Three weeks into the revamped Connections worship service, I've a few impressions I would like to share.
Strong Attendance--We're averaging about ninety-two participants each week. That's an outstanding beginning. Guests are joining us in each service as well. We're trying to make contact with each guest, while not making a nusiance of ourselves.
A Hard-Working Team--The planning team has met weekly to talk through ideas for each service. The readings, video clips, drama/monologues, lighting, props and a good bit of the music we've experienced have emerged from these conversations. The worship team and others meet each week to rehearse as well. Our greeters and ushers have been in their places on time, warmly welcoming both members and guests. Connections Worship is a team effort.
More to Come--Phil Potratz and Vickie Willis will soon start to put together our Connect Teams, groups with a mission to connect to guests and members and build fellowship. If you are interested in helping, contact either Phil or Vickie. Don't be too surprised if one of them calls you.
We're also planning the next sermon series, looking toward a service built around the Lord's Supper, and thinking about Advent (yes, it will be here before you know it!).
A Request--Pray that the worship services will continue to glorify God and reach additional persons for God. Take personal responsiblity to meet and get to know guests (or even members you've not met yet). Arrive early and stay late each week. Partnering with one another, and never forgetting to rely upon God, we will connect with God, one another, and God's work in the world.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
A New Look, A New Group.
The Connections Worship Service has a new logo!
In designing the logo, I took into consideration the principles we are focusing on in the Connections Service and did quite a lot of research, thought and prayer before I decided on the visual approach to take.
In the Connections Worship Service, we desire to Connect to God, each other and the community.
I used the circle of people to show our connection to each other. It is also a symbol that I believe shows fellowship. I chose to have the word "Connections" reaching outside the bounds of the circle to show openness within the group and a desire to reach out and connect to the community. Since God is very difficult to portray visually and even harder to confine to a logo, I decided to have the connection with God implied. I felt that including "First Baptist Church Murfreesboro" within the circle of fellowship both implies a spiritual connection and gives the sense of place and belonging.
In addition to a new logo, the Connections Worship Service now has a Google Group. Along with the blog, it should provide a good place for everyone involved with Connections to get to know each other better. It will also provide a central location for discussion about many different topics. Check it out here.
Thomas Williamson
In designing the logo, I took into consideration the principles we are focusing on in the Connections Service and did quite a lot of research, thought and prayer before I decided on the visual approach to take.
In the Connections Worship Service, we desire to Connect to God, each other and the community.
I used the circle of people to show our connection to each other. It is also a symbol that I believe shows fellowship. I chose to have the word "Connections" reaching outside the bounds of the circle to show openness within the group and a desire to reach out and connect to the community. Since God is very difficult to portray visually and even harder to confine to a logo, I decided to have the connection with God implied. I felt that including "First Baptist Church Murfreesboro" within the circle of fellowship both implies a spiritual connection and gives the sense of place and belonging.
In addition to a new logo, the Connections Worship Service now has a Google Group. Along with the blog, it should provide a good place for everyone involved with Connections to get to know each other better. It will also provide a central location for discussion about many different topics. Check it out here.
Thomas Williamson
Thursday, June 26, 2008
CBF
Thomas and I went to CBF assembly and a family reunion last week. I like a lot of things about the assembly. I enjoyed the combination of different types of music (choir, contemporary, jazz, varied instruments, etc) and the use of different forms of art such as dance and sign language. I also loved the inclusive feel of age and gender along with the representatives from the world who joined in the worship. It felt so very open and loving that it inspires me to see the local church reflect that diversity.
I think my favorite speaker was Chuck Poole (a pastor from Mississippi I think). He gave short little monologues at each service about what it means to build bridges. My favorite story was when he told of taking food and water to group of people who were homeless and staying in an abandoned house. He said one the men wanted to know what church he was from. Chuck pointed out that this man understood church by what the church is!!
How often do we lose that focus. I was touched, because I knew that this wasn't an empty illustration. I have meet those who also identify church by the actions of people both good and bad. I'm sure we all have.
The family reunion was good. We made Thomas's grandmother very happy by being there for her and that made even the drive the Mississippi worth it!
I think my favorite speaker was Chuck Poole (a pastor from Mississippi I think). He gave short little monologues at each service about what it means to build bridges. My favorite story was when he told of taking food and water to group of people who were homeless and staying in an abandoned house. He said one the men wanted to know what church he was from. Chuck pointed out that this man understood church by what the church is!!
How often do we lose that focus. I was touched, because I knew that this wasn't an empty illustration. I have meet those who also identify church by the actions of people both good and bad. I'm sure we all have.
