Missional Worship

http://www.vimeo.com/5514321
If you didn't go to the retreat this weekend...this sums it up.
Listen to it. It is missional worship.

Worship Retreat - Free Book!

Hey everybody,

Don't forget to sign up for the Worship Retreat (Sept. 25-26). The link to the registration form is on the right side of the page underneath the top picture. If you register for the retreat, you will receive a free copy of the book, "Let the Nations Be Glad." Register ASAP and we will see you at the retreat!

Choir Singing

Hey Choir!

This is a reminder that we are singing THIS SUNDAY, August 9. We are singing I Will Trust You out of the Glorious Day book. Also, on August 23 we are singing You Never Let Go and God is Love out of the Glorious Day book. For both of these Sundays, we are singing in both AM services. We will see you at 7:59am Sunday morning on the choir risers!

The Heart of a Lead Worshiper: No Stale Worship Allowed

We get up on stage. We lead the congregation in singing songs. We pray. We give praise to God for all that He has blessed us with. Sunday in and Sunday out, it’s the same story, the same routine. We may do things a bit differently from week to week, but for the most part we stick to a schedule. So it would seem like we’re headed toward a trail of routine, motions, and boredom. However, it doesn’t have to be so. So I pose the question: how does a lead worshiper keep an on-fire worship service from going stale?

One way to do this is found all throughout Scripture. Keep a new-minded perspective on your worship ministry. We are new creatures in Christ. Therefore, our worship should reflect that life transformation we have experienced. Look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5: “¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” God has not called us to just keep doing what we’ve always been doing. Our culture changes. Our communicating language changes from generation to generation. We have to continue to find new ways to minister to our congregation through our ministry. It doesn’t even have to be new. It can be old that is refreshed into something different. This can be done musically and in how you present worship. The Psalmist says, “¹Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. ²Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. ³Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. ⁴For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.”

Another crucial part of keeping worship fresh is our focus. We have to realize that it’s not about what we need or desire. Our worship shouldn’t be based off of how well we do things or how well the congregation responds. Our calling is to serve God and God alone. We are there to proclaim His glory and not our own. When we allow little things to get in the way of allowing us to freely worship in leading others, what we do becomes about us. It becomes playing/performing and not worshipping. We must take time as leaders to first prepare our hearts spiritually before we can spiritually lead a congregation. The more prepared we are to lead in worship, the more willing the congregation will be to follow and respond in worship.

In the end, we must realize that worship is a lifestyle. Worship is seeing every day as a new day in Christ and living each new day for the glory of God. Worship is not just going through the motions. Worship is an attitude of the heart that flows through everything we do. As we lead and as we minister, we must remember that we are to be “an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity”(I Timothy 4:12). Through these things we lead others not just to another church service, but we lead them to the throne of Christ in a new and amazing way because Christ is the One who has made all things new day after day.

Post written by Richard Shive

Worship Retreat

Hey everyone!

The Worship Retreat is just around the corner. On September 25-26, all members of the choir, praise team and worship band, and anyone else interested in our worship ministry here at Parkway, is invited to come out to the Airfield for our annual worship retreat! It is an overnight retreat where we will spend time learning new songs, singing new vocal parts, and practicing for our Fall musical. But more importantly, it will be a great time of fellowship, prayer, and bible study as a body of worshipful believers! Cost is $45. There is a link on the right side of the blog (towards the top of the page) that will lead you to a website to register for the event. If you have any questions, contact Derek or Jonathan at the Parkway office (804-639-2236).

Thanks and we will see you there!

August Praise Teams

Hey Praise Teams,

Hope you are all doing well!

For the month of August, the Nissi team is singing at the 8:30am service and the Ecclessia team is singing at the 11am service. In case you don't know what team you are on, the list is on the right hand side of the blog. This Sunday coming up is the first Sunday in August, so you are all on for this Sunday. We'll see you Sunday morning!

