Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 10
17 April 2007
I helped with planning a church-wide trip to the Great Smokey Mountains.
This week Pastor was telling me about this church-wide trip they take every year to the Great Smokey Mountains. He said they use vans and other personal vehicles to get there. The trip is about $175 per person. He was working on planning the trip, but also the services and whatever else goes on. We talked a little about the order of events and times/schedules, etc. I learned a lot because I have never heard of an entire church being invited to do something like this. I asked how else I could help and he said t-shirt design. I was confused, so he explained that they need team shirts so people can remember what a awesome weekend it was and how God changed their lives. I don’t know anything about that stuff, but I know some guys who do. Some of you know him, Ben Keffer, lives on my floor and is great when it comes to stuff like that. I told him what definitely needs to go on it and the style/age range we are looking for in a design. He came through and I needed to design a bill and take care of the money for him from the church. As a result of this practicum experience I learned more about planning; not just trips, but church events in general.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 8
22 March 2007
I rewired the lights on the trees in the sanctuary.
Thursday when I went into church I had a talk with Pastor Jerry and I told him that I needed to find stuff to do for my practicum. He came up with some good ideas; rewire the lights on the trees, make a power point, or read scripture for the service. The last two ideas were a little late notice, so I chose the first idea, rewire the lights on the trees. It took forever! I went to the kitchen to find the new lights and then to the sanctuary. I don’t know who wrapped the lights onto the tree, but I want to punch them in the face… not really. It took about an hour to just take the lights off of the tree because they were wrapped between every branch! I finally got them off and by then Nancy came in and said she had to leave, which means I had to leave too. I guess this is only half of the project, but I’m going back this weekend to finish putting them on so it won’t look dumb. The old lights only worked about half way. The new ones work great! As a result of this practicum, I learned the importance of detail in the way the sanctuary is set up.
Weekly Report # 8
22 March 2007
I rewired the lights on the trees in the sanctuary.
Thursday when I went into church I had a talk with Pastor Jerry and I told him that I needed to find stuff to do for my practicum. He came up with some good ideas; rewire the lights on the trees, make a power point, or read scripture for the service. The last two ideas were a little late notice, so I chose the first idea, rewire the lights on the trees. It took forever! I went to the kitchen to find the new lights and then to the sanctuary. I don’t know who wrapped the lights onto the tree, but I want to punch them in the face… not really. It took about an hour to just take the lights off of the tree because they were wrapped between every branch! I finally got them off and by then Nancy came in and said she had to leave, which means I had to leave too. I guess this is only half of the project, but I’m going back this weekend to finish putting them on so it won’t look dumb. The old lights only worked about half way. The new ones work great! As a result of this practicum, I learned the importance of detail in the way the sanctuary is set up.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 9
30 March 2007
I created the power point they needed for worship.
Today I went down to the church around 3pm and met up with the pastor. He had five song lyrics sheets and the order waiting for me. I brought my computer because we had planned on me making the power point for this Sunday. I have been really bored with the typical blue background that they have had forever, so I proposed a new idea; a lighthouse background. I had him wait to see the final product before he made his decision. He actually liked it! I’m not sure how some of the older people in the church will react? I did all of the important stuff we talked about from class; dark vs. light (background vs. words). Most of the picture was of the sky and the lighthouse was towards the side, so it was easy to fit the words all on the screen. I made the words white to stand out against the dark blue sky. It did look really good and I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks. Change can be good. I think a change like this will teach people to focus more on god than all of the little details, even though it looks SWEET!
As a result of this observation, I learned about how to make a professional power point and the possible effects of change (will have to wait until Sunday).
Weekly Report # 9
30 March 2007
I created the power point they needed for worship.
Today I went down to the church around 3pm and met up with the pastor. He had five song lyrics sheets and the order waiting for me. I brought my computer because we had planned on me making the power point for this Sunday. I have been really bored with the typical blue background that they have had forever, so I proposed a new idea; a lighthouse background. I had him wait to see the final product before he made his decision. He actually liked it! I’m not sure how some of the older people in the church will react? I did all of the important stuff we talked about from class; dark vs. light (background vs. words). Most of the picture was of the sky and the lighthouse was towards the side, so it was easy to fit the words all on the screen. I made the words white to stand out against the dark blue sky. It did look really good and I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks. Change can be good. I think a change like this will teach people to focus more on god than all of the little details, even though it looks SWEET!
