Worship Ministry Update: June 30

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

 

    Our focus group  met last Wednesday and finished an outreach schedule for 2009.  We'll be at various venues, with different size groups!  We'll be able to do lots of variety in music and involve many people!  We'll also be doing a few community wide outreach events.  I look forward to sharing the plans with you in the coming months.  Please continue to pray about how God will specifically use you to accomplish His vision in reaching the community.

 

The 3rd Quarter Schedule is out!

 

    Vocal team and band: your schedules are in your boxes, so stop by the green room and see what's goin' on.  I'm also considering "outsourcing" the scheduling duties next quarter, but not to India. :)  I'll be praying for a volunteer with the gift of organization that would like to schedule the 4th quarter.  Let me know if God is nudging you as you read this... 

 

Major Moves this week!

 

    As you might know, the Warrick County Musical is scheduled at FCCN in July.  (It will be a great event when many people will be at the FCCN campus, so praise the Lord!)  This Sunday, we'll be moving some stuff out of the worship center so they can practice:

 

        This Tuesday night, July 1 @ 8:00 P.M. (after praise team practice).  We'll be moving all of the stuff back behind the stage to the storage room under North stadium seating.

 

        This Sunday, July 13 @ 12:00 Noon (after the 2nd service).  We'll be moving all of the instruments and decorations off of the stage, including the drums, piano and cross.

 

     We'll needs lots of help, so come on out at those times and help me build some muscle mass! :) 

 

Mentor and Equipper Ice Cream Buffet: Wednesday night, July 9 @ 6:30 P.M. @ Joe and Kendra Bradford's house, 5055 Landview Dr.
Newburgh, IN  47630.

 

    All the mentors and equippers in the worship ministry are invited for ice-cream and a dip in the pool!  Bring the kids and we'll have a blast!  I'm not planning on having a "meeting" per se, unless any of you have anything you want to discuss with the entire group.  But I would like all 20 of us to get together for some fellowship.  It seems like the folks at FCCN are eating a lot of ice-cream nowadays, huh? :)

 Value of the Month:  Take a Break 

 

    As we finish this value for the month, I'd like to remind all of us about the importance of not only taking a break from hard work, but also taking time out to pray and read your Bible.  It's the example of Jesus that we ultimately follow: "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16).

 

    This morning I read the beginning part of 1 Corinthians.  Man!  Did THAT church have problems!  Wow.  It encourages me that, even though the early church had many "issues," they still managed to turn the world on it's ear for Jesus.  Maybe God is calling us to do the same...

     God bless,

 

               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: June 23

2009 Vision

 

    Our focus group is getting together again this Wednesday at my house.  We'll be hammering out some details, such as the  calendar of outreach events for next year.  Please reply to me or anyone in the focus group to add your two cents, or maybe a little more. :)  Remember our goal is to serve the community through the arts and acts of kindness.  We'll simply invite them to a worship service at FCCN, and let God change their heart through worship. 

 

The 3rd Quarter Schedule is out!

 

    Finally!  Please contact me ASAP if you can't make a date your are scheduled for, or if I made a mistake.  I've made scheduling mistakes before, and I'm sure it will happen again. :)  I hope to have as many people involved as possible!

 

Outdoor worship and ice-cream social:  This Saturday, June 28 @ 6:30 P.M.

We hope to see you outside this Saturday night!  Please contact Eric Rudisill erudisill@cphandheld.com or Scott Lehman scott_lehman@yahoo.com if you would like to help or have any questions.

We're going to have an ice cream social and outdoor worship time at the end of this month, on Saturday, June 28, starting at 6:30 pm. We'll be in the back grassy lot behind the garage at church. This will be a fantastic time for us to gather together as a community and worship God.

The night will begin with a good ol' fashioned ice cream social, followed by a great time of corporate worship outdoors in the beautiful night air. This event is planned for all ages, and families are encouraged to worship side-by-side with their children. Bowls and spoons will be provided by the church, but to make it interesting, we're asking each family to bring one gallon of ice cream and one favorite topping! You may also want to bring along some lawn chairs, since, as I said, we'll be out in the grassy area behind the church.

