Wouldn't that be neato lol. All praisin' and listenin' to Phil preach us
good lol
Brad
Brad
At 12/16/2003 on Tuesday, you wrote:
>Brad, Phil, Vicki, Julie, and all musicians on this list.
>
>Let's start our own Church and Phil can be the Pastore, Brad, you can be in
>charge of worship services, and Julie, Vicki, and all other musicians and
>myself, we can take turns playing for the different services.
>
>Kathy can lead the choir. We could find a good job for everyone on this
>loving list to keep you all busy.
>
>Love,
>Pat Ferguson
>
>At 08:14 AM 12/16/03 -0600, you wrote:
> >Kathy,
> >
> >I appreciate your wisdom. Actually my frustration with the worship here is
> >pretty much contained within the family. I've not even said too much to
> >them, as it is obvious to them without my saying so. The music director
> >knows we come from a bit different service, and he actually wants to know
> >more about it, but haven't set time aside to meet and talk about it. I
> >serve with only little encouragements here and there when it seems they are
> >naturally lead towards a direction which lends itself to be more worshipful
> >and less cold and methodical. When I returned to Texas for a visit last
> >March was it? Anyway, I met with our Worship Leader/Associate Pastor to
> >discuss stuff about worship, this while we were yet at our old church here
> >in Wisconsin, and that is one thing I remember him saying was to not say...
> >"Well in Texas we did this, at our old church we did this" but rather just
> >encourage for encouraging sake with subtlty. It will be interesting we have
> >a person coming in to do worship on January 4th, my hope is he is a
> >worshipper and doesn't sound like a DJ with one hour of air time under his
> >belt to show as an example of what to shoot for. I do not mean that
> >disrespectfully, but merely that our heart of worship come through without
> >holding back. We had one lady, actually the music director's wife which is
> >no longer on the team for sake of teaching Sunday school now, who was a
> >keyboardist on our team who is a worshipper, not super charismatic, you
> >don't have to be, but knew when a song was to be spent more time singing
> >because it was right, people were responding, and not cut because the cold
> >frigid power point said "song over". That is so very frustrating. I'd like
> >to take that power point and create a "fatal error". hahahaha. We are so
> >concerned with backgrounds to the power point, if the chorus is listed once
> >twice or what not. People will follow a leader if he sings an additional
> >chorus, they are not singing wind up robots, and ought not be taught to act
> >as such. What am I to learn here? Probably patience? I don't know. I see
> >our numbers dwindling, and not that numbers are everything, but they can be
> >an indicator if one is being effective in the community. We hit with a
> >splash, but to be expected, some of that splash is dispersed outwardly as
> >well. I know what really made people want to come to church at COTR, and
> >I'd like to share that with them here. Things like including the
> >congregation in on what the church is doing around the community and around
> >the nation. If there is a missionary sent out from the church, constant and
> >updated reminders of the difference they are making and etc. is good to
> >make the people feel they are a part of a happening church making a
> >difference to others besides keeping the doors open and electric paid. If
> >there is a food drive, tell how many pounds of food helped how many people,
> >if you have a booth at a fair, tell how many people were affected and
> >talked to. People like to see progress and growth in something. People
> >like to see a show for what they invest their time and talents to, they
> >want to see that the money they give makes a difference and just doesn't
> >keep the pastor there preaching to them Sunday after Sunday, but has
> >something more than that for it's agenda. People who come to church hurting
> >and needing of prayer or help, how is filling out a card and putting it in
> >a box in the back going to help them in their moment? I'm use to the
> >service ending like... "For those of you that have somewhere to go, chicken
> >in the oven, kids to pick up or find all is well, you can go that way
> >*pointing towards the doors out of the sanctuary*, for those of you who
> >need prayer for anything , healing, for things in your life, we are here to
> >help and pray with you and you come this way *point towards the platform*
> >and I'll or someone here will pray with you to help you with your needs".
> >Now if you were hurting, looking for help, and leery and unfamiliar of
> >church as a whole, which church might you feel to return to? Perhaps I'm on
> >a bit of a rant lol, but it is only because I see potential to be a help in
> >the community. We have a pastor that has good messages and a heart of
> >worship himself I believe, but it seems there is a point of plateau, a
> >point of needing of phase 2 to kick in with a new plan to bring about
> >stability. Part of that is an actual building. We are utilizing a school
> >auditorium, which has it's perks, but setting up and tearing down is
> >wearing out a few people, we've asked for help, but you know the rule
> >20/80, 20% do 80% of the work. I am not the pastor, I do not know all the
> >details of what is going on with the major plan, I do not know the
> >financial burdens of the church, which really ought be very little other
> >than the pastor's salary, but if I'm wondering this stuff, I'm sure there
> >are others as well who wonder where to now? What are we doing outside these
> >walls? We have a Connection Team to serves people at funerals and in times
> >of need, how about hearing how they are doing, who have they helped out? Or
> >how many this month. What about the youth, what are they up to, what things
> >are they doing to reach out? What about the Alpha program, how many people
> >are being positively affected by it? All these things that could be there
> >to charge the members and give it a reputation of a happening place and a
> >place worth investing your time and etc. to. So. I'll end my rant for now
> >lol. I'm not totally disgusted, it may seem like it, but it is a hunger I
> >have and a bit starved of that encouragement in seeing how we are making a
> >difference to others.
> >
> >Brad
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