The family reunion was good. We made Thomas's grandmother very happy by being there for her and that made even the drive the Mississippi worth it!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
vacation
I am looking forward to the rest of the summer with great anticipation and a huge desire for it to slow down and last as long as possible. Summer is such a unique time of the year when your not in school and it has been a long time since I have not had school commitments.
Thomas and I plan to go to Memphis to the CBF assembly next weekend and then go to his grandmother's to visit. I also will hopefully be starting a part-time church position at a small church. I hope to maybe get away from work a few more times this summer for short trips to unknown places and to find time for the multiple fun house projects that I have in mind.
I am also reading fiction...as much and as quickly as possible. I have to make up for all I have missed from school reading.
Please post your summer plans and trip information. I would love to know what everyone else is doing. I hope it's fun!!
Thomas and I plan to go to Memphis to the CBF assembly next weekend and then go to his grandmother's to visit. I also will hopefully be starting a part-time church position at a small church. I hope to maybe get away from work a few more times this summer for short trips to unknown places and to find time for the multiple fun house projects that I have in mind.
I am also reading fiction...as much and as quickly as possible. I have to make up for all I have missed from school reading.
Please post your summer plans and trip information. I would love to know what everyone else is doing. I hope it's fun!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Wow.
I was talking to a peer the other day about how churches have a certain act of service that they give to the community in which they exist. One church may have an awesome music ministry, another may have an incredible foreign missions department, or one may be geared towards children. First Baptist Murfreesboro has the unbelievable ability to make one feel "at home" and part of a loving community. Let me explain a few things.
When I first came to Murfreesboro, I was a college student wanting to find a home church where I could be active in helping others and serving in some capacity. I found a church where 400+ college students gathered one day out of the week and worshiped to great music. This setting would have been appealing to me if I would have been a little more noticed. Each week we had to wear a name tag so that people would know who we are. I wanted to be used, appreciated, and accepted into a larger whole. The fact that I had to wear a name tag told me that they had not learned my name after some time. The name tag wearing crowd never went below the surface of "Hello, how are you?" and I found myself looking for a new church after a year and a half of membership there.
Luckily I found First Baptist Murfreesboro soon after that. I went to the Connections worship hour and a younger married couple started talking to me. This was something I had been looking for in the previous church experience. Later I found myself eating at this couple's house and being asked to participate with some reading parts during the worship service. I felt like I finally had a home. The Connections family had made me feel that I was a part of something, and that is what I feel is the special gift of the Connections congregation.
This Connections worship service is coming into a new season. The upcoming Sabbatical gives us time to hear your feedback and plan any changes that you might want to make things better in the service. We welcome your input as active participants in the 11:00 service at First Baptist Murfreesboro.
When I first came to Murfreesboro, I was a college student wanting to find a home church where I could be active in helping others and serving in some capacity. I found a church where 400+ college students gathered one day out of the week and worshiped to great music. This setting would have been appealing to me if I would have been a little more noticed. Each week we had to wear a name tag so that people would know who we are. I wanted to be used, appreciated, and accepted into a larger whole. The fact that I had to wear a name tag told me that they had not learned my name after some time. The name tag wearing crowd never went below the surface of "Hello, how are you?" and I found myself looking for a new church after a year and a half of membership there.
Luckily I found First Baptist Murfreesboro soon after that. I went to the Connections worship hour and a younger married couple started talking to me. This was something I had been looking for in the previous church experience. Later I found myself eating at this couple's house and being asked to participate with some reading parts during the worship service. I felt like I finally had a home. The Connections family had made me feel that I was a part of something, and that is what I feel is the special gift of the Connections congregation.
This Connections worship service is coming into a new season. The upcoming Sabbatical gives us time to hear your feedback and plan any changes that you might want to make things better in the service. We welcome your input as active participants in the 11:00 service at First Baptist Murfreesboro.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Connections and Worship—Jim Whitaker
As we work on reforming the Connections service, it made me wonder what it all means. That is connections and worship. Dictionary.com indicates that worship is a “reverent honor and homage paid to God…” “to render religious reverence and homage to [God].” “to feel an adoring reverence or regard for [God]…” and “to attend services of divine worship."
Did you every think about that? “Divine Worship” Worship is an opportunity for us to come closer to God in a dynamic and “divine” experience. Think about what it is that can make worship more “divine” for you; then when you do, let us know. This process is a two-way communication about what we can do to enhance your worship experience as well as your spiritual growth.
Back to dictionary.com, and we find out that connection has a lot of definitions: “the act or state of connection.” “the state of being connected” “association” or “relationship” “a circle of friends or associates or a member of such a circle” or “a religious denomination.”
