FCC Worship Ministry: 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,