trajectory we will be pursuing. I do know that God our Father holds our future and that we are to direct our hope and trust in his direction.

I want to pursue God with my family, not just by myself. I want to pursue God with those in my faith community, not just by myself. I want to encourage others in my faith community to do the same.

I have a responsibility to pursue other people. That's not just because I am a minister by vocation; that’s part of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is where God’s values are of utmost importance. Those in his kingdom value the things that he values. They will be our defaults:

- love
- reconciliation
- the pursuit of people
- giving to those in need
- looking to meet others’ needs before our own

“The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit; a broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

The world is full of brokenness. People don’t really know that it’s full of brokenness. Actually, that’s not right; they do know, only they don’t know that they know. They recognize that the world is not fair, that not everything goes their way (though sometimes it does), and that they often feel unfulfilled by life, but they wouldn’t necessarily call the world broken. I am a follower of Christ and I still feel unfulfilled by life in a lot of ways. I don’t like that things don’t go my way, and I like when they do. Sacrifice is hard, but it is necessary. If we are to pursue and live the path of Christ, we must learn to sacrifice. Actually, we must sacrifice even before we learn to.

You know when you’re trying to think of someone’s name or something and you say, “Oh, it’s right on the tip of my tongue!”? That’s how the world is, i think. They are sitting there trying to articulate what they think they need, and what they think is “right”, and they are so close. I hear this in phrases like, “Everything happens for a reason” and in their pursuits to “be a good person”, or in their adulation of those who display selflessness and sacrifice and other similar qualities while most of the people they know do not. I wish they could know Christ and see his Body live out his mission, because then what they’re looking for would go from tip-of-tongue directly to total recognition.

I pray that the desire of my family and my community would be to live out the mission of God, to see his kingdom of love and grace and peace and light brought into the world.

Amawalk

In light of this morning's service, I thought I would post this link. It is a Benedictine website and begins with, "A VERY ANCIENT art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina."

Lovely to hear from you, Nat.

Marilyn

Pray for Me, Please

Hi. I write from the Barnes & Noble in Burbank, California. I love this place; I lived here for five years just before moving to Durham.

I am on the Left Coast for two weeks. Often, I view this yearly trip as a chance to just get away from North Carolina, from thinking about church, and admittedly, from God. I have felt a Behooving to treat this trip differently. I want to use this time to earnestly seek God, His will for our church, for my family, and for me individually.

Pray for me. Thanks.

Yo

Hi, Kids. Thanks again for meeting Sunday, your patience with this sometimes sputtering process known as the W. A. G., and for your gracious and honest dialogue.

Walker's thoughts have lingered with me -- about how we should stop talking and start doing!

Rachel and I were chatting about the differences between Emmaus Way and the Bible Church when it came to being 'missional', both in each community's meaning of the word and the way each community lives out mission. We concluded that E-Way is more missional at its core, as sort of a 'default', while the Bible Church is in the process of transforming into a more missional community (which requires more teaching, explanation, modelling by leadership, "debunking" of preconceptions, reassuring of skeptics, etc.). My first inclination is to blame the Bible Church for not getting "up to speed", but Rachel reminded me that tranformation is a process (duh). Also, she made this analogy: if, say, all the visual artists went and formed their own worshipping community, their corporate worship (and other) gatherings would be informed by their inherent values of art, beauty, creativity, etc. In my eyes, that characterizes Emmaus Way: as a community, they inherently value and thus apply a sense of mission in all they do (devoid of most of the "frills" that come with the modern evangelical church), while the Bible Church community is continuing to learn to value and apply some of these principles.

(Was that analogy clear at all?? Sorry if it wasn't.)

More later...

Next Meeting - June 11th

Greetings all,

I must first apologize for my absence the last several weeks. I have been side tracked with a business move that was taking alot of time and energy. Thanks for your patience.

I contacted many of you the last week or so trying to find a mutually convenient time to get together but, once again, it is proving very diffucult to agree on a good time.

Here is a suggestion, just to simplify the process. Can we agree to just meet after the second service every second sunday of each month? The next meeting would be June 11th.