God Bless

Watch this sermon by Dr. David Platt at the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention. It will move you to worhsip by obeying the commands of God to meet the spiritual needs of the 4.5 billion lost people and meet the physical needs of the 16,000 children who die each day from starvation. Here is the link: http://viewers.316networks.com/viewer/viewerframes_parent.asp?b=&p=&WMP=1&WMPv=7&RPIE=1&sp=&networkID=3002236&gid=0&MsoID=3000005&CategoryID=1002208&rnd=705&odcid=6401101

God and Countries Day

Hey everyone!

Don't forget that this Sunday, July 5, is God and Countries Day. We will be celebrating and recognizing our service men and women as well as commissioning all our summer mission teams. Also, all the tithes and offerings collected on this day will go to support international missionaries. Come at 9:00 for our annual tailgate - the service starts at 10:30. Don't miss out and we'll see you then!

Majestic

Hey Praise Teams,

We are doing a new song on Sunday. The song is called "Majestic" by Lincoln Brewster. If you click on the first video over on the right hand side, you'll see/hear a decent YouTube video of the song. Be listening to it for Sunday. See you all tomorrow night for Choir practice!!

P.S. Don't forget that tomorrow night, rehearsal is from 7:30pm-9:00pm (because of the Pancake Dinner).

This Sunday

Hey everyone!

This Sunday is the first Sunday of June so the Praise Teams are switching.  This month the Ecclessia Praise Team is on for the 8:30am service and the Nissi Praise Team is on for the 11am service.  The lists of who is on which Praise Team are displayed on the right side of the blog.  Since we do not have practice this week (for either Praise Team or Choir), I am putting two links to YouTube videos of two of the songs we are doing on Sunday: Be Glorified, and Change My Heart Oh God.  The other songs we are doing are One Way, It Is You, and Holy is the Lord.  Also don't forget that the choir is singing this Sunday as well (Heaven On My Mind) so be listening to your CD's!

Here are the links:

Be Glorified,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3SM73aB5Sc&feature=related

Change My Heart Oh God,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM

(You can stop after 1:35 on this one, because we aren't singing the last segment that they do on the video)

Hope you all are having a blessed week!  

P.S. Don't forget about the Missions Benefit Concert this Saturday, 6:00pm at Parkway!

Student Sunday

Hey everyone,

Just reminding you all that this Sunday is Student Sunday (May 24). The regular praise teams and worship band will not be singing/playing during the service this Sunday, but we're back on for the 31st.

Have an awesome day!

Made Me Glad

Hey Praise Team!

Check out this YouTube video of Hillsong singing Made Me Glad.  We are doing this song on Sunday morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCmBTV08ylc

Have a blessed day and we'll see you tonight for choir and Sunday for worship!

Missions Benefit Concert

Come out on Saturday, June 6 at 6:00pm to hear some Bluegrass music by the group Code Blue.  Jonathan and Derek are going to open for them, so don’t miss out!  Tickets are $5 each.  You can buy tickets at the Missions table, through a Romania or Bangladesh missions team member, or you can email Derek Futrell at dfutrell@parkwayfamily.org or Sarah DeJarnette at SDeJarnette@imb.org.   Food and Childcare will be provided.

10 Principles for Worship Ministry Members

1. You are not Singing or Playing Because You are Good: You have been given this opportunity by God because He is good. His grace has allowed you to represent Him in spite of your imperfections. Eph. 2:4-10; Titus 3:5.

2. Being Seen or Recognized is not Your Ultimate Goal: God always sees you and recognizes you. Our ultimate goal is for Christ to be seen. John 3:30.

3. God is a God of Order, not Confusion: You will be expected to be punctual, professional, accountable, dependable, and flexible according to the needs of this ministry. Structure and order are essentials to giving our best to God. I Cor. 14:40; Rom. 12:11.

4. Your Music will not be What Determines Your Success: Millions of people can produce great music. God once made a donkey talk! Your success will be dependent only on your love for God, people, and each other. The Biblical definition of greatness is servant-hood: I John 3:23; John 13:1-17; Phil.1:9-11.