 Value of the Month:  Take a Break 

 

    Many of you have been asking me "when if choir and orchestra going to start again?"  We'll start Sunday night, September 7.  I admire your passion, but remember our value for the month, to take a break. :)  There is a part of me that would love to go year around, but I've noticed that there is an excitement and a freshness to our group when we take the summer off and begin in September.  And let's not forget that, on April 13, 2008, YOU ALL voted to take the summer off. :) 

 

    Consider what the Hebrews did.  Not only did they take the 7th day off (from dusk on Friday to dusk on Saturday), but they also rested an entire year every 7 years.  "For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove" (Exodus 23:10-11).  Imagine getting a full year of vacation every 7 years!

 

    I think the principle is obvious for us.  God created us to work, but He also created us to rest.  So enjoy your Sunday nights with your family, and as the old "Happenings" song from the 60's says, I'll "see you in September."

 

    God bless,

 

               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: June 16

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

 

    "Blogging" is the new black!  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   Feel free to post your own comments, but remember our value from the month of April: Ephesians 4:29. :)

 

Praise Team practice is on Wednesday this week (June 18)

 

    For this week only, praise team practice is on Wednesday, June 18.  This is because of the ITT graduation at FCCN on Tuesday in the worship center.  We'll still practice from 6:00-8:00 P.M. It will be back to Tuesday next week, June 24.

 

Outdoor worship and ice-cream social: Saturday, June 28 @ 6:30 P.M.

We're going to have an ice cream social and outdoor worship time at the end of this month, on Saturday, June 28, starting at 6:30 pm. We'll be in the back grassy lot behind the garage at church. This will be a fantastic time for us to gather together as a community and worship God.

The night will begin with a good ol' fashioned ice cream social, followed by a great time of corporate worship outdoors in the beautiful night air. This event is planned for all ages, and families are encouraged to worship side-by-side with their children. Bowls and spoons will be provided by the church, but to make it interesting, we're asking each family to bring one gallon of ice cream and one favorite topping! You may also want to bring along some lawn chairs, since, as I said, we'll be out in the grassy area behind the church.

For more information, or if you want to help out with the setup or tear-down, contact Eric Rudisill or Scott Lehman. We'll have an "ice cream social" table setup on Sunday morning in the gym, so you should be able to catch one of them there.

 Value of the Month:  Take a Break 

 

   As we learned last week, resting from your work is a very Biblical concept. I invite you to look at Genesis 2:2, Luke 5:16 and Hebrews 4:9-11.  But you might also enjoy an example from my own life. 

 

    After 5 years in worship ministry (2000-2005), I was pretty burned out.  I had pushed too hard for too long without taking a substantial break.  My wife Jennifer would relay to you how tired I was.  So when I accepted the call to come to FCCN in February 2005, I decided to take a full month off of ministry.  Looking back on it now, It was one of the best decisions I ever made!  For the entire month of March, 2005, I was a pew sitter!  I just came into worship on Sundays and didn't do anything else for the Kingdom, except work on my own relationship with Jesus.  Since we had no children at that time, I went hiking in Tennessee and Colorado to refresh my spirit.  That was back in the good ole' days when gas was $2.25 a gallon. :)  So after that entire month of being a "world traveler," I came to FCCN feeling refreshed and rejuvenated in April 2005.  I also vowed I would never push myself that hard again without taking a break! 

 

    I said all of that to say this: I have NO problem with anyone who says "I need a break."  If you're feeling overwhelmed or burned out, then take a break! Enjoy a month or even a quarter off.  I can assure you that you will feel much better after some battery recharging.  Some of you have done that and have been even more of an asset to the FCCN worship ministry.  So remember the old proverb, "he who keeps his nose to the grindstone too long gets a flat nose." 

