I have not posted in several days because I have been in a home with no Internet connection. Yes, there are still homes like that. I haven't seen one in a very long while (until this weekend), but they are out there.
My previous posts have been intentionally vague regarding my trips to Midland, TX and the Golf Course Rd Church. The need for that is now gone. I have been offered the Worship Minister position at GCR. As of this writing, I have not officially accepted. This is only due to the fact that we are working out my contract details. I suspect all will be made final very soon.
It is an exciting prospect. I will be responsible over four teams of singers (that's 32 people). I have not met them all, but if they are anything like that first group I worked with, then it is a very talented group of musicians that God and Kevin Riggs has brought together.
I will post more when I get home, but for now, it looks like the Moyers family is Midland bound.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Worship Planning
As I speak to other worship leaders across the country, I am amazed at the varied processes they use to plan worship services. Anyone who does it very often understands this is a process that is constantly changing, but I thought I would explain how I go about it. Maybe it will spur some ideas in someone else.
I took the Willow Creek model and married it to the leadership systems concept taught by Ministry Advantage. It may seem cumbersome at first glance, but the end result is very nice. It requires lots of advance planning by the coordinator (read: "Worship Minister") and it in includes a large number of volunteers (read: "unpaid lay ministers"). This is born out of the concept that worship planning is too important to rest in the hands of one person planning it for an entire church body.
First, the entire thing is bathed in prayer. Everything starts there and it continues throughout. That can't be understated. Another driving concept behind this form of worship planning is the holistic nature of worship. I believe that everything presented on that one hour Sunday morning should work to drive that day's particular theme home. The message, songs, prayers, anything that happens, should all be consistent in nature. People have different learning styles (writing, reading, listening, visual, etc). This translates directly to what happens in worship as well.
Beyond that, please understand that it takes a while to get the system to the point I am about to explain. It is a long and lengthy process of recruiting and training people. Ideally, the process begins at least two months out. I divide worship planning into four different committees. The first is the Theme Team. Their job is to create a sermon series relevant to our Mission, current events, holidays, or needs of the church family. This is a small team with the Sr. Minister as the head. This way, the teaching minister does not have to kill himself to come up with an entire series or direction all by himself. They assist him in roughing out the ideas and main points of the series.
When this is complete, the series is turned over to the Resource Team. They spend two weeks compiling everything they can find that even remotely connects with what the Theme Team has set forth. Almost nothing is out of bounds for worship resources. Songs, videos, skits, special presentations, liturgical dance, scriptures, etc. There is no bad idea here. What someone may consider a bad idea may spur a good thought in someone else. If they cannot find what they are looking for, suggestions can be made for creation, e.g. write a song about the indwelling of the Spirit, or a drama about heartbreak.
When they have their "toolbox" filled, they turn it over to the Design Team. This team is lead by the Worship Minister. Their job is to take the ideas presented by the Theme Team and the tools presented by the Resource Team and form them into a whole for a great worship experience. This is where the holistic nature of worship really comes into play. The Design Team makes everything flow together smoothly and thematically. At one design session they may plan just one Sunday or several. It depends on how much time they have, how full their toolbox was, how far ahead the Theme Team has gotten, etc. But at this point, the goal is to have a completed worship service three weeks out from the actual Sunday. This allows plenty of time for rehearsals, studies, set creation, multimedia creation and tweaking.
The fourth and final team is the Review Team. This is headed by one person, but the membership of the team rotates. On each Sunday, this team is given a form that includes important information: the theme of the day, the resources used, etc. The main question is, "did we hit the mark?" This is completed and turned back in where it is shared with everyone else allowing for course correction and lessons learned.
All this for one Sunday. As you've probably figured, this process is constantly revolving. In order to stay ahead, the Theme Team has to be forecasting their direction pretty far ahead of time. The Resource Team has to constantly be cataloging ideas and resources. The Design Team has to stay on top of the schedule so that they can remain at least three weeks out. And the Review Team has to keep their membership rotating and trained. We rotate so that the same people don't sit in worship every Sunday and do nothing but "critique" and miss worshipping. We train the reviewers so that they gain a better understanding of how we plan, and possibly allow for them to move up to one of the other committees in the future.