Also, it has been suggested that one thing we can do over the next few meetings is discuss the book that has been recommended by Mark called "Shaped by God's Heart",a book about becoming more "missional" as a church body. Nat is going to procure a copy for each one of you who do not already have it, and my request is that we start reading and taking notes that we can discuss. Nat will have copies in his office, drop by to pick up or make other arrangements.

I look forward to seeing you all again.

Andrew

Ahhh

Just a quick note:

I rejoiced when Nat said during the service today that we were going to have just a few moments to meditate, catch our breaths, and pray while the musicians played the introduction. It's true: we are always going, going, going, and we rarely have time to just slow down. Even that brief moment during the service gave me peace and helped remind me of much of the important things the Lord tells us about how to live. Now, to build those moments in to the rest of the week...

Anyway, this brief time in service was wonderful and seemed right in line with some of the things we have talked about in the meetings.

Walker

Action Items

A few items I want to keep on everyone's mind;

1. Worship Community - create accessible resource
2. Liasons, for various groups within the community
3. Expand Yvonne's role to assist in nurturing the community
4. Thin slice service and have leaders identified for each slice - stay committed to diversity
5. Ideas for more horizontal fellowship within the service.

Great meeting. Thanks everyone.

Andrew

Brian McLaren article

Hey, friends. Brian McLaren, a pastor/author/speaker, wrote an article -- or, in his words, and "open letter" -- challenging worship leaders, particularly musicians & songwriters, to examine the worship experience they are leading for their congregations. He suggests that as we look to the future of the church and its mission of expressing the truth of the Gospel, there is much new territory to discover. I got this articlen a couple of years ago from someone, but kinda forgot about it. I've realized lately that I have been growing a little weary of some of our worship repertoire (less the musical styles, more the lyrical sentiments/theology/content), and am half-pondering that some sort of mild overhaul might be in order. This article had sprung back to mind, and I was reminded of how much I resonate with what he says here.

This is not a quick read, so if you don't have time now, come back later -- but please do come back and read it!! I'd love to hear/read your thoughts and comments. Thanks.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


An Open Letter to Worship Songwriters - Brian McLaren

[This is adapted from an article that first appeared in Worship Leader Magazine]

Greetings, fellow songwriters, fellow worshippers, fellow leaders in worship, fellow musician/artists, and fellow followers of Jesus:

For the last few years, I have been privileged to be “on the road” a lot, speaking mostly with young emerging leaders. I suppose I was asked to speak to them because of some over-forty quota system, and also because many emerging leaders are grappling with the issue of postmodernity, an issue I lost most of my hair grappling with myself – and about which I have written some books. Back home, I am a pastor serving a church that has committed itself to enter the postmodern transition and deal with its issues boldly and confidently. I say “boldly and confidently” knowing that there are as yet no maps to guide a church in this adventure – so we have no real idea where we’re going except that we’re trying to follow Jesus. I guess we feel very much like the children of Israel having left the Egypt of modernity and crossed the Sea into the unknown wilderness … we’re trusting that a God-sent cloud-pillar and fire-cloud will guide us by day and night.

One of the side benefits of travel – as a musician myself, I have truly enjoyed hearing dozens of worship bands and worship leaders, and spending literally hours at almost every event being led in worship. There are many observations and affirmations I could imagine sharing with you who are worship leaders. There are so many encouraging trends, along with a few persistent problems. But one observation stands out. It is actually a request more than an observation: a request for the songwriters among us to explore and then lead us into some new lyrical/spiritual territory.

One hears a lot of complaints about lame music, trite lyrics, theological shallowness, etc., etc., in the world of contemporary Christian music. Some of these complaints come from people who secretly wish we would go back to singing hymns, like they did back in the -50’s (18- or 19-, your pick). I am not interested in complaining, and I have little interest in the -50’s (except maybe the 2050’s).

