Weekend Worship Review 2/22

I introduced another song that I wrote.  As a songwriter, it is exciting to see people catch on to a song and hear them sing it to the Lord.  People seemed to pick it up quickly, which is how I intended the song to be.  When I write a worship song where the goal is congregational participation, it is important to keep in mind the “accessibility” of the song.  On other songs that I have written which I intend to sing myself, the phrasing and melody will be more suited to my own voice.  Also, I might be more personal on the subject of the song or it’s meaning, but for worship I don’t want people spending lots of time trying to figure out what they saying to the Lord because I wrote the song about how God provided for a specific situation in my life.  Although people can relate to provision, the song is about me.  I’m trying to give a group of believers a voice to express worship to God.  I also don’t want people trying to hit notes that when they try to sing they thinking, “man, my vocal cords are gonna break if I have to sing that on the second verse!”.  I’m also not going to write in a long instrumental break between verses because I thought it was a SWEET chord progression, while everyone is thinking, “how much longer ’till I’m supposed to sing again…I just want to sing to the Lord!”.  Anyway, these are some of the ramblings of a songwriter trying to do his best at helping the church express worship to God in song.  I’ll try to post an acoustic version of the song.  Here’s the set this past week:

1. Sing to the King
2. Greeting
3. Announcements/Offering
4. Update on St. Vincent Church planting (Pastor Al Blake)
5. Yours (We introduced a new song to the church that I wrote)
6. Scripture reading: 1 John 2:15-17 (esv)
7. Be Thou My Vision (I wrote a simple flute line for the verses, worked good!)
8. How Great Is Our God
9. Message: Pastor Dan (series: Worldliness)
10. Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus (no band, just Joe on acoustic)

Weedend Worship 10/26

Communion this week!

Acoustic Set
The Wonderful Cross
There Is a fountain
Nothing But the blood (Redman)
Jesus, Thank You

I asked people to come and share scriptures that about the cross in between the songs.  It was great to hear the word of God really focus our time of worship.  Communion IS about remembering the work of Christ on the cross.

Message
Reflection
Bread & Juice

w/Band
Blessed Be Your Name

Weekend Review 10/12

1.  Come Christians Join to Sing
Carribean Worship set (Nigel leads)
2.  Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
3.  This is the Day / He Has Made Me Glad
Greeting
Announcements
4.  I Stand Amazed
Scripture Reading:  Psalm 91:1-4,14-16 (Juli leads)
5.  Never Let Go (Joe reads Rom. 8:28-35: 37-39 after bridge then sing chorus again)
6. Worthy Is the Lamb
Message:  Pastor Al (Gen. 40)
7.  Never Let Go

Pastor Al’s brother Nigel was visiting from the island of St. Vincent in the Carribean.  He’s a worship leader down there.  I had him lead some songs.  It was great!  He led from the drums.  I love that we were able to experience worship from another culture.  I think it’s so good for us to realize that none of us have the “edge” on a particular style of worship.  We worshipped God with Reggae…It was a highlight for me as a worship leader.

Weekend Worship 5/18 – too professional?

It is incredible how time flies.  I really think it is helpful for other worship leaders to post their service orders for ideas and encouragement, so I will continue to do that even though I’ve missed about a month!

So I really believe that many churches today are run with too much of a “professional” philosophy which can give the idea that the congregation is just a spectator on Sunday.  Sometimes a testimony time can be somewhat “scary” if the right people are given a mic.  However, I think it is important to build elements into the service that combat this an elitist idea.  Here is one that we used this weekend.  We put a mic up front and I asked people to share scriptures that God is using in their life to challenge/encourage them.  I asked them to begin lining up at the mic during the song.  They began to share after the song.  It turned out to be a very encouraging time!  Some just read straight from the Word and others shared how the Holy Spirit had used a passage in their life.  This was a great way for people to worship God by sharing the power of His Word in their lives.

1. Your Great Name We Praise

2. Forever

Greeting

Explain Mutual Ministry through the Scriputre

Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:1-7

3. The Wonderful Cross

Mutual Ministry through the Scipture (mic up front)

4. There is None Like You

Message: Pastor Dan

Offering/Announcements

5. Lord Most High

 

Weekend Worship 4/6

I’m still getting into the habit of blogging so I’m a little late with this weekend review, but I wanted to write about it because I felt like it was one of the worship times that will stick in my mind for some time.  

Pastor Dan is preaching through the book of Genesis and we were heading into chapter 4 (Cain and Abel’s offering).  Every once in a while my pastor has encouraged me to do a moment of pastoral care.  So about the middle of the set we sang “Offering” (Paul Baloche).  With the piano playing softly, I then encouraged our people with the fact that when we come to worship God, our ultimate goal is not to get, but to give ourselves in whole-hearted abandon as an offering.  I reminded us that it is a privilege to worship God and that he deserves not just our lips, not just our minds, not just our emotions, but all of it together!  He wants our best whole-hearted offering when we come to worship Him.  I then asked everyone to sing the Chorus of offering again, but this time I asked them to lift their hands to God symbolizing that they offer every part of their being to Him. 

This was an awesome site to see all of our people singing with their hands raised (even those who normally don’t feel comfortable raising their hands) abandoning themselves in worship to God!  I wish I could have taken a picture from the stage and recorded the authenticity in their voices as they sang.  By the end of our service, I saw people more engaged to sing and worship.  It was the best rendition of “Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” (M. Redman) that I have ever been a part of to close out the service.  I want to continue to prod our people to become more comfortable to worship God with their whole being.  Whoo!  It’s a great privilege to worship our God!

“Come, Now Is the Time to Worship”

“Your Great Name We Praise”

Greeting

Offering/Announcements

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8 (Patty leads)

“I Bring an Offering”

Pastoral Care (Offering our whole being in worship) Joe leads

“I Bring an Offering” (Chorus 2x’s)

“Come Thou Fount”

“Indescribable”

Message: Pastor Dan

“Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” (Redman) (Juli leads)

Weekend Worship

We had a really great service.  Our people really love to worship together.  “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” was a great way to end the set.  I thought we had a really balanced set this week.  We are going through the book of Genesis so the last three songs before the message really allowed us to go from seeing our God as Creator, yet personal, to singing an anthem for the Almighty King of creation.  I really like reading corporate prayers also, especially when they are pastorally written.  It’s like we’re all praying in one accord, with one mind. Awesome!

1.  I Sing the Mighty Power of God
2. Everlasting God
3. Greeting
4. Scripture Reading: Col. 1:15-20
5. He Knows My Name
6. Corporate Prayer – We read a prayer written by our pastor
7.  Wonderful Maker
8. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Hallelujah)
9. Message – Pastor Dan
10. Enough