 

    God bless,

 

               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: June 10

 Jennifer, Nathan, Luke and I had a great vacation last week.  We went down to Tennessee and lead worship for a Christian Church called "The Church at Loudon County."  They were great people and they really responded well: they clapped, sang out, and raised their hands a few times.  But I sure did miss all of you!  I look forward to talking with some of you this week and then hopefully seeing you all on Sunday.

 

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

 

    Lately I've been reading "101 Ways to Reach your Community" by Steve Sjogren.  He had an interesting idea I would like to share with you.  It should fit nicely into our vision.

 

    "Watermelons are part of what makes summer what it is, right?  In the same way, pumpkins make fall.  Go to local farmers and get a deal on a truckload of produce.  Usually for pennies on the dollar of what it would cost in the grocery store.  Sometimes outreach leaders from my church have even received free fruit from farmers who heard about our outward vision.  Fill the back of a pickup with your melons and hit the streets.  Drive through neighborhoods, knock on doors, and say to strangers, we're showing the love of Christ today by giving out these melons.'  Then hand them a connection card.  Something as simple as a watermelon may sound a little corny to some, but it gets the attention of the city.  I met someone the other day who said, 'I'm at this church because someone gave me a watermelon two summers ago.'  It only takes a small thing to make a big impression" (58).

 

    2009 will be all about reaching people where they are.  They might receive a watermelon from us on a humid Saturday afternoon in June, and then hear us playing music at the Freedom Festival in July.  That might be the first two contacts that eventually leads them to an authentic relationship with Jesus!  Please join me in praying about what specific role God wants you serve in 2009!

   

Praise Team Schedules for the 3rd Quarter due today!

 

    For those of you on the praise team, would you please have your schedules to me by the end of the day today?  I'm planning to work on it tomorrow morning.  Thanks a million!  Remember that this will cover July, August and September.

 

 Value of the Month:  Take a Break 

 

   Resting from your work is a very Biblical concept.  A strong support of leisure in the Bible comes from the second chapter in Genesis.  In verse two, it says that after God had finished creating everything, He “rested” from His work.  "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested ^[a] from all his work."  Not because He was completely exhausted from all the work He had done, but He wanted to set the example for us and commemorate what had taken place.  Since the Almighty Creator of the universe rested from His work, we should not be shocked to realize we need rest too.  Is it a coincidence that recreation can be understood as “re-creation?”  So remember to take a day off once in a while.  You'll come back more rested and effective.  Besides, God already set the example for us anyway.

 

    I was on vacation this past week, so I was really able to exemplify this value of the month. :)  After we stopped in Tennessee, we went to Northeast Ohio to see Jennifer's family.  We dropped Nathan and Luke off at "grandma and grandpa's house," so Jennifer and I could head off to Cedar Point.  For those of you who do not know, Cedar point is the rollercoaster capital of the world.  17 roller coasters in one amusement park!  The food is average, the shows are less than average, but the roller coasters are some of the best in the world!  We had a blast!  If you're looking for a big family fun day with young children...go to Holiday World here in Southwestern Indiana.  But if you're looking to scream your head off and go 120 miles an hour upside down with your spouse and leave the kids at home, there's no place better than Cedar Point. :)

 

    Enclosed are 2 pics of the trip.  "CedarPoint2.jpg" is completely illegal.  I found out AFTER I took the picture that "picture taking is not allowed on the roller coasters at Cedar Point."  Oh well, live and learn, even on vacation. :) 

 

    God bless,

 

               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: June 2

Hi, everyone. Phill’s on vacation this week, spending time with his family and having some fun at Cedar Point Amusement Park, which has some incredible roller coasters. I hope he and Jennifer enjoy the thrills because my involvement with roller coasters is to stay on the ground and watch others risk nausea and injury while being thrown around on the beasts.

 

Doug will be leading rehearsal Tuesday night and worship this Sunday. We’ll continue to have a short Aviom training session with the band members at the beginning of rehearsal.

 

Praise Team members please send your schedule to Phill by next Tuesday so he can finish the 3^rd quarter schedule.

 

Thanks and have a great week!

 

Guy Hall