Worship Update 1/16

Devotion from Jay McKenney

What if?
Have you ever been to a restaurant that you love, and noticed the owner walking around greeting people? I always get the same feeling inside… I’m impressed that he or she cares enough to do that, are you? It adds that personal touch.

One of my favorite places on earth is Disneyland. One of the reasons I love it, is because of the ambience, the friendliness, the many ways they bend over backwards to extend a welcome when you set foot on their property. It’s not just about the cool rides, it’s about the vibe, and I love taking in that vibe!!

What if Sunset was like that? (Not the cool rides! But an inviting vibe) What if we saw ourselves as owners of the vibe here? Yes, we have music and a message and programs etc.; but, what if it was so much more than that? What if all of us that call this our church home saw it as our mission, took it on ourselves to extend love to those that stepped onto our property?

The truth is you are the owners of the vibe here. Ron can go out and talk to as many people as he can after he speaks on Sunday, but at best he will hit an incredibly small percentage of people in our church.

But what if just even our Worship & Creative Arts ministry took this on and really owned it? Right now there are around 200 people that serve in some capacity in W&CA. Imagine if week in and week out, whether you were serving that weekend or not, each of us was looking to welcome, to seek out, to extend love to our congregation?

I can tell you what I think would happen. I think it would rock this church and dramatically change the vibe. I think our back door would close exponentially. I think it would be one of the most exciting things to happen around here in a long time. Some of you do this SO well already, but what if we all started taking small steps this direction?

As one of our focuses this year we’re looking at ways to be real and be authentic. One of the ideas we are looking hard at is the “first ten and last ten”. What are those? Those are the minutes before the service, when that person parks their car, wonders what they are even doing here this day, and wonders if anyone cares that they even exist. Those are the precious moments after a message, when people’s hearts are softened, and they long to connect, with someone, anyone, and they stand up and begin to walk back to their car.

These moments, the “first ten and last ten” are moments we are asking you to join together with us and begin praying. Ask God to give you strength, words, and wisdom, for who you can reach out to and how He might use YOU to make a difference on Sunday when you are here.

What if?

Construction begins soon!
The next building phase is ready to begin in the basement choir room, the 2nd floor tech arts space, and the current "dark room".

Below is part of an email that our Minister of Operations, Mike Matousek sent recently to our staff:

We have signed the contract, had the preconstruction meeting, and work is scheduled to commence on Jan. 26 (with a few minor things happening even prior to that date)! The entire project is scheduled to last 14 weeks, putting it into mid May. A few things you need to know:

· The workers will be utilizing the loading dock area behind the stage to receive deliveries, etc.
· Any events that will be bothered by construction noise, primarily those being held in conference room 2 or in the fireside room (but also anything on the west end of the lobby), should either be rescheduled to another location in the building or let Marie know and she can ask them to minimize the noise during a specific time (3-5 days notice minimum is requested).
· All construction areas (2nd floor “tech arts” space, basement choir room etc, and “dark room” by office) will be designated as “authorized personnel only” and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
· If you have any concerns regarding dust and/or odors relative to construction please inform Marie.

If you have any other questions relative to the timing or nature of the project, please feel free to ask me.

Opportunities to Serve

1 Dish Dinners
We are looking for people who would be willing to prepare a 1 dish dinner once a month for the team working behind the scenes at the 5pm gathering. Drop off the dish Sunday a.m. when you come to church, we’ll cook it, clean it and be very thankful to grab a bite to eat on the run. For more information or to volunteer to cook please contact carriepeeples@sunsetpres.org.

Like Creating Presentations?
If you enjoy creating presentations, then join our team! We are looking for a couple people to help create the sermon PowerPoint slides each week. If you are interested, please contact carriepeeples@sunsetpres.org.

Other Needs in Production & Tech
Stage Managers, Sound Assistants, Lighting, Media and Camera Ops who are willing to serve on
the production team once a month (Thur pm & Sun am). On-the-job training provided.
Contact Janet Fraser, janetfraser@sunsetpres.org.

Upcoming Events
January 23-26 – HS Winter Camp - CANCELLED
January 25 – Pathways & Connexions (hyper version, 1 of 2 extended classes)
January 30 – Family Unity Night (FUN)
February 5-6 – Orphans Overseas Fundraiser, A Night to Remember
February 13-16 – Wildfire Winter Camp
February 20-21 – Women’s Retreat
March 8 – Daylight Savings BeginsMarch 13-15 – Ironman Conference, sign up in the lobby or online www.sunsetpres.org/go/men