As I said it's pretty involved, but that's the point. The more people are involved, the more your church identity shows up in the worship. The more people are involved, the more invested your church body becomes in the worship.
It also takes the heat off the Worship Minister for the mistakes that are made. On any given Sunday, 15-20 people will be responsible for the content of the service, and only two of those are staff. But that's a small plus. :)
I took the Willow Creek model and married it to the leadership systems concept taught by Ministry Advantage. It may seem cumbersome at first glance, but the end result is very nice. It requires lots of advance planning by the coordinator (read: "Worship Minister") and it in includes a large number of volunteers (read: "unpaid lay ministers"). This is born out of the concept that worship planning is too important to rest in the hands of one person planning it for an entire church body.
First, the entire thing is bathed in prayer. Everything starts there and it continues throughout. That can't be understated. Another driving concept behind this form of worship planning is the holistic nature of worship. I believe that everything presented on that one hour Sunday morning should work to drive that day's particular theme home. The message, songs, prayers, anything that happens, should all be consistent in nature. People have different learning styles (writing, reading, listening, visual, etc). This translates directly to what happens in worship as well.
Beyond that, please understand that it takes a while to get the system to the point I am about to explain. It is a long and lengthy process of recruiting and training people. Ideally, the process begins at least two months out. I divide worship planning into four different committees. The first is the Theme Team. Their job is to create a sermon series relevant to our Mission, current events, holidays, or needs of the church family. This is a small team with the Sr. Minister as the head. This way, the teaching minister does not have to kill himself to come up with an entire series or direction all by himself. They assist him in roughing out the ideas and main points of the series.
When this is complete, the series is turned over to the Resource Team. They spend two weeks compiling everything they can find that even remotely connects with what the Theme Team has set forth. Almost nothing is out of bounds for worship resources. Songs, videos, skits, special presentations, liturgical dance, scriptures, etc. There is no bad idea here. What someone may consider a bad idea may spur a good thought in someone else. If they cannot find what they are looking for, suggestions can be made for creation, e.g. write a song about the indwelling of the Spirit, or a drama about heartbreak.
When they have their "toolbox" filled, they turn it over to the Design Team. This team is lead by the Worship Minister. Their job is to take the ideas presented by the Theme Team and the tools presented by the Resource Team and form them into a whole for a great worship experience. This is where the holistic nature of worship really comes into play. The Design Team makes everything flow together smoothly and thematically. At one design session they may plan just one Sunday or several. It depends on how much time they have, how full their toolbox was, how far ahead the Theme Team has gotten, etc. But at this point, the goal is to have a completed worship service three weeks out from the actual Sunday. This allows plenty of time for rehearsals, studies, set creation, multimedia creation and tweaking.
The fourth and final team is the Review Team. This is headed by one person, but the membership of the team rotates. On each Sunday, this team is given a form that includes important information: the theme of the day, the resources used, etc. The main question is, "did we hit the mark?" This is completed and turned back in where it is shared with everyone else allowing for course correction and lessons learned.
All this for one Sunday. As you've probably figured, this process is constantly revolving. In order to stay ahead, the Theme Team has to be forecasting their direction pretty far ahead of time. The Resource Team has to constantly be cataloging ideas and resources. The Design Team has to stay on top of the schedule so that they can remain at least three weeks out. And the Review Team has to keep their membership rotating and trained. We rotate so that the same people don't sit in worship every Sunday and do nothing but "critique" and miss worshipping. We train the reviewers so that they gain a better understanding of how we plan, and possibly allow for them to move up to one of the other committees in the future.
As I said it's pretty involved, but that's the point. The more people are involved, the more your church identity shows up in the worship. The more people are involved, the more invested your church body becomes in the worship.
It also takes the heat off the Worship Minister for the mistakes that are made. On any given Sunday, 15-20 people will be responsible for the content of the service, and only two of those are staff. But that's a small plus. :)
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Logos (art or Word?)
Sorry... art.
One of my duties in this post-worship leader world is graphic arts. The new church, Christ Point Church, needed a new logo so they can get going on signs, brochures, and stuff. Several people, including me, submitted ideas. The staff got together and did the brainstorm thing and asked me to merge two of the ideas with a few corrections.
