Thoughts from Brunch and Worship

How about sharing some thoughts from brunch and worship today?

A Third Worship Service

A number of us have been speaking about starting a third worship service. I have been praying about it for over two years now.

I'm hoping that this will be another weekly worship service. It is not meant to be an additional service for people to attend, although we can never get enough of worship.

Our primary target audience would be those who cannot attend on Sunday mornings because of a variety of reasons. We have heard from folks who work every or every other Sunday morning and they need a time and place to worship. There are also folks who normally attend worship on Sunday mornings but a few times a year they miss worship all together because of some event that draws them away on Sundays.

An additional audience might be some local pastors and worship leaders who are looking for a place to be in worship rather than leading worship. There is a difference.

Any thoughts about this service? Anything to help us develop the plan for this service?

I have a worship leader praying about serving in this service but would need some additional volunteers to help with the praise team, prayer team, and servers! Let me know.

Use of Video Clips During Worship

In a recent survey or poll, of those who responded the following were the results...

19% would use them every week
33% would use them more often than we currently do
33% think we use them about right
9% think we should use them a little less
4% wouldn't use them at all

What is your opinion?

Music in Worship

How important or impactful is the service's music to your worship of God?

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

How about some feedback on the four sermons on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

05/10 - Ministry is a Team Sport - every member is a minister - 1 Peter 2:9-10

05/17 - So Do I Have a Gift? - how to recognize and use your gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

05/24 - Every Body Part is Special - working together with our different gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

05/31 - Outpouring of Power - would you like that today? - Acts 2:1-21

What feedback concerning the messages and the services would you have?

Remember to identify yourself.

What Is Your Favorite Flavor?

Do you remember when ice cream came mainly in vanilla and chocolate? If you got a bowl of strawberry, that was special. Today, ice cream stores like Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone draw ice cream fans by offering a slew of flavors. I wonder if more people eat ice cream today because there are more options?

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? What flavor would you go out of your way to get?

When I go to my freezer (and the wife is not home) I’ll eat vanilla or chocolate ice cream, if that is what is there. But I would prefer and would go back for more if there were some caramel rocky road, chocolate chip cookie dough, or some Moose tracks. How about you?

Let's assume (and not a perfect correlation) that the worship services we offer are like ice cream, each with its own flavor and distinction. Think with me for a minute. Are there other flavors of worship that might attract more people to Jesus? What if we offered Moose Tracks flavored worship? Would some of us attend more often if the flavor were more to their liking? Would we invite more folk to join us? Could we draw more people to Christ if we offered additional flavors of worship?

What if we offered a flavor of worship that used the music of artists like Michael W.Smith, Rich Mullins, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and others? And then, instead of trying to create a worship service was Neapolitan in flavoring we could offered a service that predominantly used music along the lines of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, AMPED and more. Would we keep and draw more people to Christ by offering different flavors?

What is we offered a Quaker flavor, a Spanish speaking flavor, or a number of other flavors? What about making worship available on other days/times? What about going off-campus for worship? What about linking with other churches to offer a unique flavor?

I need to make something clear if you have lost your way. Ice cream is ice cream. Any worship service we offer will be about Jesus and the truth found in His Word. We will not offer yogurt, sherbert, or low-fat ice cream. Full flavored worship all the time, high calorie!

Having said all of this, I have a question. Is the only reason to start a new worship service (flavor) because we have too many to fit where we meet?

Something to think about today as you go on your way - lol. How about some helpful thoughts?

How do you worship God?

Psalms 103:1 – Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Tell me the ways you worship God.

Worship

Today we looked at David’s worship of God as the Ark – the presence of God – was brought into Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 6:14-15 - 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

Are you excited to be in the presence of God?

Worship

We often talk about worship on Sunday morning. We have awesome worship. But I have a different question.

How have you experienced worship this week - between the worship services?

Things that were of spiritual significance to you?

Using this past Sunday as a model...

What was spiritually significant for you?

What was it that kept you from a more significant place?

Going Deeper with Worship Poll

I want to go deeper with our recent worship poll. I know some have the view that we should not seek opinions about worship. But as in many corporate functions, if you do not seek opinions and strive to address those concerns, you will not reach all of your desired audience. I WILL NOT water down the Word of God, but will tweak the way we present worship. I am of the mindset that there is no perfect way to worship God. If we need to, in order to meet the needs of those who come to Mt. Oak to experience worship, we will offer different services with different styles. We already do with the 8:45 and the 10:30 services. We can ad others.

I sincerely would like to hear your thoughts. Simply giving a grade to the service in a poll is one thing. Giving some concrete reasons for your opinion is more helpful. When I ask my wife each Sunday what she thought of the sermon for instance, she might say it was a good one or not one of your best. My next question always attempts to dig deeper. Why do you have that opinion? What would have made it better?

So far 20% of the respondents said worship Sunday was a 10 our of 10. Some questions to help determine why you would rate the worship that way.

1. Which service did you attend?
2. What was it about the service that made it a 10 for you if you can put your finger on it or describe what was powerful for you?