No, here’s what I’m after: Many of us believe that we are entering (or well into) a significant theological/cultural/spiritual transition period, very possibly as significant historically as the reformation period, when the medieval world gave way to the modern world. Now, as the modern gives way to the postmodern world, we should expect to see a revolution in theology (in the end, helping us be more Biblical, more spiritual, more effective in our mission – and, please God, more clear about what our mission is). But here’s the rub.

In the modern world, theology was done by scholars, and was expressed in books and lectures. In the postmodern world, many of us believe that the theologians will have to leave the library more often and mix with the rest of us. And the best of them will join hands and hearts with the poets, musicians, filmmakers, actors, architects, interior and landscape designers, dancers, sculptors, painters, novelists, photographers, web designers, and every other artistic brother and sister possible … not only to communicate a postmodern, Christian theology … but also to discern it, discover it. Because one major shift of this transition is the shift from left-brain to whole-brain, from reductionistic, analytic rationalism to a broader theological holism – a theology that works in mind and heart, understanding and imagination, proposition and image, clarity and mystery, explanation and narrative, exposition and artistic _expression.

Our songwriters could play a key spiritual role in the rooting of this more holistic theology in our people.

But sadly, as I have sat in scores of venues listening (and usually participating in) extended times of worship around the country, I have sensed that our song lyrics are too seldom leading us into this new territory. They are in some ways holding us back. Please, please, don’t hear this as criticism, but as a suggestion – a gentle but heartfelt request – for change.

Let me make this specific: Too many of our lyrics are embarrassingly personalistic, about Jesus and me. Personal intimacy with God is such a wonderful step above a cold, abstract, wooden recitation of dogma. But it isn’t the whole story. In fact – this might shock you – it isn’t, in the emerging new postmodern world, necessarily the main point of the story. A popular worship song I’ve heard in many venues in the last few years (and which we sing at Cedar Ridge, where I pastor) says that worship is “all about You, Jesus,” but apart from that line, it really feels like worship, and Christianity in general, has become “all about me, me, me.”

If you doubt what I’m saying, listen next time you’re singing in worship. It’s about how Jesus forgives me, embraces me, makes me feel his presence, strengthens me, forgives me, holds me close, touches me, revives me, etc., etc. Now this is all fine. But if an extraterrestrial outsider from Mars were to observe us, I think he would say either a) that these people are all mildly dysfunctional and need a lot of hug therapy (which is ironic, because they are among the most affluent in the world, having been blessed in every way more than any group in history), or b) that they don’t give a rip about the rest of the world, that their religion/spirituality makes them as selfish as any nonChristian, but just in spiritual things rather than material ones. (That last sentence may be worth another read.)

I don’t think either of these indictments are as true as they would sound to a Martian observer; rather, I think that we songwriters keep writing songs like these because we think that’s what people want and need. The scary thing is that even though I don’t think these indictments are completely true … they could become more true unless we take some corrective action and look for a better balance.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but some of us are thinking right now, “If spiritual songwriting is not about deep, personal intimacy with God, what else is there?” Let me offer a list of Biblical themes I think we would do well to explore in our lyrics:

1. You’ll be surprised to hear me say “eschatology” first – and let me assure you that I don’t mean putting the latest apocalyptic novel to music. (Please! No! Not that!) By eschatology (which means study of the end or goal towards which the universe moves), I mean the Biblical vision of God’s future which is pulling us toward itself. For many of you, raised like me in late-modern eschatologies, you’ll be surprised to hear that there is a whole new approach to eschatology emerging (led by some theologians like Walter Brueggeman, Jurgen Moltmann, and the “theologians of hope”). This approach doesn’t indulge in “modern” charts or shaky predictions. Rather, it bathes itself in the Biblical poetry of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Revelation … poetry which, when it enters us, plants in us a vision of a world very much different from and better than ours. And when this hope grows and takes root in us, we become agents of it. What joy I can imagine being expressed in songs that capture the spirit of Isaiah 9:2-7, 25:6-9, 35:1-10, 58:5-14! Who will write those songs?