So here is the first draft with an actual plan behind it.
The idea is to use multi-color, but nothing that will slap you in the face. It needs to present a modern feel (ala "ChristPoint") and still retain the traditional touch (ala "Church"). They wanted an arrow pointing upward since the tag line (I think) is "Christ is the Point." So the arrow points up, but first it creates a foundation for the whole graphic. And the word "Christ" sits on the foundation. Imagery, imagery, imagery.
By the way, it is very hard to type "imagery" three times in a row and not make a mistake.
One of my duties in this post-worship leader world is graphic arts. The new church, Christ Point Church, needed a new logo so they can get going on signs, brochures, and stuff. Several people, including me, submitted ideas. The staff got together and did the brainstorm thing and asked me to merge two of the ideas with a few corrections.
So here is the first draft with an actual plan behind it.
The idea is to use multi-color, but nothing that will slap you in the face. It needs to present a modern feel (ala "ChristPoint") and still retain the traditional touch (ala "Church"). They wanted an arrow pointing upward since the tag line (I think) is "Christ is the Point." So the arrow points up, but first it creates a foundation for the whole graphic. And the word "Christ" sits on the foundation. Imagery, imagery, imagery.
By the way, it is very hard to type "imagery" three times in a row and not make a mistake.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Jordan Denied
Today was a mixture of feelings. It was the first meeting of Christ Point Church. It was my last day as worship minister. I was officially referred to as "Associate Minister" this morning. Nothing wrong with that. Just strange.
It was probably the best morning we've had yet. The band was dead on and sounded great. The worship was wonderful. We had a crowd of almost 450. It was the morning that we've dreamed about for years.
For me, it was somewhat bittersweet. We've been through many trials and shed many tears in this process. This morning was a sweet experience, one of those times when everything came together just right and the Holy Spirit took over. It was also bitter in that I got a chance to experience it once from the worship leader position. And now my job is done.
I suppose it's somewhat like seeing the promised land and not being able to cross the Jordan. Not that I'm trying to compare myself to Moses. Except that maybe we were both called "mo" by our close friends.
For a while, at least, I will still get to experience what God is doing as part of the church body. And that is enough. I think maybe I've served my purpose here. I came at a time of transition for South Church of Christ. God used me to further that transition and help bring about Christ Family Fellowship. He then used me to help prepare the way for Christ Point Church. The new church is formed and rolling along well (for one day at least).
My new job appears to be putting together a pictorial directory. As I said, maybe I've served my purpose here. But this morning sure was sweet.
It was probably the best morning we've had yet. The band was dead on and sounded great. The worship was wonderful. We had a crowd of almost 450. It was the morning that we've dreamed about for years.
For me, it was somewhat bittersweet. We've been through many trials and shed many tears in this process. This morning was a sweet experience, one of those times when everything came together just right and the Holy Spirit took over. It was also bitter in that I got a chance to experience it once from the worship leader position. And now my job is done.
I suppose it's somewhat like seeing the promised land and not being able to cross the Jordan. Not that I'm trying to compare myself to Moses. Except that maybe we were both called "mo" by our close friends.
For a while, at least, I will still get to experience what God is doing as part of the church body. And that is enough. I think maybe I've served my purpose here. I came at a time of transition for South Church of Christ. God used me to further that transition and help bring about Christ Family Fellowship. He then used me to help prepare the way for Christ Point Church. The new church is formed and rolling along well (for one day at least).
My new job appears to be putting together a pictorial directory. As I said, maybe I've served my purpose here. But this morning sure was sweet.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Deja Vu
I have not yet commented on the mini-retreat that I participated in at GCR last week. Most likely, I will not say too much. Most of the folks there will be processing it for quite a while. It was not the meeting many expected it to be.
Golf Course Road has hired Kevin Callahan of Callahan Studios to remodel their worship center. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kevin does not approach a "re-dux" in the way most architectural firms do. He and his team like to learn all about the church culture before they make suggestions about remodeling.