Another 44% of the respondents said worship Sunday was a 7,8, or 9 out of 10. Some questions to help determine why you would rate the worship that way.

1. Which service did you attend?
2. What was it about the service that made it a 7,8 or 9 for you if you can put your finger on it or describe what was powerful for you?
3. What could have made it better for you? What would have needed to happen or not happen for you to give it a higher grade?

Another 8% of the respondents said worship Sunday was a 2 out of 10. Some questions to help determine why you would rate the worship that way.

1. Which service did you attend?
2. What was it about the service that made it a 2 for you if you can put your finger on it or describe what was powerful for you?
3. What could have made it better for you? What would have needed to happen or not happen for you to give it a higher grade?

So far 28% of the respondents missed worship Sunday.

Announcements

You may have noticed today - if you did not - let me share with you that we are going to reduce if not eliminate making announcements on Sunday morning during worship. The feeling is that our time together is for worship and that announcements break the spirit of worship.

Announcements will be included in your bulletin. They will run on the screen before and after worship. They are online on the web page - http://www.mtoak.org/Documents/Announcements.pdf. If we make any it will be at the start of the service so be here on time or miss them verbally and catch them in the other ways we share them.

Your thoughts?

Awesome Worship

I thought worship today at 10:30 was awesome. I felt the Spirit heavy upon us. I could have stayed all day. The team led us well and I felt as though I was in the throne room of God.

What is your opinion of worship this morning?

Which worship service is best for you?

Which worship service is best for you and why?

What about the 8:45 service works for you? What is it that draws you into worship? Into the presence of God?

What about the 10:30 service works for you? What is it that draws you into worship? Into the presence of God?

How can we improve, in your humble opinion, the worship service you attend, to deepen our worship of God?

Do you look to worship to soothe you or stir you?

Do you look to corporate worship to soothe you or stir you?

Enhance Worship

How can we enhance our worship services?

What ideas would you have to draw us into a deeper worship of God?

What have you seen or experienced at other churches that you would like to see at Mt. Oak?

Are you excited about worship? If so, why? If not, why not?

Leave your thoughts and comments. Remember, if you use the Anonymous option you must leave your name in the post or contact me and let me know who you are (ray@mtoak.org).

Added Worship Service

It is time to debate the pros and the cons of adding a new worship service on Sunday mornings or at some day/time. I love to discuss things and get the bugs out before we approach an idea. I am not saying we are moving next month to do anything but rather talking about it ahead of the moment.

The Question - As we approach 300-350 on a regular basis at 10:30 am service, do we add another worship service or build a new worship center?

To start the ball rolling, here is a suggested Sunday morning schedule, if we add another service.

8:15-9:15 am Traditional Worship in Sanctuary
8:45-10 am Additional Service in Gym
10:30 am -Noon Contemporary Worship in Gym

1. We realize there is a crossover of time in the early services.
2. We believe that adding a third service will automatically increase attendance, and thus add to our base and strengthen our church.
3. We could offer Children's Education at both services in the gym.

To build a new worship center that would hold 1,000 to 1,500 people would cost what? 3 million or more?

Is it more important to worship together (one large worship center) or utilize the facility at additional times while adding to the staff?

Let the discussion begin.

8:15 Worship

I threw out a what if this morning to 8:15 worship.

We have been working hard on improvements for our 10:30 service and even though that will be a continual process we also wanted to work on the 8:15 service. We’re looking for ways to improve the 8:15 service.

One thing I have heard often since I arrived at Mt. Oak was the starting time for the 8:15 service. The what if I put out this morning was – what if – we moved the 8:15 starting time of our traditional service to 9:15? Remember, a what if is only thinking out loud.

I know we have adult education at the same time – and we would need to offer adult education at 8 or at 10:30 for those who attended at 9:15 while offering adult education at 9:15 for those who attend 10:30 – and there are other bugs – but what if?

Sunday School could move to 9:15 and offer an hour of class, 9:15-10:15. Folks who teach children’s church at 10:30 would find it easier to attend worship at 9:15 instead of at 8:15. During the summer, for the early risers, we could offer an 8 am worship service as well – maybe outside when weather permits.

How about some other thoughts?

Comments on Today's Sermon

I don't usually load the gun and point it at myself - but - what did you think of the sermon today? Daniel: Against All Odds. It should be up Sunday night if you wish to listen to it again to give your thoughts.

Be gentle - but give me some feedback!

Praise and Worship Songs

Do you like any of these praise and worship songs?

I Can Only Imagine – Mercy Me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70gwFcSK9k
Show Me Your Glory – Third Day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfZaMOuv2RI
Amazing Grace – Jars of Clay – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjFmOwWp2c
Only a short take
Beautiful One – Jeremy Camp - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acspX34Guu4
Dive – Steven Curtis Chapman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098PwlqHD-o
King of Glory – Third Day- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_36u-TkeQQ
Ancient of Days – Gary Sadler - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBcP1ICgUIM
Alabaster Box – CeCe Winans - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq8VP9osGrg
Glory Defined – Building 429 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZzzVnO1WGA