They need to be written, because people need hope. They need a vision of a good future. They need to have in their imaginations images of the celebration, peace, justice, and wholeness towards which our dismal, conflicted, polluted, and fragmented world must move. This is much, much bigger than songs about me being in heaven. It’s not about clouds and ethereal, other-worldly imagery. Dig into those passages, songwriters … and let your heart be inspired to write songs of hope, songs of vision, songs that lodge in our hearts a dream of the future that has been too long forgotten … the dream of God’s kingdom coming, and God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

2. You may be equally surprised to hear me suggest that we need songs of mission. Many of us believe that a new, larger sense of mission (not just missions, and not just evangelism, but mission – participating in the mission of God, the kingdom of God, which is so much bigger and grander than our little schemes of organizational self-aggrandizement) is the key element needed as we move into the postmodern world.

This strikes at the heart of our consumeristic culture, which is “all about me, all about me, me, me.” Jesus came not to be served, but to serve … and as he was sent, so he sent us into the world. The very heart of our identity as the church in the new emerging theology is not that we are the people who have been chosen to be blessed, saved, rescued, and blessed some more. This is a half-truth heresy that our songs are in danger of spreading and rooting more and more in our people – inadvertently, of course. No, the heart of our identity as the church in the new emerging theology is that we are the people who have been blessed (as was Abraham) to be a blessing, blessed so that we may convey blessing to the world.

For many of us, the world exists for the church. It is like a strip mine, and people are mined out of it to build the church, which is what really matters. In the new emerging postmodern theology and spirituality, that image is terrible. It mirrors the raping and plundering of the environment by our modern industrial enterprises. In it, the church is another industry, taking and taking for its own profit. How different is the image of the church as the apostolic community, sent into the world as Christ’s hands, feet, eyes, smile, heart. We need songs that celebrate this missional dimension – good songs, and many!

For inspiration, we have to again go back to Scripture, and read the prophets, and the gospels, and engage their heart for the poor, the needy, the broken. Shouldn’t these themes be expressed in song? Don’t they deserve that dignity? As I write, I am struck by this thought: perhaps we have so over-emphasized the role of songs in worship – to the exclusion of many other liturgical options (poetry, historic prayers, silence, meditative reading, etc.) -- that we have forgotten the role of song in teaching. Remember Colossians 3,where Paul talks about singing the teachings of Christ to one another in songs of the spirit?

3. You may be equally surprised to hear me recommend that we re-discover historic Christian spirituality and express it in our lyrics. As Robert Webber, Thomas Odin, Sally Morgenthaler, and others are teaching us, there is a wealth of historic spiritual writings, including many beautiful prayers, that are crying for translation into contemporary song. Every era in history has rich resources to offer, from the Patristic period to the Celtic period to the Puritan period. On every page of Thomas a Kempis, in every prayer of the great medieval saints, there is inspiration waiting for us … and when we look at the repetitive and formulaic lyrics that millions of Christians are singing (because that’s what we’re writing, folks), the missed opportunity is heartbreaking. These “alien voices” will stretch our hearts and enrich them immeasurably … and eventually, these voices will become the voices of friends, of brothers and sisters, because that is what they are – if we invite them into our worship through songs.

4. You will likely be less surprised to hear me say that we need songs that are simply about God … songs giving God the spotlight, so to speak, for God as God, God’s character, God’s glory, not just for the great job God is doing at making me feel good. And similarly, we need songs that celebrate what God does for the world – the whole world – not just for me, or us. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read the Psalms, because they love to celebrate what the Lord does for the whole earth, not just the people of Israel. Many of the songs we need will also celebrate God as Creator … an important theme in Scripture, but not for most of our churches. We have lacked a good creation theology in the modern era, and we need songwriters/artists and theologians to join together in the emerging culture to celebrate God as God of creation, not only 15 billion years ago (or whenever) but today, now … the God who knows the sparrows that fall, whose glory still flashes in the lightning bolt, whose kindness still falls like the morning dew, whose mysteries are still imaged in the depths of the ocean and the vast expanse of the night sky.