But in that process, Kevin and his team challenge the church leaders as to what they really believe and why they believe that. I knew going in that this was going to be very different. One of the people on the creative team was Sally Morgenthaler. Sally wrote a ground shaking book in the late 90's entitled Worship Evangelism and she has become a dominant voice in the emerging church movement. I am fairly sure GCR had no idea who was coming to challenge them.
And boy howdy did she ever challenge them. 80% of the first day of talking consisted of Sally asking questions. She probed deeply into what GCR was about, what they wanted to be, what was holding them back, and what it would take to go to the next step. Most of the folks left that meeting in what I would call a mild state of shock.
I titled this entry "Deja Vu" because this vein of talking seemed so familiar. This is exactly what our church, Christ Family Fellowship, has been through over the past two years. We have challenged everything we do as to the reason behind it and the justification for continuing it. It was a highly painful process, one that resulted in many friends walking away. One that also resulted in a church comprised of 70% new believers.
It took us several years to work through these issues. Sally opened it all up in the space of 8 hours. No wonder they were in shock.
I'll tell you more about the meeting as time passes and the GCR leadership catches their collective breath.
Golf Course Road has hired Kevin Callahan of Callahan Studios to remodel their worship center. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kevin does not approach a "re-dux" in the way most architectural firms do. He and his team like to learn all about the church culture before they make suggestions about remodeling.
But in that process, Kevin and his team challenge the church leaders as to what they really believe and why they believe that. I knew going in that this was going to be very different. One of the people on the creative team was Sally Morgenthaler. Sally wrote a ground shaking book in the late 90's entitled Worship Evangelism and she has become a dominant voice in the emerging church movement. I am fairly sure GCR had no idea who was coming to challenge them.And boy howdy did she ever challenge them. 80% of the first day of talking consisted of Sally asking questions. She probed deeply into what GCR was about, what they wanted to be, what was holding them back, and what it would take to go to the next step. Most of the folks left that meeting in what I would call a mild state of shock.
I titled this entry "Deja Vu" because this vein of talking seemed so familiar. This is exactly what our church, Christ Family Fellowship, has been through over the past two years. We have challenged everything we do as to the reason behind it and the justification for continuing it. It was a highly painful process, one that resulted in many friends walking away. One that also resulted in a church comprised of 70% new believers.
It took us several years to work through these issues. Sally opened it all up in the space of 8 hours. No wonder they were in shock.
I'll tell you more about the meeting as time passes and the GCR leadership catches their collective breath.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The New Band & More Trips
I've not posted for a few days. I was out of town for the first part of the week and my host didn't really have a good iNet setup. So, I'm back home and here I am. What do I have to say?
We had our first joint rehearsal tonight with the merged bands in the new merged church. It was quite an experience. We had our full band and singers, plus one singer and one electric guitarist from the other church. Plus their worship leader. I believe it will work out well.
As we rehearsed, I heard a few things that I probably would have changed had it been my band... but it's not anymore and I did not feel it my place to do so. This is now Jackie's baby and I want her to proceed as she likes. My taste in arrangements is not what's most important. The final sound will be good and God will be praised. That's all that really matters.
I am returning to Midland soon with my family in tow. It will be my third trip in four weeks, but their first. I am anxious for my children to see Midland. They have great anxiety about moving away from Corpus Christi and I want them to experience their possible new home before they actually arrive to move in.
When we moved from Tennessee to Texas, we did not tell them (the kids) until 2 weeks before moving day. We thought it would be better not to worry them. Boy was that ever a mistake. It traumatized them. So this time they have known that we might move since the day I learned the same. They are still pretty emotional over the whole thing, but at least they've had time to process it.
During our next trip there, we hope to let them get a good feel for the town. Sherri and I have several sets of interviews we must go through, but we also have lots of free time. We will check out Midland Christian School and see what that's like. I believe they even have a game on Saturday afternoon so Ashley can see the marching band. We also want to check into some dance academies.
I'm not sure what Austin will want to see yet. And I don't know if we want to look for a house or not. We may be forced to rent for a while until we can sell our house in Corpus.
More later...
We had our first joint rehearsal tonight with the merged bands in the new merged church. It was quite an experience. We had our full band and singers, plus one singer and one electric guitarist from the other church. Plus their worship leader. I believe it will work out well.
