Worship
The gathering together of believers for prayer, praise, and the preaching of God's Word.
My Description of Worship
Prayer is Worship
God’s house was to be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:7) Every church for that reason should be an open invitation for everyone. Everyone has a place in God’s house and is invited to pray to God.
Worship is Praise
Praise is also an important feature in worship. Praise is the outpouring of the heart that can express a wide variety of emotions as well as a variety of experiences. The Psalms are a great example of this. Music has an uplifting influence as can be seen with King Saul when David played the harp. The pastor should facilitate praise and music during the worship service.
Worship is Preaching
Preaching in my opinion is the most important aspect of the worship service. Paul makes it clear in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Every sermon is evangelistic because it is an opportunity for anyone and everyone who hears the message to receive Jesus. We are to expound upon the word, making it understandable and for people to know how to apply it to their lives. Paul’s counsel to Timothy was “Preach the Word.”
My Learning on Worship
Meaningful Quotes
"The sign of a worshiping heart is the active disciple." (43)
Worship is an experience that leads individuals to experience discipleship. Worship is thus evangelistic but also edifying for the body of believers. It is a necessary part of discipleship.
The Four Rooms for Encountering God
1. The Gathering
2. The Word
3. The Response to the Word
4. The Sending
The above is the format or guide for conducting a worship service that leads people to experiencing God through hearing and responding to God's voice through music, prayer, and preaching.
Class Assignment - Worship Experience
Creating a Worship Schedule
Part of the assignment was creating an order of service that organized every part of the service based upon the 5-fold service taught in our worship class.
Planning Worship Experience - ANC
As a result of the pandemic, our church has had to think outside the box in several ways. One area that we had to think differently about was the worship experience of our members and guests. At one point we were totally online but now we are back to in-person and online.
Interviewing Members for Worship Service
While we were totally online, I wanted to bring some form of engagement with the worship experience. Everyone was isolated in their own home and we hadn’t met together for worship for a long time. So, I came up with the idea of having an introduction video to church service where we had several members welcome people to worship and wish them a happy Sabbath.
Communion in-person and online
During the Pandemic, we worked on creating an engaging communion service where individuals in person and online could participate. The following video reflects our attempt to bring people together for worship.
Additional Testimonial Videos
Jessie Legros
Kathy Sanocki
Improving A/V system for Better
Worship Experience
I worked on improving the All-Nations SDA Church in Michigan so that they may have a better worship experience. The sound was the primary concern and I have included the sound proposal below.
Before
After
Worship at ANC
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Participating in the ordination of Jorge Flores for elder.
Child Dedication of Erin Taylor
Preaching to a camera during the pandemic.
Returning to In-Person Worship after the Pandemic
Worship Service after the pandemic. It took a long process to get to this point where we could meet in person for worship.
Preparing the Church for Communion - Desire of Ages Week
In order to prepare for Communion, I organized an online experience where we read through Desire of Ages and discussed it together. You can view those videos below.
Preaching at ANC
The Story of Redemption
The above are some of my favorite sermons I preached at ANC. The Story of Redemption was the Sermon Series for the Year that I planned. It was based upon the book by Ellen White, The Story of Redemption.
Worship at Athens GA
Profession of Faith
This was a profession of faith for Tony and Shirley. They had been away from church and after spending time worshipping with us, they decided to come back.
Communion Worship Service
We celebrate communion at Athens, GA 4 times a year on the 2nd Sabbath of every month where there are 5 Sabbaths.
Additional Worship Events
Young Adult Worship
We are hosting Young Adults at our place for worship and fellowship.
Worship through Sabbath School
We are working on developing our children's SS division. We have grown in the number of children attending our church and SS program.
Preaching at Athens, GA
Sermon Series on Job
The reason for doing this series was to address human suffering and how we may navigate our lives during moments of great suffering. Many in the church have been battling various diseases and loss of loved ones. The purpose of the sermon was to be healing and encouragement.
Sermon #1
Sermon #2
Sermon #3
Sermon #4
Sermon #5
Sermon #6
Sermon #7
Sermon Series on Revelation
This series is on Revelation and I am doing handouts along with the sermon. The purpose is to explain the prophecies of Revelation and show its relevance for today.
Worship Handout
The following handout goes with the Sermon, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." For each sermon, I am making handouts that facilitate note taking and engagement throughout the sermon. The handout is a sample of what the others look like.