5. I should also mention songs of lament. The Bible is full of songs that wail, the blues but even bluer, songs that feel the agonizing distance between what we hope for and what we have, what we could be and what we are, what we believe and what we see and feel. The honesty is disturbing, and the songs of lament don’t always end with a happy Hallmark-Card-Precious-Moments cliché to try to fix the pain. Sometimes I think we’re too happy: the only way to become happier is to become sadder, by feeling the pain of the chronically ill, the desperately poor, the mentally ill, the lonely, the aged and forgotten, the oppressed minority, the widow and orphan. This pain should find its way into song, and these songs should find their way into our churches. The bitter will make the sweet all the sweeter; without the bitter, the sweet can become cloying, and too many of our churches feel, I think, like Candyland. Is it too much to ask that we be more honest? Since doubt is part of our lives, since pain and waiting and as-yet unresolved disappointment are part of our lives, can’t these things be reflected in the songs of our communities? Doesn’t endless singing about celebration lose its vitality (and even its credibility) if we don’t also sing about the struggle?

While I’m at it, may I offer a few stylistic observations and requests – again, not trying to be critical, but trying to be helpful, and to offer ways which you, with your gifts, can better serve the church and our mission in these transitional times? I’ll offer them in the form of some questions.

First, may I suggest that we fully and finally get over King James English in our new lyrics, even if we choose to retain it in our old? Enough said.

Second, may I suggest that we be careful about using gratuitous Biblical language – Zion, Israel, go forth, on high, etc., etc.? If there is a good reason to use such language – in other words, if we are using it intentionally, not just for a “spiritual feel,” then fine. Otherwise, if we can find contemporary language and imagery that would communicate more crisply, poignantly, immediately, and deeply to people who don’t already have a lot of pew time … then let’s use it, in the spirit of I Corinthians 14, where intelligibility to the spiritual seeker is a gospel virtue.

Third, may I suggest that in an era of Columbines and Islamic fundamentalism, we be careful about the language of jihad and holy war? I suppose there is a time and place for that, but I don’t think this is it. We all need a strong dose of Anabaptist peace right about now, in my opinion.

Fourth, musically, am I the only one wishing for more rhythmic variety? Why is it that I am being blessed so much by creative drummers and percussionists wherever I go?

Fifth, can our worship leaders enrich the musical experience by reading Scripture, great prayers of the historic church, creeds, confessions, and poems over musical backgrounds? You may not like rap music, but it’s trying to tell us something about the abiding power of the spoken word, the well-chosen spoken word that is. (We have far too many less-than-well-chosen spoken words already, I think you’ll agree.)

And finally, can our lyricists start reading more good poetry, good prose, so they can be sensitized to the powers of language, the grace of a well-turned phrase, the delight of a freshly discovered image, the prick or punch or caress or jolt that is possible if we wrestle a little harder and stretch a little farther for the word that really wants to be said from deep within us? Sadly, while many of our songs have better and better music, but the lyrics still feel like “cliché train” – one linked to another, with a sickening recycling of plastic language and paper triteness.

Isn’t our God, our mission, our community worthy of more lyrical quality than we are offering so far?

Thanks for considering these things. I hope this will be the beginning of an important and ongoing conversation.

Your fellow servant,

Brian McLaren

Observations, 2/19

I really enjoyed the meeting the other week. It was candid, loving, thoughtful, and productive in a way that must have please the Lord. I hope that it was part of a series of such conversations, not just a one-time flash that doesn't really go anywhere. Let's keep humbly praying for His inspiration.

I saw much of the subject of the conversation at play in the service today. It was wonderful to have the woman (whose name I cannot remember) leading the worship for many reasons. As we've talked about, the body was fully equipped and engaged through her leading and the choir's participation. Having someone else leading besides a white guy (or woman) only helps to encourage the kind of diversity we say that we want to reflect in a healthy church body. (It seems like having a variety of types of people up front has been a long-standing goal -- am I right, Nat? If so, it's been very successful.) Likewise, the African hymn furthered the same goal of encouraging us to be a body of many cultures. Mixed in was plenty of songs the church was familiar with. All in all, it seemed a good balance to me.