As we rehearsed, I heard a few things that I probably would have changed had it been my band... but it's not anymore and I did not feel it my place to do so. This is now Jackie's baby and I want her to proceed as she likes. My taste in arrangements is not what's most important. The final sound will be good and God will be praised. That's all that really matters.
I am returning to Midland soon with my family in tow. It will be my third trip in four weeks, but their first. I am anxious for my children to see Midland. They have great anxiety about moving away from Corpus Christi and I want them to experience their possible new home before they actually arrive to move in.
When we moved from Tennessee to Texas, we did not tell them (the kids) until 2 weeks before moving day. We thought it would be better not to worry them. Boy was that ever a mistake. It traumatized them. So this time they have known that we might move since the day I learned the same. They are still pretty emotional over the whole thing, but at least they've had time to process it.
During our next trip there, we hope to let them get a good feel for the town. Sherri and I have several sets of interviews we must go through, but we also have lots of free time. We will check out Midland Christian School and see what that's like. I believe they even have a game on Saturday afternoon so Ashley can see the marching band. We also want to check into some dance academies.
I'm not sure what Austin will want to see yet. And I don't know if we want to look for a house or not. We may be forced to rent for a while until we can sell our house in Corpus.
More later...
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Worship Center Refit
I am flying back to Midland this Sunday afternoon. If you've read any of this blog, you may have caught the fact that I filled in for Kevin Riggs as worship leader last weekend at Golf Course Rd Church of Christ in Midland. It was a wonderful experience.
Golf Course is going through a building program called "Kingdom Now." They are adding an entire new state-of-the-art children's building. Along with that, they have dedicated $2 million for a refit of their worship center.
Kevin Callahan of Callahan Studios is coming down for a day long retreat. He specializes in creating worship spaces that reflect an "ancient future" feel. Many churches are shooting for the concert hall approach. Callahan Studios approach the whole thing very differently. Read through their site and see what I mean.
Anyway, I have been invited to attend the meeting. Sort of an outside viewpoint, so to speak. I am looking forward to it.
Golf Course is going through a building program called "Kingdom Now." They are adding an entire new state-of-the-art children's building. Along with that, they have dedicated $2 million for a refit of their worship center.
Kevin Callahan of Callahan Studios is coming down for a day long retreat. He specializes in creating worship spaces that reflect an "ancient future" feel. Many churches are shooting for the concert hall approach. Callahan Studios approach the whole thing very differently. Read through their site and see what I mean.
Anyway, I have been invited to attend the meeting. Sort of an outside viewpoint, so to speak. I am looking forward to it.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Merging Churches
For those of you reading this from somewhere other than Corpus Christi, let me catch you up on what's been happening with our church. As most of you know, it is not at all uncommon for churches to split. That's often heard of, and sometimes they even make the paper (if it's a particularly ugly split). But a merger... now that's uncommon. And that's what we're doing.
It's a long story and the entire thing is chronicled at our Sr. Minister's blog, churchmerger.org. It started in early summer when Jess Cole, the Sr. Pastor of Christ Community Church (CCC), felt the gentle call of the Spirit to talk to our church, Christ Family Fellowship (CFF) about the possibility of merging.
The two Sr's got together and prayed over the idea. Both felt a need to present it to the leadership of the churches. After several months of prayer, fasting, emotional roller coasters and sleepless nights, both churches voted this past weekend to approve the merger. The combined vote was almost 95% in favor.
We have lots of unanswered questions. Hopefully, these can be answered soon as we begin meeting together on October 22, 2006. We had to work through lots of theology and tradition. After all, we are a former Church of Christ and they are a former Southern Baptist. You can imagine some of the discussions we had.
We hope that the city of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for "Body of Christ", will see what the body of Christ looks like by the merger of two churches instead of the split of one into two. Or three. As of this week, Christ Point Church is born.
At least I think that's what it will be called. We're still working on that one too.
It's a long story and the entire thing is chronicled at our Sr. Minister's blog, churchmerger.org. It started in early summer when Jess Cole, the Sr. Pastor of Christ Community Church (CCC), felt the gentle call of the Spirit to talk to our church, Christ Family Fellowship (CFF) about the possibility of merging.
