Worship Ministry Update 4/28/08

This is the weekly worship ministry update for FCCN.  If you do not want to be bothered by this weekly email from me, please just reply to me and let me know.  Otherwise, happy reading! 

 

Worship Ministry Blog : you can add your comments! :) 

 

    Our weekly update is a blog!  You can view the current or past blog by clicking onto this site: http://fccworshipministry.blogspot.com.  You can also view the blog from the FCCN website: www.fccn.org   I may be opening up a can of worms here, but you can also post random comments if you so desire. :)

 

2009 Vision: Serving the community through  the arts and acts of kindness

 

    Remember this vision for next year.  We'll be playing music in the community (Starbucks, Cafe Newburgh, Fall Festival, etc.) The specific group will depend on the venue.  Large outdoor venues would be good for a large band or the choir/orchestra, while Starbucks would require a more intimate, 3 person group.  We're already building some original tunes that we can use, as well as some modern country tunes that work well (Bill Miller is singing "I Saw God Today" for Mother's Day Sunday).  We'll also be doing some random acts of kindness in the community, like raking people's leaves, serving at the baseball field, etc.

 

    Our focus group will be getting together next month, so if you have any ideas about this, please reply to this email and let me know your thoughts!

 

Choir & Orchestra:   Thanks for a great job!

 

    Since our value for the month is Ephesians 4:29, I thought I'd pass along a few good comments.  Here are three examples from Sunday:  

 

 Phill,

           Just had to tell you how much our family enjoyed the music today. Sandra did a Fantastic performance of God Is In The House, so did the band and choir.

 

      Mark Schmitt  

Phill, 

   Just a note on the music selection on Sunday.  It's the first time my girls wanted to stay for the whole song at the end of service.  They really got a kick out of it and were singing along.  I also enjoyed the soulful, upbeat, change of pace.

I hope you get more positive than negative response and you will be able to continue to stretch the box in your work.

Regards,

Tom Slaats

 Hi Phill,

My wife and I have been attending for 6 weeks now and the only reservation that we have had since we started is the music seems a little too soft and laid back. We are getting used to it because it is a great church.  And you need to come for more than the music. Anyway I wanted to let you know  that the song "God is in the House" rocked ! It was awesome and I hope you could incorporate one of this type songs into the services regularly. I realize there are probably some elderly people that thought it was too loud but I guarantee you that the majority of the people there liked it.

Thanks

Bob D. Hohimer

 God bless you all,  because you are a blessing to me! 

 

     Phill

 

Phill Foust

Minister of Worship

First Christian Church of Newburgh

4544 State Rd. 261

Newburgh, IN 47630

 

Office phone: (812) 858-5000

Cell phone:    (812) 449-3474

Fax:              (812) 858-5001

www.fccn.org

Pfoust@fccn.org

   

Worship Ministry Update 4/21/08

This is the weekly worship ministry update for FCCN.  If you do not want to be bothered by this weekly email from me, please just reply to me and let me know.  Otherwise, happy reading! 

 

 

All worship ministry appreciation picnic!   This  Sunday night, April 27 at 6:00 P.M.!

@ Paul & Elisa Morrison's house: 10411 Devon Court, Newburgh 

 

    What to bring: a lawn chair and a side dish/dessert

 

    EVERYONE in the worship ministry and their immediate family is invited: media team, sign choir, drama, praise band, vocal team, choir & orchestra!  I just want to say thanks for your devotion to God and His ministry.  Thanks a million, gazillion! 

 

   Directions to the Morrison's house, according to Elisa Morrison:

 

    WARNING:  DO NOT MAPQUEST/GOOGLE MAPS OUR ADDRESS YOU WILL END UP AT THE WRONG PLACE

Directions: (from Newburgh)
Lloyd Expressway West to I164 South
I164 South to Covert Ave Exit
Covert Ave East(towards Newburgh)
Turn Right on Stacer Ave.
Left on Pollack Ave.
Right on Huntington Creek (first big right hand turn.  There is a turn lane into the subdivision)
We are the 3rd street back.   Right hand corner lot.  Pirate Ship playground in the backyard.  There are only 8 houses in the neighborhood so we aren't hard to find.  
Call us @  746-9531 if you have any trouble.  

 

 

Choir & Orchestra:  See you this Sunday morning!

 

    I look forward to leading worship with you all this Sunday!  Please remember to park in the back of the campus, drop off your kids with Jennifer in the nursery and to be in the worship center by 7:00 A.M.!