As a result of this observation, I learned about how to make a professional power point and the possible effects of change (will have to wait until Sunday).
Friday, March 23, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 8
22 March 2007
I rewired the lights on the trees in the sanctuary.
Thursday when I went into church I had a talk with Pastor Jerry and I told him that I needed to find stuff to do for my practicum. He came up with some good ideas; rewire the lights on the trees, make a power point, or read scripture for the service. The last two ideas were a little late notice, so I chose the first idea, rewire the lights on the trees. It took forever! I went to the kitchen to find the new lights and then to the sanctuary. I don’t know who wrapped the lights onto the tree, but I want to punch them in the face… not really. It took about an hour to just take the lights off of the tree because they were wrapped between every branch! I finally got them off and by then Nancy came in and said she had to leave, which means I had to leave too. I guess this is only half of the project, but I’m going back this weekend to finish putting them on so it won’t look dumb. The old lights only worked about half way. The new ones work great! As a result of this practicum, I learned the importance of detail in the way the sanctuary is set up.
Weekly Report # 8
22 March 2007
I rewired the lights on the trees in the sanctuary.
Thursday when I went into church I had a talk with Pastor Jerry and I told him that I needed to find stuff to do for my practicum. He came up with some good ideas; rewire the lights on the trees, make a power point, or read scripture for the service. The last two ideas were a little late notice, so I chose the first idea, rewire the lights on the trees. It took forever! I went to the kitchen to find the new lights and then to the sanctuary. I don’t know who wrapped the lights onto the tree, but I want to punch them in the face… not really. It took about an hour to just take the lights off of the tree because they were wrapped between every branch! I finally got them off and by then Nancy came in and said she had to leave, which means I had to leave too. I guess this is only half of the project, but I’m going back this weekend to finish putting them on so it won’t look dumb. The old lights only worked about half way. The new ones work great! As a result of this practicum, I learned the importance of detail in the way the sanctuary is set up.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 7
I helped prepare for a candlelight service.
Thursday I went down to church and Pastor Jerry was not there, but Nancy (the secretary was there and had something for me to do. There were three boxes of candles and the paper hand-guards that go over them sitting in the kitchen. She showed me how messy and unorganized everything was. Her advice was to be organized and neat when taking care of a church; let people know that it is not a storage place for their stuff. Nancy had me go through all (around three hundred) candles and hand-guards and decide which ones were reusable. I kept about 75% of the used ones and put them into one bigger box. I separated the candles from the hand-guards so it would be organized and easy to find. I labeled the box, “candlelight service” and left it on the counter for the ushers to find. Although I did not actually hand out the candles, I did realize how big a deal it is to be prepared and organized. Planning is essential in running a successful ministry and worship service. As a result of this observation, I learned the importance of organization and planning.
Weekly Report # 7
I helped prepare for a candlelight service.
Thursday I went down to church and Pastor Jerry was not there, but Nancy (the secretary was there and had something for me to do. There were three boxes of candles and the paper hand-guards that go over them sitting in the kitchen. She showed me how messy and unorganized everything was. Her advice was to be organized and neat when taking care of a church; let people know that it is not a storage place for their stuff. Nancy had me go through all (around three hundred) candles and hand-guards and decide which ones were reusable. I kept about 75% of the used ones and put them into one bigger box. I separated the candles from the hand-guards so it would be organized and easy to find. I labeled the box, “candlelight service” and left it on the counter for the ushers to find. Although I did not actually hand out the candles, I did realize how big a deal it is to be prepared and organized. Planning is essential in running a successful ministry and worship service. As a result of this observation, I learned the importance of organization and planning.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 6
25 February 2007
I helped with the bulletins.
When I went down to the church on Friday to help with the bulletin, but Nancy (the secretary) had already typed it up. “The Beacon” is only one folded page front and back, so I would not have had much to type anyways. I proof read the whole thing looking for typos or grammar errors and found none. The computer and Nancy did a pretty good job! They print off three hundred bulletins in preparation for every Sunday. I folded them all and placed a one page insert in every one. The inserts are usually about events or things that aren’t on a regular basis. Nancy told me a few stories about when she volunteered at a church in (I think?) Virginia, when her husband was in the military. She said that it was perfectly normal for their bulletins to have anywhere from five to eight different colored inserts in their bulletin! It took me over an hour to fold all three hundred! I was quite surprised how much work goes into making the bulletins. I was in the sanctuary doing the bulletins and overheard Nancy talking on the phone. I was in awe of her conversation. A woman called with bad thoughts (maybe killing herself?) and she was crying. Nancy calmed her down, told her how precious life is and how much God loved her. I was amazed at how godly of a secretary she is and how talented the church staff is.