The two Sr's got together and prayed over the idea. Both felt a need to present it to the leadership of the churches. After several months of prayer, fasting, emotional roller coasters and sleepless nights, both churches voted this past weekend to approve the merger. The combined vote was almost 95% in favor.
We have lots of unanswered questions. Hopefully, these can be answered soon as we begin meeting together on October 22, 2006. We had to work through lots of theology and tradition. After all, we are a former Church of Christ and they are a former Southern Baptist. You can imagine some of the discussions we had.
We hope that the city of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for "Body of Christ", will see what the body of Christ looks like by the merger of two churches instead of the split of one into two. Or three. As of this week, Christ Point Church is born.
At least I think that's what it will be called. We're still working on that one too.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Parachute Rapture
Just a short post. Austin (my 10-yr old) said something interesting today.
He told me he was thinking about where he wanted to be when Jesus came back. His choice was sky diving. He thought it would be neat to be heading down to earth and then turn around and go back up.
Lord, let me think like that.
He told me he was thinking about where he wanted to be when Jesus came back. His choice was sky diving. He thought it would be neat to be heading down to earth and then turn around and go back up.
Lord, let me think like that.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Worship in the Land of Mids
This past weekend I had a wonderful opportunity, one that I hope to repeat. Kevin Riggs, the Worship Minister at Golf Course Rd Church of Christ in Midland, TX took the weekend off to go to the Zoe Conference in Nastyville. He invited me to fill in for him in his absence. I gladly accepted.
What a great place Golf Course is! My wife grew up in Midland and at GCR and we were aware of some of the old "baggage" from years back. It was good to see that this church has grown from their experiences and come out better for it.
There are still a good number of singers present who came together under Ken Young to form Hallal Ministries. Since Ken's departure, Kevin has gone about building the worship ministry and adding new singers. I believe I may have worked with 2 or 3 singers from those days, but everyone else was new. My weekend team of 8 did a fabulous job, especially when I tended to "stray" from the melody and fill in holes.
It was a joy to work with talented singers who respond to direction. I anticipated working through the music and making lots of corrections at our Saturday night rehearsal. I bet I only did 1/3 of the work I expected to do.
Kevin allowed me to work up the worship order for the morning. I included a good mix of arrangements by Keith Lancaster, Zoe, Hallal, and a couple of my own. For those interested, here was the order:
Shout Hallelujah (F)
Prayer
Welcome
It's All Right / Just a Little Talk (G/Ab)
At the Name of Jesus (Ab)
We Trust in the Name (Ab)
(Transitional prayer)
I Need Thee Every Hour (A)
Prayer Time
Turn My Heart O God (C)
Think About His Love (D)
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (1 vs old melody)
Communion
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (new melody)
Offering
Had It Not Been The Lord (G)
This World is Not My Home (G)
Lesson
Benediction
What a great place Golf Course is! My wife grew up in Midland and at GCR and we were aware of some of the old "baggage" from years back. It was good to see that this church has grown from their experiences and come out better for it.
There are still a good number of singers present who came together under Ken Young to form Hallal Ministries. Since Ken's departure, Kevin has gone about building the worship ministry and adding new singers. I believe I may have worked with 2 or 3 singers from those days, but everyone else was new. My weekend team of 8 did a fabulous job, especially when I tended to "stray" from the melody and fill in holes.
It was a joy to work with talented singers who respond to direction. I anticipated working through the music and making lots of corrections at our Saturday night rehearsal. I bet I only did 1/3 of the work I expected to do.
Kevin allowed me to work up the worship order for the morning. I included a good mix of arrangements by Keith Lancaster, Zoe, Hallal, and a couple of my own. For those interested, here was the order:
Shout Hallelujah (F)
Prayer
Welcome
It's All Right / Just a Little Talk (G/Ab)
At the Name of Jesus (Ab)
We Trust in the Name (Ab)
(Transitional prayer)
I Need Thee Every Hour (A)
Prayer Time
Turn My Heart O God (C)
Think About His Love (D)
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (1 vs old melody)
Communion
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (new melody)
Offering
Had It Not Been The Lord (G)
This World is Not My Home (G)
Lesson
Benediction
Friday, October 06, 2006
Acafest Alive and Well
Even though I have not been with Acappella Ministries for over three years now, I am still connected in a round about way. Keith has kept in touch and occasionally needs help with this or that... usually something to do with the Internet.
