Crew Appreciation

Posted on December 12, 2012 by donrecord

Another thing I LOVE about the Christmas season at actionchurch is honoring our great Sunday morning Crew.

Every week, crew members arrive hours before everyone else, and leave long after everyone else has already moved on to chipotle or the pizza buffet. Every week, crew members actually miss attending the church service to welcome our guests or teach our children in actionkidz. Every week, crew members move thousands of pounds of equipment off the truck, unpack it, carry it up steep theater steps, lug it across enormous lobbies and endless hallways, pack it back up, roll it back out, and load it on a truck again. Every week crew members assemble, maintain, and sometimes repair a huge assortment of equipment from ancient electronics to the newest and best that apple has to offer. (Almost) Every week a crew member needs a bandaid…or an emergency gaffer tape pants repair. Every week, crew members plan sermons, edit presentations, post podcasts, and produce amazing art that brings the scriptures to life on the big screen. Every week, crew members greet our guests and regulars, and welcome them to the environment that would NOT exist without their hard work. EVERY week, rain or shine, in sickness and health, crew members produce and present actionchurch to our community.

I’m looking forward to honoring all of these amazing people this Sunday at our annual crew appreciation party. If you are part of the actionchurch crew, thank you…you are amazing…I hope to see you there. If you also appreciate what crew members do each week, I hope you’ll stop someone with a black tag and thank them!

Who do you know?

Posted on November 27, 2012 by donrecord

Every the end of every single Sunday service we ask people to do three things.

Invite. Invest. Get involved.

Some of you can recite that by heart. I am SO thankful for the increasing numbers each week who are doing just that! Here’s a bit of a warning, though. Something detrimental that IS happening and WILL happen as we continue to grow and larger and older as a church: The longer you invest your time and money into actionchurch (or any church)…the more involved you are…the more small groups and functions you participate in…the fewer people it seems that you “know” outside the church to invite.

It’s absolutely heathy and wise to form relationships and friendships within the church. Jesus said that the way you would know if we were his followers was by our love for each other! I want to see our small groups grown exponentially in the next five years. I want to see our relationships and bonds with others in our church grow stronger and deeper. I just NEVER want to see actionchurch become a “club”, or a place “for insiders only”. I never want to personally become so engrossed in actionchurch activities and functions that I no longer have any unchurched friends out side of the church…and I say that as the pastor!

So, if you’ve been attending actionchurch for a while and are developing lots of great relationships and friendships inside the church, great! Mission accomplished! (If you aren’t I would strongly encourage you to be part of one of our actiongroups that launch again in February!)

But…who do you “know” outside of actionchurch? Who do you influence? Who do you love? Who admires you? Do they know Jesus? Could it be that the very reason you have a relationship with them is so that they can see what a follower of Jesus “looks like” in America 2012? Do you pray for them? Could you invite them to actionchurch this Christmas season? Should you wait and just be their friend…care about them…no pressure-no “sales pitch”? Should you someday recommend another great church in York that might fit their needs and background even better than actionchurch?

Just some questions I’m working on personally this morning. I hope you’ll take the time to do a little personally inventory this year as well.

Who do YOU know?

Election day prayers.

Posted on November 6, 2012 by donrecord

It’s election day, and I’m up early and EXCITED to vote for…the guy I’m voting for. I’m not ambivalent about the outcome. I think the results of this election matters. I still have hope for our country and its people, but I PERSONALLY believe that we are heading into some truly difficult times as a nation. (Full disclosure: if you ask Josiah, he would say I ALWAYS predict gloomy things for the future :-) )

Reality is reality. Bills…even bills you toss in the wastebasket and ignore…eventually come due. Poor choices in our past ALWAYS affect the choices available to us in the future. I believe that to be true of people, families, and yes, even nations. I’m not voting for someone to lead us into an immediately bright future of financial and cultural success, but I am voting for who I feel will be the best captain in a storm…captaining a ship that is already taking on water.

I’m not at all sure how this day will play out. I personally have a strategy in mind for my family, business, and actionchurch for either a Obama or Romney win. (I hope you do as well) However, My hope for the next four years is based on EXACTLY the same thing as it was four years ago. In the end I trust GOD. He’s proven himself to be all powerful and ever faithful. He’s proven to be so much wiser than I can ever be. He’s prove also to be merciful and caring…and far beyond generous in the blessings he’s poured out on our family (and our actionchurch family) in the midst of some truly difficult circumstances over the last four years.

So this morning I’m praying for you, I’m praying for us, I’m praying for our nation. I’m praying EXACTLY the same thing I prayed four years ago on this morning. The following is taken from what I posted on November 4, 2008.

Let’s pray for wisdom for Whoever gets elected. (It’s not like we can move to Mars if things don’t go well in the USA- I want whoever wins to “govern well”)
Let’s pray that the Church (actionchurch in particular) can become an example of people of very different political ideals and cultures coming together to worship God and serve others! (kinda like they managed to do in the Book of Acts.)
Let’s pray that God will show us how to advance God’s kingdom plan for earth in whatever political/economical climate exists.
Let’s pray for all those who will be disappointed by this election…whether their candidate didn’t win…or won and wasn’t able to “make all their dreams come true”… Let’s pray for the disappointed and the hopeless…that they will find real hope-in the Creator who is never “up for election”.