5. Participation in this Ministry is not a Substitute for Bible Study, Tithing, or Serving as God Leads in other Necessary Functions of the Church: Your personal spiritual growth depends on your relationship with a good church. Your ongoing fellowship, sacrificial giving and consistent Bible study will enable you to properly relate and contribute to the movement and ministry of this church. Hebrews 10:24-25.

6. Your Participation in this Ministry Makes You a Minister: People will look to you for advice and example. If you lead them astray by word or deed, you will be held responsible for their sin. If you lead them to Jesus, he will reward you. There is no in-between. Also, remain mindful that you are involved in spiritual warfare. I Cor. 15:33, 58; II Cor. 4: 1-6; I Cor 1:23; Ezekiel 33:6; Eph. 6:12; I Thess. 5:22.

7. You are not the Stars: The star of this ministry is Jesus Christ. When you lose sight of that fact, you become a liability to the group. II Cor. 4:5; Col. 1:18

8. God Deserves Our Best: God gave His best through Christ, and everything He does is perfect. We therefore show our appreciation by giving our best back to Him. Specifically, this means getting proper rest, rehearsing faithfully, dressing appropriately, speaking intelligently, and anything else that will represent Him properly. Genesis 4:4-5; Matt. 5:16.

9. Confess Your Faults: Nobody is perfect. No need to make lame excuses. If you choose to stay away from your commitment because of something other than a legitimate reason, ask God to give you the inner strength to follow through, even when it's hard; OR come back when you can stick with it. Let someone know when you have a real problem, and let's all pray about it. We are all in this together. James 5:16.

10. Support Each Other & Your Leaders: Pastor Brian, Pastor Derek, and Jonathan are the leaders of this ministry under our ultimate leader, Jesus. Many of you are leaders within this ministry and in other avenues of life. Good leaders have learned to be good followers. God has given them talent and vision. You are responsible for constructively supporting them. If you feel that this is no longer possible, please be Christian and mature enough to let them know directly. Also, when you have a concern, criticism, or comment, please extend the same courtesy of direct honest communication. I Tim. 2:1-3.

Adapted by Derek Futrell for Parkway Baptist Church from a memo written by evangelist Buster Soaries to the members of the BeBe and CeCe Winans touring group.

Your Name

Praise Teams,
Click on this link and it will bring you to a YouTube video of Your Name by Paul Baloche (which we are singing this Sunday).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5i2pELpqBg

Also, if you are still unfamiliar with the song "God is Great," check out the videos on the right hand side for a demonstration.

See you Sunday!

Dates to Remember

Hey Praise & Worship Teams & Celebration Choir!
Just some quick reminders for you all to keep in mind... The Student Band/Praise Team will be leading worship on May 24 and June 28. The regular worship team will not be singing/playing on those dates. Also, keep in mind that there is a bluegrass benefit concert (for missions) on June 6. Don't miss the opportunity to help out Parkway's mission endeavors while enjoying some great music. We'll see you there! (Don't forget that Jonathan and Derek are opening that night!)

Also, God and Countries Day is going to be on July 5, so mark it on your calendars now. This is also when we will be commissioning all of our summer mission teams. We will need a full worship band, praise team, and choir. The choir has begun rehearsing for this day, so don't miss Wednesday night rehearsals at 8:00 upstairs in the Family Life Center.

Have a blessed day!

Choir Sings

Hello Choir!

The next time we are singing is Sunday, May 17 during both services.  We are singing I'm Amazed from the Brooklyn Tab books.  Please wear khaki pants and a bright colored top.  We'll rehearse for this every Wednesday night until then, so we'll see you on Wednesdays for rehearsal and on Sunday, May 17 at 7:59 on the choir risers!

May Praise Teams

Hey everyone!

This is just a reminder of who's on Praise Team for the month of May

8:30 service = Selah

Wendy Morris, Katie Stagg, Kathy Camire, Jane Nales, Jonathan Braun, Steve Clarke

11:00 service = Maranatha

Melissa Futrell, Katie Chumley, Susan Watts, Candi Sheppard, Mark Lemmon, Jonathan Braun

See you Sunday morning!!