WORHIP PLANNING

All of my adult life, I lived for Sundays!

I know – sounds kind of strange, unless you’re a pastor!

Not all, but much of my energy was directed toward Sunday when the crowd got together to worship the Lord!

When Sunday was over, I enjoyed Mondays off! I usually would hit the woods for several hours where I spent all my time enjoying nature and talking with the Lord! It was good physical exertion, too! Then, I’d go home and hang out with Debbie and enjoy my family!

Tuesday morning: start planning for the next Sunday! 

• How can I make this passage relevant and understandable to our people?
• What songs will lead us to a right place to be able to communicate our love for God?
• Can I write a drama that would help illustrate this message?
• Is there some way to respectfully use humor to get this point across?
• Who can help with worship this week?
• Who would be just right to read this passage?
• Don’t forget to visit worship team practice and encourage those who help to lead our people in their worship!
• What’s the best way to order things up this week to prevent boredom and keep anticipation high?
• Is there anybody who can illustrate this message because of some circumstances in their life recently?

Staff members were repeatedly instructed about several things:

1. You can have my time anytime during the week, but not on Sunday! This is my time to be with ALL the people!

2. We do NOT evaluate anything we do on Sunday! Bring it to the Tuesday staff meeting. We’ll evaluate it then.

3. Be friendly! Look for new people and model a warm welcome for all our people to see!

4. Pray! Pray! Pray! That people will come to faith in Christ!  That people might be healed!  That relationships will be strengthened. That we will experience the presence of God in worship today!

And do you know what?

God honored all this over and over and over again! I have such amazing memories of rich and meaningful worship throughout the forty-plus years God gave me to lead the church! Many came to faith in Christ! Congregations doubled – even tripled in size! We repeatedly experienced the presence of God! Leaders multiplied and grew in phenomenal ways! Marriages were healed! Prayers were answered! Relationships grew! People came with a spirit of expectation! If I’m really honest, I have to confess that I HAVE MISSED  IT! TERRIBLY! It was my life! Oh, there were tensions and occasional problems, but they were FAR OUTWEIGHED by the rewards and benefits!

But God is always good! Since my retirement in 2017, I have been invited to serve several area Free Methodist Churches for brief seasons.

•          Monacrest – during a pastor’s sabbatical.
•          First FMC, ELO – while waiting for a new pastor to become available.
•          Hookstown FMC – also while waiting for a new pastor to be able to move.
•          The Foundery – an 8-month interim appointment, and
•          Currently serving the Oakland FMC, ELO for a year - where I previously served for thirteen years.

Planning and leading worship throughout these years has been a GREAT PLEASURE!  To God be the glory!  I'm already anticipating the worship in Heaven!