Easter At Ginghamsburg exceeded my expectations. I experienced a lot of God-Moments, not your every-day kind of Easter Worship Weekend. How about I share some of my highlights from this year’s weekend of celebration?
1. Pics of my grandkids. OK, OK, not part of the worship experience – but since they all live three states away the pics get me through the holidays. So I really have to post them!
2. Collaborative results of added projection and stage design. We rented two additional projectors for the side stage walls. Media Director Dan and I collaborated on just the right stage design to enhance what he planned to project onto these walls. We ended up keeping our scrunched aluminum screen over spray-painted weedcloth. While the images weren’t crystal clear, the effect was textured and engaging.
3. Mud-n-Spit flower sconces. A spur-of-the-moment, “HEY, why not use rolled poster board stapled to the walls for one-use sconces?”
4. Our band singing “Death Was Arrested.”
Oh my gosh this song from NorthPoint is like a tavern song meets worship release.
The second verse words “my orphan heart was given a name” introduced our theme #whenjesuscallsyoubyname.”
Ash was redeemed only beauty remains
My orphan heart was given a name
My mourning grew quiet my feet rose to dance
When death was arrested and my life began
And we used this song to surround…
5. Real stories from people describing their “when Jesus called me by name” moments-
Because Stories. Never. Get. Old.
6. Our 2016 theme! #whenjesuscallsyoubyname
Focusing on John 20’s account of Mary Magdalene at the tomb:
It’s a personal theme – and we supplied name tags to everyone to drive it home.
Best moment of all was when the names unexpectedly filled up the stage walls.
So good.
7. Baptisms!!! 45 at the Tipp Campus and 85 combined campuses.
And my Clark L. Miller got to do a boatload of them!
What’s Easter for if not for mini-resurrections?
8. Using old stage pieces in new ways– take for instance these orange and red rugs we had in the decor loft
– a last minute thought that made the stage floor SNAP.
9. Remembering all over again #whenjesuscalledmebyname
My own Jesus encounter at age 11 that was completely real,
and I was baptized the same day. Magic.
10. And i’m still thinking over the last four sentences of Pastor Mike’s message:
‘You can let go of the dead stuff- whatever needs to change in order to move forward…
because, the tomb is empty-
and Papa’s got this.
Just focus on “the leap!”
Kim, I loved the entire service. Lots of new experiences. I believe adding the two projectors was such a great idea. It was like the people who told their story just jumped out to me. I loved it. The entire service kept my attention. Rusty and the worship team were brilliant. I don’t know how you keep coming up with new things. I’m guessing the Holy Spirit does this for you. Thank you for your hard work, and for shining for Jesus.. Mikes message was wonderful!
Brenda, yes to the Holy Spirit. And thank you 🙂
Saturday night greetings at the front door with the help of the Grandsons, Will and Landon Greene
What a special experience, Reed! Nothing like it!