The Messenger - July 30, 2007
Pastor Neal's
NotesVideo in Church: A Work in Progress
By
the time you read this
article, our church will be filled with well over 100 young children
who are learning about the great heroes of our faith. The theme for
this year is based upon "Spy Kids," a very popular family
film released in 2001. But we just don't follow the movie, we follow
God's work in Scripture to discover the great secrets of our faith.
If you attended worship on July 15 or 22, you might recall that I have also been using films (actually, very small clips from films) to compare the great heroes of the Bible with the heroes that we see in the movies. This has been a fun project, but it has also been quite a challenge to adjust the sound a lighting of our sanctuary for film clips. I really appreciate those of you who have given feedback on this effort, and I promise that we are working hard to drive out all the "bugs." I also promise to go rather "easy" on these efforts until the process is more smooth.
One
of the things I love
about this church is your willingness to try new things--like Alpha
and small groups and creative experiments in worship. I also
appreciate your willingness to tell me what works (and doesn't work)
for you. We are trying video clips because we understand that they
are very appealing to young people (especially those who are not yet
comfortable in church), and we'd love to see more young people
joining us in church. But we certainly don't want to alienate the
fabulous senior citizens who have served God here for years. And
we know that hearing loss is major burden in those years. Thus, we
need to work quite carefully here.
Summer is a great time to experiment with technology in the front of the church because we do not have a seated choir there. When fall comes, I expect that most of these experiments will end, but the lessons that we will learn could serve us well for years. Thus, I thank you for your patience. Correct us when we need it, encourage us when you can, and pray for us to meet the many challenges that church leadership requires today.
God bless you!
Neal
July / August Weekly Calendar Highlights
Monday 30 Vacation Bible School begins 9am - 12:30pm
Tuesday 31 Vacation Bible School 9am - 12:30pm
VBS Family Picnic at Bogdonovich Park 1:30pm
Beachcomber Beta Group 2:30pm
Wednesday 01 Breakfast Club Bible Study at Carrow's 7am
Vacation Bible School 9am - 12:30pm
VBS youth volunteer pool party at the Lloyd home 1 - 4pm
Voyagers 6:30pm
Prayer Fellowship 7pm
No Jr. High Fellowship this evening
Thursday 02 Vacation Bible School 9am - 12:30pm
VBS Family Beach Party at Cabrillo Beach 1:30pm
No Board of Deacons meeting today
Friday 03 Tennis & Breakfast 8:15am
Vacation Bible School 9am - 12:30pm
Post-VBS potluck dinner 6pm
Youth Hang-Out 7:30- 9:30pm
Saturday 04 Double Header for Co-ed Church League Softball at El Nido Park in Torrance 1pm
Sunday 05 Annual Outrigger Pancake Breakfast 7:30 - 9:15am
Worship 9:30am August is special music selections month. Prepare for surprises!
Harvest Crusade - Van leaves church at 4pm
Remember these are just the Highlights... Call the church office if you need details 310-832-7597
Help!
The Messenger needs your help.
If you know of, or are part of, an unofficial group of church members who gather for any reason on a regular basis (i.e. Bridge, Tennis, Walking, Book Discussion, etc.) and you are open to new people joining you, we'd like to know about your group.
Just send Eric an email with the vitals of your group:
- who your point
of
contact is,
- what you do,
- where
- when.
Thank you in advance!
Spotlight on: Membership Commission
In issue number one of the Messenger we examined the Session and saw that most of their work is done through commissions. They are the incubators for new ideas and the forum for discussing how things happen. The chairperson of each commission is a member of Session, and the rest of the commission is drawn from the congregation. Anyone is welcome to join a commission (except Nominating), just contact the chairperson to learn about meeting times.
This week we look at Membership Commission. In order to help you understand what Membership Commission is all about, we interviewed Cam Beck - Chairperson of Membership.
The Messenger: Thanks for taking the time to talk to everyone. What exactly is it that Membership does?
Cam: You're welcome. The Membership Commission's primary duties involve two things. First, we act as a liaison between the semi-social organizations of the church, i.e. Deacons, Voyagers, Outriggers, Athletic Ministries, etc., and the Session. Then secondly, we oversee and plan events like the All Church Picnic and the All Church Family Camp. By the way, we still need someone to plan and lead Family Camp. So, if anyone is interested in doing that, they can contact me. Yes, that is a shameless plug!
The Messenger: Shameless plugs are half the reason we're spotlighting the commissions, so no worries there. Where would you like to see Membership go in the future?
Cam: I'd like to diversify and intensify what we do, but for that we'd need more commission members.
The Messenger: Diversify in what way?
Cam: I'd like to see us be able to create additional support and fellowship groups within the church.
The Messenger: What possible forms do you see the support groups taking?
Cam: Ideally they would be Christian based accountability and support groups that might handle things like grief support, weight loss, or general addiction recovery.
The Messenger: Do you really see a need for recovery support at First Pres?
Cam: Over the years I have become more and more aware of the havoc addictions can or have caused in the lives of members or their families, even my family has not gone untouched. More than that, I see a very wounded segment of the San Pedro community that could really use the love of Christ and the 12 steps. We could provide that. I see it as both very do-able and a great way to let the community know we're here.
The Messenger: This has been a great interview. Thank you very much for sharing your time and thoughts on the Membership Commission with our readers.
Cam: You're welcome any time.
Again, if you are interested in working with the Membership Commission, contact Cam Beck. Or if you like, you may simply show up at a meeting. Membership meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the fourth and fifth grade classroom.
We'll continue looking closely at each of the Commissions in coming weeks. Stay tuned. Be informed. Get involved.
Random Fact of the Week
Contrary to popular belief, It was not actually Delilah that cut off Samson's hair. Delilah made Samson sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.
((Wow! That Samson must have slept like the dead!))
On-line Bible Helps
Bible -- Many translations available.
http://www.biblegateway.com/
Bible Dictionary
http://www.online-dictionary.net/bible/index.php
Bible History
http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/
Mp3 Audio Bible -- Soak your brain in the Word.
http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html
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Page Last Updated: Sat Aug 4, 2007