The past couple of days he has had me working on getting the domain kinks worked out for the new Acafest site. Aca what, you say? Long history. Here we go.
The Acappella Christian Music Seminar, or ACMS, started in the late 80's in Paris, TN. In the beginning it was a week long festival/seminar in based in Acappella's home town and studios. People came from all over the country (and later on, the world) to participate in classes about the art of acappella music and listen to singing groups perform. It always culminated in the homecoming concert of Acappella. As time went on, AVB and Vocal Union were added to the mix.
It started very simply. I remember my first year involved. Our home church, Paris Chapel, met in an old empty WalMart building. This is also where ACMS was hosted. Our homecoming concert of 1988 was on a flat bed trailer in the parking lot. A good portion of the city came out to hear it. It was stinking hot out there. And we were wearing jackets. Holy cow.
A few years on, we reduced it to a 3-day event and held it in the new Paris Landing Convention Center. It became international in nature with performances by groups from France and Guadeloupe (that small island nation in the Caribbean). It eventually got too big for us to handle properly. We had to make the decision to really put a ton of effort into it, or redirect our efforts into our ministry. The choice was easy. Make the main thing the main thing. So Acafest (as it was called by then) was retired for a season. A decade, it appears.
Acafest has been revived, now subtitled "The International Acappella Singing Festival." It is scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2007 in Nashville. Who knows? Maybe my worship team from wherever I end up in the next few weeks can participate? That would be a blast. I've got 13 months to get my schedule worked out. :)
The past couple of days he has had me working on getting the domain kinks worked out for the new Acafest site. Aca what, you say? Long history. Here we go.
The Acappella Christian Music Seminar, or ACMS, started in the late 80's in Paris, TN. In the beginning it was a week long festival/seminar in based in Acappella's home town and studios. People came from all over the country (and later on, the world) to participate in classes about the art of acappella music and listen to singing groups perform. It always culminated in the homecoming concert of Acappella. As time went on, AVB and Vocal Union were added to the mix.
It started very simply. I remember my first year involved. Our home church, Paris Chapel, met in an old empty WalMart building. This is also where ACMS was hosted. Our homecoming concert of 1988 was on a flat bed trailer in the parking lot. A good portion of the city came out to hear it. It was stinking hot out there. And we were wearing jackets. Holy cow.
A few years on, we reduced it to a 3-day event and held it in the new Paris Landing Convention Center. It became international in nature with performances by groups from France and Guadeloupe (that small island nation in the Caribbean). It eventually got too big for us to handle properly. We had to make the decision to really put a ton of effort into it, or redirect our efforts into our ministry. The choice was easy. Make the main thing the main thing. So Acafest (as it was called by then) was retired for a season. A decade, it appears.
Acafest has been revived, now subtitled "The International Acappella Singing Festival." It is scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2007 in Nashville. Who knows? Maybe my worship team from wherever I end up in the next few weeks can participate? That would be a blast. I've got 13 months to get my schedule worked out. :)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Resumes and Airplanes
Not much to say today. I've sent out a few more resumes to churches I've found online. If something came out of those, it would be a God-thing, because these are totally cold-call situations.
I am flying out Saturday to another church to fill in for their current worship leader. He is going to the Zoe Conference. It should be a lot of fun. This particular church has a long history of great singers. They have four worship teams (that's 32 singers) that rotate throughout the month. I look forward to it.
I am eager to hear back from the first church I visited. They have told me I will not learn of my standing until after Oct. 15. I believe they have someone else coming in to interview for the position (Chief of Staff). I've learned that since my interview, the teaching pastor (pulpit guy) has resigned, so that makes two positions open. I know of a third who will be resigning soon, so that will make things very unstable for the time being. This is a great church, averaging 100 baptisms each quarter. I pray that God will continue to sustain them through these tough times.