Weekly Report # 6
25 February 2007
I helped with the bulletins.
When I went down to the church on Friday to help with the bulletin, but Nancy (the secretary) had already typed it up. “The Beacon” is only one folded page front and back, so I would not have had much to type anyways. I proof read the whole thing looking for typos or grammar errors and found none. The computer and Nancy did a pretty good job! They print off three hundred bulletins in preparation for every Sunday. I folded them all and placed a one page insert in every one. The inserts are usually about events or things that aren’t on a regular basis. Nancy told me a few stories about when she volunteered at a church in (I think?) Virginia, when her husband was in the military. She said that it was perfectly normal for their bulletins to have anywhere from five to eight different colored inserts in their bulletin! It took me over an hour to fold all three hundred! I was quite surprised how much work goes into making the bulletins. I was in the sanctuary doing the bulletins and overheard Nancy talking on the phone. I was in awe of her conversation. A woman called with bad thoughts (maybe killing herself?) and she was crying. Nancy calmed her down, told her how precious life is and how much God loved her. I was amazed at how godly of a secretary she is and how talented the church staff is.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Josh Basil
Weekly Report # 5
20 February 2007
Discussion: Gathering Design and Planning with supervisor
When we talked about the gathering, I found that we had some similar ideas and some different views on things. He said that the elements in the gathering or even the order of the elements vary from time to time. The elements and order are usually the same, but we will change them for special events like guest speakers, holidays, or theme driven services. Elements that we sometimes include are special music, short video clips, or maybe a time of open prayer. We base what should be included in the gathering by what most other churches like our do and by what has worked well in the past. On special service days, the decisions might be based on time, weather, or other events that day. The process that guides changes from service to service because of who is speaking, what all is going on, and what message is going to be sent through the service. Putting the service together sounded a lot harder and time consuming than I thought. Most of the time we do the announcements first so they aren’t distracting later in the service. We pray before starting the worship band so that people realize that they are in the presence of a Holy God and that everyone is here to worship him. In the gathering he saw himself and the congregation both as participators. Being a pastor doesn’t exclude him from worship. He said he still keeps any eye out for what is going on and an ear open to what God is saying, but for the most part it is our time of corporate worship. The gathering within itself is a form of revelation/response. The prayers and lyrics of the song reveal a little about who God is and we respond by worshiping him together as one body.
This discussion helped me to understand what all goes into planning and putting together a gathering, let alone a whole service. I was surprised at why certain elements go in certain spots and I really learned a lot about preparation when it comes to the gathering.
Weekly Report # 5
20 February 2007
Discussion: Gathering Design and Planning with supervisor
When we talked about the gathering, I found that we had some similar ideas and some different views on things. He said that the elements in the gathering or even the order of the elements vary from time to time. The elements and order are usually the same, but we will change them for special events like guest speakers, holidays, or theme driven services. Elements that we sometimes include are special music, short video clips, or maybe a time of open prayer. We base what should be included in the gathering by what most other churches like our do and by what has worked well in the past. On special service days, the decisions might be based on time, weather, or other events that day. The process that guides changes from service to service because of who is speaking, what all is going on, and what message is going to be sent through the service. Putting the service together sounded a lot harder and time consuming than I thought. Most of the time we do the announcements first so they aren’t distracting later in the service. We pray before starting the worship band so that people realize that they are in the presence of a Holy God and that everyone is here to worship him. In the gathering he saw himself and the congregation both as participators. Being a pastor doesn’t exclude him from worship. He said he still keeps any eye out for what is going on and an ear open to what God is saying, but for the most part it is our time of corporate worship. The gathering within itself is a form of revelation/response. The prayers and lyrics of the song reveal a little about who God is and we respond by worshiping him together as one body.
This discussion helped me to understand what all goes into planning and putting together a gathering, let alone a whole service. I was surprised at why certain elements go in certain spots and I really learned a lot about preparation when it comes to the gathering.
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