 

    God is in the house, everybody shout... A-men!

 

 

Donna Keller's 80th Birthday Party:  This Saturday night, April 26 from 5-8 P.M.

 

 We're all invited to share in this great celebration!  It is an open house, so feel free to come by any time.  It is at 6340 Sayward Dr. in Newburgh (Lincoln Pointe Subdivision).  Please RSVP (812) 604-0727.

 

 

Value of the Month: Ephesians 4:29 (April)

 

    Ephesians 4:29 says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

 

    Have you ever bitten into an apple that looked red and delicious, only to find out that it was rotten?  Gross.  I'm sure we've all had that experience.  You just want to spit it out as soon as you can.  I found out today that the word "unwholesome" (Greek "sapros") actually refers to something "corrupt" or "rotten."  It's the same word that Jesus uses for bad "fruit" (Matthew 7:17) or "fish" (Matthew 13:48).

 

    The Bible commands us to only let the "wholesome talk" come from our lips.  What builds each other up!  I suggested to the praise team yesterday that 95% of the personality conflicts in the church today would be solved with the application of both Ephesians 4:29 and Matthew 18.  Imagine a church that constantly built each other up, and if they had a problem with anyone, they would go directly to that person in love.  What a worship ministry that would be!

 

    God bless you all, 

 

     Phill

 

Phill Foust

Minister of Worship

First Christian Church of Newburgh

4544 State Rd. 261

Newburgh, IN 47630

 

Office phone: (812) 858-5000

Cell phone:    (812) 449-3474

Fax:              (812) 858-5001

www.fccn.org

Pfoust@fccn.org

   

FW: Worship Ministry Update 4/14/08

All worship ministry appreciation picnic!  Sunday night, April 27 at 6:00 P.M.!

@ Paul & Elisa Morrison's house: 10411 Devon Court, Newburgh

 

    EVERYONE in the worship ministry and their immediate family is invited: media team, sign choir, drama, praise band, vocal team, choir & orchestra!  I just want to say thanks for your devotion to God and His ministry.  You all are a blessing to me! 

 

    We'll be providing the burgers, hot dogs and drinks.  Would you all mind to bring a side dish or a dessert?  You certainly don't have to bring anything, but I know some of you love to cook, and I love to eat. :)

 

  The directions to the Morrison's house will be in next week's email.

 

 

Choir, Orchestra & Media team: practice this Sunday night (April  20) from 6:00-7:30 P.M.

 

    This Sunday is the last practice for the Spring!  We'll be putting the entire April 27 worship service together on stage, along with the final prayer group time for this semester.

 

 

The Vote (Choir and Orchestra)

 

     The vote is in!  AND there are no hanging chads or disputed ballots that we can recollect. :)  In fact, the accounting firm of Smith & Esparza tallied the results (not really, but Cheryl Smith, Brenda Esparza and I did count the votes.  Thanks to both of you!).

 

    Remember, we needed a 2/3 majority to make it happen (66%).  So it was really close!

 

    Mother's Day (61% yes)

 

    July 6 (64% yes)

 

    Wow!  We missed both of them by just a few percentage points!  Now I know how Al Gore felt in 2000. :)  Thanks to everyone who voted!  I do appreciate your opinion.  Most of the people who said they were going to vote "no" said they will be out of town.   So we'll take a break for the summer and hit it hard again in the Fall.  I'm really looking forward to the big biblical epic style Christmas musical in December!

 

 

Major Moves this Week!

 

    We'll be moving instruments and risers around the FCCN stage this week.  We could use all the muscle you can spare!  Here are a few times that you can help:

 

    Tuesday night, April 15 @ 7:30 P.M.

 

    Since the Hawk Nelson concert is on Thursday night, we will be clearing everything off the stage.

 

    Saturday morning, April 19 @ 9:00 A.M.

 

    We'll be moving everything back on stage for Sunday worship.

 

    Sunday afternoon, April 20 @ 5:00 P.M.

 

    We'll be taking the orchestra pit out and setting up the choir risers (for the last time until October!)

 

 

Donna Keller's 80th Birthday Party: Saturday night, April 26 from 5-8 P.M.

 

 We're all invited to share in this great celebration!  It is an open house, so feel free to come by any time.  It is at 6340 Sayward Dr. in Newburgh (Lincoln Pointe Subdivision).  Please RSVP (812) 604-0727.