I also thought that the service was a good mixture of celebratory and reflective; the songs and events in the service had me doing both at alternative times. I think today's service is a solid model or example of the type of service we have talked about: one that deeply engages and involves the body, draws on its varied resources, and worships God through celebration, joy, humor, contemplation, and reverence.

Walker

March 12th? Any takers?

How does March 5th work for people?

Actuellement

Horizontally speaking, when is the next meeting?

An interesting conversation

Andrew:Jesus applauded Mary for being more interested in being with him, over Martha who was busy "doing", at the expense of relationship. Relevant?

Nat: yeah -- But the Lord said to her, 'My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it--and I won't take it away from her.' [from luke 10] that "one thing worth being concerned about" is fellowship or relationship -- with both (a) the lord, and (b) others -- rather than the doing. good point. relevant? yes.

my point, i guess, is that the modern evangelical church has swung so far in the direction of focusing on the fellowship-with-god aspect -- or the "vertical" aspect of faith -- that the other-centeredness of the "horizontal" facets of faith have suffered -- "horizontal" referring to both our christian brothers and sisters as well as those outside the faith, those that are hard to love, those in need spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally. [there could almost be a new facet called "centrifugal" faith: the missional, going-out part of following jesus.] for instance, there has been (too) much speaking of jesus as our "personal lord and savior" when he is so much more than that -- the redeemer of all creation, the bridegroom of the church [a community rather than a bunch of individuals]), etc.

individualistic "me-and-jesus" christianity is not all wrong, it is just woefully incomplete.

thanks for good dialogue. may it continue...perhaps you or i could throw something on the blog...???

Andrew:Yes, and I agree with you completely. My question is can we really have fellowship with {b} others if we don't first have fellowship with God, through Jesus, by the Spirit? Some may say we may find a connection to God when we help others. ("if you help the least of these you help me...")I believe that the love we experience from God overflows and is what we give to others. 1 Corinthians suggests we can do alot of good things but without love they aren't worth much. If you were to ask me what the church needs now it would not be "more focus on others", it would be a deeper and more authentic relationship with God, through Jesus, by the Spirit. If the gospel is being taught, good leadership will then teach that an authentic relationship with God will be indicated by the desire to help others. (galatians:..."all that matters is "faith expressing itself through love". )

Is it possible that helping others, the unchurched, the poor, the sick can become an idol? I am sure God is full of grace as we fumble through our motives, but I think you are right, it needs to be both. For me, Christ is first, I need His healing. Over time it is His strength in me that allows me to deeply love others, where there is a freedom from needing anything in return and a joy in bringing Him the glory.


In Him,

Andrew

Nat: a -- perhaps THE -- key word/concept in this whole following christ thing is transformation. the presence of christ is amazing, healing...transforming!

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
[galatians 6:14-15]

if i were smarter, i'd love to see what greek words are used for "new creation". this concept seems multi-layered -- not just individual transformation, but that of a community, of culture, of the world...of all of creation.

Andrew: Wow! yes... I agree. ( actually I like the rest of that verse..."all that matters is "faith expressing itself through love". The bible study we are doing ends with that same conclusion. interestingly, the final study is about service to others, as the ultimate expression of faith and evidence of a life transformed by the the Spirit.

Proverbs 19:17He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Matthew 19:21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matthew 26:11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

Thanks for the contributions.....very good questions and comments. Mary Fran, we can definitely spend some time talking about the ongoing issue of broadening and diversifying the worship experience. (I like the word..."tapestry"). I am hoping that the discussion about how the worship community is going to be administered and organized is going to help facilitate the more diverse worship experience you long for. To me the key is not getting Nat to be more diverse, but let Nat do what Nat does and through Nats supervision get others involved. . Diversity is much more naturally acheived. This is starting to happen with more worship leaders being nurtured and regularly scheduled.

Setting up some simple ways to stay in closer fellowship with the broader community will allow for people to start being more connected to the planning and delivery of the worship service and other events.

Nat would also like to spend some time talking about the use of contemporary pop and fine art in a worship service.