I am certain that the same God who has clearly answered so much of that prayer is STILL in charge of our future.

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. ²¹He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. (Daniel 2:20-21)

Events: Serving & Celebrating

Posted on October 9, 2012 by donrecord

Here’s an email sent out by Kenna who leads our actionchurch events team. I asked to share it with everyone for a couple of reasons.

1. I’m always excited to see a leader who can take their position and leverage it into the development of more leaders and more teams. (that’s leadership at its finest!)

2. I think the move to split actionchurch events into “Serving events” and “celebration/gathering events” is wise and timely. (I wish I could say I thought of it…now we just need a better name for both).

3. I think that Rachel Katz was BORN to throw parties and lead events…she’s proven herself to be a good leader and I think she will be a great addition to the actionchurch events team.

And, since Kenna did such a great job of communicating the new line-up (she’s one of the rare breed of leaders that has the organizational skill I WISH I had…along with the communication skills to clearly explain them) I want to share her actual words with you.

-Don

Our Inside the Camp series focused on our journey together as actionchurch – the body of people that Love God, Love People and Take Action. Don shared some of the history and some of the inner workings of this crazy mobile church. Service (the noun) takes place each week in a movie theater. But service (the verb) takes place 24/7 in the community…..and now we can even say GLOBALLY thanks to Sarah and her girls in Honduras.

As we have grown it has been refreshing to see more and more and more people come on board willing to serve. One of the coolest things I have witnessed on the journey has been how God has placed people with specific talents in the right place at the right time.

When we were an infant church – everyone served everywhere – just to make Sunday mornings happen. When we were toddlers – we began to really reach out in the community – events became anything that happened not on Sunday mornings. It worked. But it works better when each person uses their unique talents in the correct place. Now that we are teenagers and know EVERYTHING J – we are coming to realize that we need to fine tune the things that we do to make them even better.

That being said, I am feeling so blessed for the people who have recently come forward with their talents to make events even better for actionchurch. Missy and Tesha have come forward with that “I’ll do anything you need” attitude that always amazes me as a leader. It is very refreshing to have new ideas and new able bodies ready and willing to serve.

And speaking of willing to serve – Rachel Katz has found her niche! Last week Rachel stepped forward and is now going to be leading the social side of events at actionchurch. I am certain that her style, grace and organizational skills will be the catalysts that “get the party started” for us at social events like the bon-fire, the summer picnic and all kinds of cool gatherings that are in the works.

Rachel will now be heading up the bon-fire that is scheduled for October 19^th. She has some great things planned and I am hoping that we can count on some of you to bring this all together in a big way.

-Kenna

Doing Church as a Team

Posted on September 25, 2012 by donrecord

One the things that I’m most grateful for, looking back since the beginning of actionchurch, is the great team that we have been able to assemble. The actionchurch “Crew” is as diverse, talented, intense, funny, opinionated, sarcastic, hardworking, “real”, and loving cast of “characters” that you will ever meet. I’m thankful to be included in their team. Here’s a few thought from Sunday about why I think that “doing church” as a team is the best way to do ministry.

The “wins” are bigger…and more fun to celebrate. There’s always going to be a bigger celebration after a winning football game than a winning long jump. Doing church as a team allows people with specific talents to “carry the ball” for the entire team…and when everyone pitches in to do their part the results are amazing. SO proud of Kenna, the events team, and the entire crew and crowd of actionchurch for OWNING the BigASKList!
When you are Down…someone is up. Romans 12:15 commands us as followers of Christ to “laugh with those who laugh, and cry with those that cry” There’s nothing like a team to allow you to encourage others…and be encouraged. I cannot imagine trying to do something as difficult as a start-up church-alone.
You GET TO apologize (often). At first look that may not seem like a benefit…but it truly is. Operating with a team of people you care about, will absolutely illuminate your faults and failures. The ONLY antidote is to apologize sincerely…and often. The great thing is that apologizing deflates pride…and allows you to experience being accepted and loved IN SPITE OF your failures.
Good Stuff rubs off. It’s mega-rewarding as a leader to see the principles and traits you teach and live “rub off” on your team mates. It’s even better to realize that you are also being changed by doing church with your team. It is a rare week that goes by that I don’t walk away from a Sunday morning feeling like I have learned something from a fellow crew member or Management team member. Most weeks I’m the guy with the microphone, but I am constantly learning and being inspired by what happens off-mic!

That’s some reasons I’ve been thinking of since Sunday that make me grateful to be part of the actionchurch team. Want to be part of the actionchurch team? Talk to a crew member or email info@actionchurch.com. Did I miss apologizing to you this Sunday? There’s always next week. :-)