I find it fascinating when you start to look at words and what they mean. Connections, as we envision it, is a way to connect with the Lord, the church and with the community (in the broadest sense). As a connection (a religious denomination) we are trying to find ways to help you plug into or connect (the act or state of connection) with the Lord, with the church and with the community as a whole. We hope these connections (relationships) will help to strengthen why it is that you are a part of First Baptist Church and the Connections service.
We are looking at ways to help people come together, worship together, spend time together and minister together in a way to transform what it is that we have done in the past and to make connections something you are a part of rather than something you just attend. We sincerely hope that you will visit this blog and comment on things that you think about, talk about or that come about to you. Your input is valuable to us and helps us to move in a positive direction in the reformation of the Connections service.
Pray for us. Talk to us. Help us.
God bless.
Did you every think about that? “Divine Worship” Worship is an opportunity for us to come closer to God in a dynamic and “divine” experience. Think about what it is that can make worship more “divine” for you; then when you do, let us know. This process is a two-way communication about what we can do to enhance your worship experience as well as your spiritual growth.
Back to dictionary.com, and we find out that connection has a lot of definitions: “the act or state of connection.” “the state of being connected” “association” or “relationship” “a circle of friends or associates or a member of such a circle” or “a religious denomination.”
I find it fascinating when you start to look at words and what they mean. Connections, as we envision it, is a way to connect with the Lord, the church and with the community (in the broadest sense). As a connection (a religious denomination) we are trying to find ways to help you plug into or connect (the act or state of connection) with the Lord, with the church and with the community as a whole. We hope these connections (relationships) will help to strengthen why it is that you are a part of First Baptist Church and the Connections service.
We are looking at ways to help people come together, worship together, spend time together and minister together in a way to transform what it is that we have done in the past and to make connections something you are a part of rather than something you just attend. We sincerely hope that you will visit this blog and comment on things that you think about, talk about or that come about to you. Your input is valuable to us and helps us to move in a positive direction in the reformation of the Connections service.
Pray for us. Talk to us. Help us.
God bless.
Monday, June 2, 2008
We Need Your Help
The Connections Ministry Team's goals are simple to describe. (1) Step back and think through the range of support structures needed to support and strengthen the Connections worship service. (2) Recruit, train and deploy men and women to serve in the various roles we identify. (3) Work as a team to imagine and plan worship services that take advantage of the skills among us and the range of resources available in the Christian tradition. (4) Develop various ways of helping Connections Worship participants connect to God, one another, and the broader church.
Other team members might phrase our goals a bit differently, but all of us are committed to dealing with the general areas I've outlined above.
We need your help!
First, please pray for us each day. We've willingly undertaken a large task, and we hope our work will be prove a blessing to many. Still, it's a big job, and we'll have days when we feel a little overwhelmed. We need strength and wisdom from God. Pray that God will guide us, and that we will be senstive to his leadership.
Second, give us the benefit of your suggestions. Perhaps you know of various worship resources, printed or on line. Maybe you have a great idea of how we might help people meet and connect with others. You may be in touch with a mission or ministry project we could undertake, one that would benefit those to whom we ministered and bind us together as well. You may have gifts and skills you want to offer. We want to hear from you. Feel free to post comments on this blog, to send any of the team members emails, write us a note, or simply talk with any of us face to face.
Finally, mark August 3 on your calendars. That's the day we will launch the second edition of Connections worship, put into play various support structures, and renew our commitment to serve God alongside each other.
I look forward to hearing from you throughout the summer.
Other team members might phrase our goals a bit differently, but all of us are committed to dealing with the general areas I've outlined above.
We need your help!
First, please pray for us each day. We've willingly undertaken a large task, and we hope our work will be prove a blessing to many. Still, it's a big job, and we'll have days when we feel a little overwhelmed. We need strength and wisdom from God. Pray that God will guide us, and that we will be senstive to his leadership.
Second, give us the benefit of your suggestions. Perhaps you know of various worship resources, printed or on line. Maybe you have a great idea of how we might help people meet and connect with others. You may be in touch with a mission or ministry project we could undertake, one that would benefit those to whom we ministered and bind us together as well. You may have gifts and skills you want to offer. We want to hear from you. Feel free to post comments on this blog, to send any of the team members emails, write us a note, or simply talk with any of us face to face.
Finally, mark August 3 on your calendars. That's the day we will launch the second edition of Connections worship, put into play various support structures, and renew our commitment to serve God alongside each other.
I look forward to hearing from you throughout the summer.
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