Look forward to seeing you all at 12:30.

God Bless and thanks to all for your patient service.

Andrew

A Conflict for Me

Hi. There has been a conflict in me recently regarding the use of fine arts -- specifically classical music -- in the church.

In my thirty-two years of life, I have had the privilege of performing, writing, and enjoying many different styles of music. In my seventeen years of being a believer, my soul and spirit have been moved by many different worship languages, musical and otherwise. Five years ago, while being considered for the job I currently have, a woman approached me and asked that if I came to this church, would I facilitate the presentation/performance of classical music such as Bach and Mozart. My response was yes, but probably not much on Sunday morning. She wasn't crazy about my answer. My mindset was (and mostly still is) that our primary musical worship language should be what will engage most of the people most of the time. That has been and continues to be music that some have labeled "contemporary" -- which is a horribly out-moded term, so please stop using it. A more accurate description -- at the Bible Church, anyway -- would perhaps be "acoustic pop rock" (I'll take any genre-defining terms you wanna suggest...).

Admittedly, that is granting the musical part of our worship a rather utilitarian treatment without considering musical art as expression. One of my (many) criticisms of Contemporary Christian Music is that it seeks to make an impression rather than be an authentic expression of faith or worship or...anything. I sometimes feel a pressure about that on Sunday morning -- that the worship music needs to be a certain volume & energy level, tempo, instrumentation, and overall "tone" in order to usher people into the presence of God (even typing that sentence was ridiculous).

It's no secret that the Arts have been woefully marginalized in the contemporary church. Fine art allows an imponderable experience of the Divine that most 'pop art' does not. But our culture is one that speaks a more modern musical language, which I strongly believe in utilizing, allowing the church to be culturally incarnational in its approach, as Jesus was in His, to expressing the truth of God's love. Unfortunately, most churches have gone the "either-or" route. I'm glad our church has not fully done that (it's true, else why would I be writing this entry?).

I'm torn about this. Help me out here.

Sum requietum (I am rested)

Hey, friends:

If you've been at church the last couple Sundays, you probably have either not seen me, or have seen me sitting on or standing near one of the red chairs in the congregation. In the words of Keith Newell, "It was nice to not see you today." "Nice not to be seen," I replied.

It really was nice not to be up there leading worship. This could catch on.

As has been stated several times, one of the goals of the worship ministry has been to broaden participation. Thankfully, I see that it is happening on a number of different levels, but for a while I had been a bit more reluctant to let it happen on the leadership level. For much of my 4.5+ years at the Bible Church, I have found it hard to relinquish the reins of worship planning and leading. Pride? Yes. Distrust in God? Perhaps. Lack of confidence in others' gifts? I'd like to think not; it's probably more accurate to say that I wanted things done a certain way, and the best way to ensure that is to do it myself. Heaven forbid that things may not be done the way Nat would do them!!! (Gimme a break...)

I thought both Denise and Cristy did a fabulous job in planning and leading the music and worship these last two weeks. A difference for me (and them) has been that I was still integrally involved in the planning process as a sort of "consultant", whereas I had previously just handed off the service to the leader, essentially "washing my hands" of any responsibility for what happened that week. Not a good course of action, I've learned. The result would often be a falling-through-the-cracks of some service elements -- a communication gap of sorts between Mark & Cyndi W. and the leader(s). Did both Denise and Cristy make decisions I would not have made? OF COURSE! But you know what? -- God was still glorified, the body was still edified, gifts were exercised, the Holy Spirit still worked in our community, and...God was still glorified.

More importantly, Rachel and I and the Boys were able to attend church together. That may not seem like a big thing to you, but that has almost never happened, let alone two consecutive weeks!! It meant a lot to both of us to be able to do that. It has been huge for our marriage.

I know there has been some (justifiable) concerns amongst the W.A.G. that not much action has been taken, but I'll tell you that there has been much tangible fruit at the "50-foot level" from our "50,000-foot" discussions. I have seen it in my life and ministry. I sincerely thank you all (please read that again). I have felt your prayers, have valued your input, and have thanked God for my relationships with you.