More later...
I am flying out Saturday to another church to fill in for their current worship leader. He is going to the Zoe Conference. It should be a lot of fun. This particular church has a long history of great singers. They have four worship teams (that's 32 singers) that rotate throughout the month. I look forward to it.
I am eager to hear back from the first church I visited. They have told me I will not learn of my standing until after Oct. 15. I believe they have someone else coming in to interview for the position (Chief of Staff). I've learned that since my interview, the teaching pastor (pulpit guy) has resigned, so that makes two positions open. I know of a third who will be resigning soon, so that will make things very unstable for the time being. This is a great church, averaging 100 baptisms each quarter. I pray that God will continue to sustain them through these tough times.
More later...
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Google Earth
I've spent a majority of my time online in the past two weeks either looking for job opportunities or searching for real estate. Most of the real estate sites generally include a map feature with their listing, and I've been using them.
Recently, I listening to a local tech-talk show on the radio and they were singing the praises of Google Earth. I decided to give it a try. WOW! This is an amazing program. It allows you to zoom in (from space, mind you) to any address you list. You can even tilt and rotate the axis of view 360 degrees.
Want to fly around the Eiffel Tower? Big Ben in London? The Grand Canyon? All of these are open for viewing on Google Earth. Or you can do something as simple as look at your backyard. For the fun of it, I started at my house and navigated the 15 minute drive to my children's school using the direction buttons. It was liking driving to school watching myself from above.
There's another program that I also downloaded called Google Sketchup. This allows you to create 3-D models of anything you'd like. You can then print them, export them for use in other programs, or even import it into Google Earth to give your home or office a 3-D presence. I haven't dug into it yet, but it looks great.
I plan on making a model of our house, and then trying different colors on the outside to see what looks best so we can paint. A little curb appeal goes a long way!
Recently, I listening to a local tech-talk show on the radio and they were singing the praises of Google Earth. I decided to give it a try. WOW! This is an amazing program. It allows you to zoom in (from space, mind you) to any address you list. You can even tilt and rotate the axis of view 360 degrees.
Want to fly around the Eiffel Tower? Big Ben in London? The Grand Canyon? All of these are open for viewing on Google Earth. Or you can do something as simple as look at your backyard. For the fun of it, I started at my house and navigated the 15 minute drive to my children's school using the direction buttons. It was liking driving to school watching myself from above.
There's another program that I also downloaded called Google Sketchup. This allows you to create 3-D models of anything you'd like. You can then print them, export them for use in other programs, or even import it into Google Earth to give your home or office a 3-D presence. I haven't dug into it yet, but it looks great.
I plan on making a model of our house, and then trying different colors on the outside to see what looks best so we can paint. A little curb appeal goes a long way!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
In the Beginning
For everything there is a beginning. I suppose this one is as good as any.
I find myself at another new beginning as well. A new blog is one thing, but a new job is something else. I'm in that period everyone hates, knowing you need a new employer but not knowing who that might be just yet.
Will I stay right here in Corpus Christi and continue to work for CFF or whatever it becomes? Stay and switch churches? How about a move to Amarillo? Maybe Midland? Pheonix? San Diego? My wife and I pray that God will provide clarity. We know what would be easiest. We know what would be the most fun. What we don't know is where God wants to use us.
Yes, I'm sure He will use us for His glory wherever we wind up. Personally, I would like to be in the place where He can use us best. I really don't want to settle for something because it's all that's left, or some other rather lame reason.
God, please make it clear.
I find myself at another new beginning as well. A new blog is one thing, but a new job is something else. I'm in that period everyone hates, knowing you need a new employer but not knowing who that might be just yet.
Will I stay right here in Corpus Christi and continue to work for CFF or whatever it becomes? Stay and switch churches? How about a move to Amarillo? Maybe Midland? Pheonix? San Diego? My wife and I pray that God will provide clarity. We know what would be easiest. We know what would be the most fun. What we don't know is where God wants to use us.
Yes, I'm sure He will use us for His glory wherever we wind up. Personally, I would like to be in the place where He can use us best. I really don't want to settle for something because it's all that's left, or some other rather lame reason.
God, please make it clear.
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