 

 

Value of the Month: Ephesians 4:29 (April)

 

    Ephesians 4: 29 says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

 

    I believe that it is one of the ways we are to be different from the world around us.  Imagine a place where you are constantly encouraged and exhorted to be the very best that you can be!  Imagine what it would be like to be constantly built up when you do something right, as opposed to being only torn down when you do something wrong.  What a place that would be!

 

    This is the main idea from one of my favorite books, The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.  In the section called "one minute praisings," it says:

 

    "Suppose you wanted a child to say, 'give me a glass of water. please.'  If you waited until the child said the whole sentence before you gave her any water, the child would die of thirst.  So you start off by saying, 'water, water."  All of a sudden one day the child says, 'waller.'  You jump all over the place, hug and kiss the child, get grandmother on the phone so that child can say 'waller, waller.'  That wasn't 'water,' but it was close.

 

    "Now you don't want the kid going into a restaurant at the age of twenty-one asking for a glass of 'waller' so after a while you only accept the word 'water' and then you begin on 'please.' 

 

    "These examples illustrate that the most important thing in training somebody to become a winner is to catch them doing something right-- in the beginning approximately right and gradually moving them toward the desired behavior" (81).

 

 

"Closing Time..." (sing it if you know it)

  

    Speaking of Ephesians 4:29, I would like to close with a shout out to the new vocal team "A2," who lead worship last Sunday.  They practiced hard on their music outside of rehearsal, showed up on time and did a quality job leading worship.  It makes me feel good that we have so many quality musicians joining the FCCN worship ministry.  You all rock!

 

    God bless, and remember your taxes are due tomorrow.  :)

    

        Phill

 

Worship Ministry Update 4/8/08

All worship ministry party! Sunday night, April 27 at 6:00 P.M.!

I just want to say thank you to all of you for your hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence! So we're going to get together that evening for a rip roaring time. EVERYONE in the worship ministry and their immediate family is invited: media team, sign choir, drama, praise band, vocal team, choir & orchestra! Last year we had it in my family's back yard, but it was so full of people we could hardly move! Picture a Christian "rave" without the strobe lights and you've got a good idea what last year was like. :) It was crazy fun! So this time we'll be changing the venue to a larger space. Details coming soon!

Choir & Orchestra: practice this Sunday night (April 13) from 6:00-7:30 P.M.

We're still accepting new volunteers into the choir and orchestra! Any new people are welcome to join us for the first time! We'll be busy preparing for the April 27 worship service. As I've said before, anyone with a love for God and music who is high school age and older can join us! We practice every Sunday night at 6:00 P.M. and childcare is provided for every practice.

This Sunday night, April 13, we'll vote on two things:

1) Do all the men in the choir want to sing for Mother's Day Sunday? (May 14)

- Practice would be on Tuesday night, May 6 from 6:00-8:00 P.M.

- Childcare will NOT be provided for that practice.

2) Does the choir and orchestra want to lead worship on July 6?

- We would practice on June 15, 22 & 29th (Sunday nights).

- Childcare WILL be provided for those practices.

- We would do the special song "One Nation Under God."

Like I said at practice, I would really like to do this, but only if you share my deep desire too! So this Sunday night, April 13, we'll put it up for a vote. If at least a 2/3 majority of the choir & orchestra is willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen, then we'll go for it!

Donna Keller's 80th Birthday Party: Saturday night, April 26 from 5-8 P.M.

We're all invited to share in this great celebration! It is an open house, so feel free to come by any time. It is at 6340 Sayward Dr. in Newburgh (Lincoln Pointe Subdivision). Please RSVP (812) 604-0727.

Value of the Month: Ephesians 4:29 (April)

Garry Bradley, the tenor mentor, sent me this email about our value for the month. I thought it was great, so I am passing it on to you!

This month Phill would like for us to study and apply Eph. 4:29 in our lives as the "value of the month."

It says: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

This is very hard for men to do. We sometimes use the quick barb as a way of showing affection for one another. The old "I wouldn't tease if I didn't like you," way of thinking. I also don't always know how to just say, "thank you," when I receive a complement (not that often).

But Paul says that we should not only not say things that might tear someone down. We are to speak uplifting thoughts and build one another up by encouraging them along. It will also have an effect on anyone else who hears the conversation.

And Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12 "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." NIV

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that joking and teasing each other is wrong or sinful. I enjoy kidding around with everyone just as much as the next guy. We are men and we understand. We just need to remember to say the "building up part" at least as loud or louder than the teasing.

Thanks for letting me be a part,

Garry

And thanks again for everything you all do! God bless,

Phill