Looking forward to meeting with you Sunday!

Our next meeting is coming up on the 5th. Please let me know if there are any topics you would like to see discussed.

I am going to suggest we take some small steps over the next few meetings. On the 5th I would like to talk about how to strengthen the idea of the worship "community". I think the first task is an organizational one.
The architect in me wants to design a simple and elegant "structure" that will bring all the "artists" and worship "servants" together as a group, and provide worship and event leaders a great resource of people to participate in the life of the church. Identifying existing staff members that can help connect those wanting to serve with Nat and other worship and event leaders, and/or creating new lay positions, (similar to Yvonne Acker's) is something we can talk about.

We will have lunch!

Designing for the Long term

Thanks for the lively discussion at our last meeting. Here are a few thoughts;

Bottom line; we are still an advisory group, a think tank of sorts, providing Nat with suggestions and ideas as to how to make the worship ministry more effective.

What have we done so far? Most importantly we have grown together as a group. Also, through prayer and discussion we have identified some broad goals; make the worship experience more diverse, with broader participation, and more sensitive to God.

I do not think we are ready to change the focus of the group to be more action oriented quite yet, nor are we quite ready to "pick any fruit". This is the reason; The mechanisms that we put in place to help facilitate the diversity, broader participation and sensitive response need to be very well thought out (with prayer) and designed for the long term. We need to build a good foundation.

I pray these goals are very "other centered" rooted in love for the body and our desire to be sensitive to God.

I ask for continued prayer and patience, however I think we are making progress;

1. Yvonne Acker is providing administrative assistance, helping schedule the anticipated increase in participants.

2. "Liasons" for various interest groups are being considered to increase the likelihood of real response and actual participation. One person(ie. nat) cannot respond effectively. (Still need to figure out how to provide real response. )

3. The "worship community" is being developed and replacing worship "teams". This should assist in more diversity in worship, with different combinations and permutations of participants.

4. Gifted worship leaders, planners, prayer leaders, announcers, readers, "local" songwriters/artists and others specifically gifted are being identified and a committment to more regular scheduling is being encouraged. A very significant development is Nat's commitment to more training and support of lay leaders.

5. Coordination with the Teaching Advisory team is being initiated.

6. The WAG members are providing an invaluable feedback mechanism for Nat. This will help Nat in making good decisions about content, delivery and tone.

There are a lot of good ideas here. Maybe too many. I am going to suggest that we really stay focussed on these initiatives for awhile and continue to nurture them until they start bearing fruit or God reveals their foolishness. ("Sin on bravely" as Martin Luther King put it)

"God please continue to direct our efforts. We want to give back to you what is already yours, for your Glory."

Look forward to your comments and thanks again everybody for your committment and service to the body through this group.

Andrew

WAG Prayer and Discussion.

Agenda

1. Prayer

2. Blog recap

3. Recap - where have we been. Michelle..how is the mission statement coming?

4. Where are we going? - Nat's 2 month schedule. Is there a broader network in place? Answer from the horses mouth.

5. Thin slicing the service - let those gifted in singing- sing, let those who are gifted in prayer - pray, let those who are gifted in planning - plan, let those gifted in administering all the gifted people - let them administer.etc, etc.

6. Pray to Jesus to call what is already his. As He listened to His Father and did only what he was commanded, and as the Holy Spirit does not speak for itself, and only speaks what he hears from the Father and Son, let us listen and speak what we hear and give back what is already God's, bringing glory to our Lord. (I am eager to share this great passage I just came across)

Listening for the calling of various leaders and participants
-service planners
-worship leaders
-prayer leaders
-administrative leaders
-gifted artists
-announcers

7.State of the group - are we engaged, feeling useful and effective?

I am looking forward to seeing you all this Sunday after the second service. Please check the blog out on Friday or Saturday for a preview of some items we need to discuss. If anyone has an issue they would like to bring up, post it on the blog and I will incorporate it into the agenda. Some great dialogue since our last meeting.

God Bless!

Andrew