Many times, as worship leaders, we do not equip and empower our teams in the area of preparation. I have certainly been guilty of this in the past myself. If we want our teams to be prepared there are a few things we need to do ourselves.

First, we need to practice preparation in our own lives. You’ve probably heard the old saying “You can’t lead someone to a place that you have never been….” That is especially true in the area of preparation. How can we expect our teams to be prepared for rehearsal when we, as leaders, aren’t prepared? There was a time, much earlier in my ministry, that I would get really frustrated because people were showing up to rehearsal without having listened to the songs ahead of time, or not having looked at the music. I took a long look in the mirror and realized that they were, in part, a reflection of my leadership. I made it my mission to be ultra-prepared for rehearsals….knowing the songs from top to bottom and knowing all the little nuances of what we were going to do with each song. I developed a plan for rehearsals and made sure that my team knew that there was a plan. That made a huge difference for me.

Secondly, we need to have a plan and we need to communicate that plan to our teams. Below you will see a document that we have been working from at MPCC for the last couple of years. We call it a Song Road Map and we do one for every single worship service that takes place around here. The plan is talked about, developed, written out and uploaded to Planning Center Online the week before the service takes place. We also provide music folders for our team each week and they all receive a copy of this Road Map, in addition to the service outline. The expectation is that they are up to speed with this plan when they arrive for rehearsal. It gives them every piece of information about each song and includes notes for our technicians as well.

What about the leading of the Holy Spirit? Great question. There are times when the Holy Spirit leads us spontaneously, and those can be beautiful, breathtaking times of worship for your team and congregation. As worship leaders it is crucial for us to be listening for that still, small voice and to have the courage to follow that leading. To balance that, the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also available to us when we are writing our plan. It takes hard work to learn to hear His voice. Sometimes it comes spontaneously. But, He can lead our preparation as well, as we stay on our face before the Lord in prayer over our plan and services.

Lastly, work the plan. The time and effort that you put into planning will have a dynamic impact on your rehearsals and services. Having a structured plan will also help your team to trust you and your leadership, while also setting them free to follow you in those spontaneous moments of worship. It will also inspire them to be prepared. When they see how hard your are working they will work to reflect that back to you.

A healthy process will, almost always, lead us to a healthy product.  Remember that as you lead and care for your volunteers.

Song Road Map :: Mount Pleasant Christian Church

Merry Christmas!

As we look to Christmas, there are certainly many seasonal things that our culture embraces like music, gifts & parties (among others) that help us to celebrate the season. This is going to sound pretty old-school, and I don’t apologize for that, but so many times we simply miss The Real Deal. The birth of Jesus was such a miracle.

This last weekend at MPCC, Andrew Philbeck our Young Adult Pastor, spoke. One of the things that he said that really impacted me was, “It’s a miracle that Jesus came at all.“ When you think about that, does it move your heart? The reason that it should move your heart is that you are the reason He came. That, my friends, is The Real Deal. He came for us – with all of our flaws and sin – to provide a way to redeem us….and to set us free from sin.

Enjoy the season. Celebrate. Love your families well and appreciate your friends. But, in the middle of it all, remember The Real Deal.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, NIV)

Our prayer for you is that this Truth will come alive in your hearts and homes as you celebrate this Christmas. May God bless you mightily in 2012!

Chris Philbeck

As you know, Pastor Chris has been having a problem with his throat, and at the end of each service during this past weekend; we had the opportunity to pray for him. Today, we have some updates and would like to share with you.

Chris went to an Ear Nose and Throat Dr. on Wednesday, December 7th, because his right tonsil was extremely swollen. The Dr. told him he believed he had a tonsil cancer. In addition to the swollen tonsil Chris had a swollen lymph node on the right side of his neck just below the jaw. On Thursday, December 8th, Chris had a needle biopsy of the lymph node. A biopsy of the tonsil is scheduled for Thursday, December 15th. Today (12th) the Dr. called and said the biopsy revealed cancer. He believes the cancer started in the tonsil and spread to the lymph node. At this point Chris will have the tonsil biopsy on Thursday and is scheduled to meet with a radiation oncologist on Monday, December 19th. Tests will also be performed to determine if the cancer has spread to any other part of his body.

We need to pray for God’s healing power as well as for strength and faith for Chris and Sandy as well as Andrew, Tricia, Kara and Grace. Chris addressed the staff today and told them that great challenges also provide great opportunities. His hearts desire is for God to be honored and exalted in everything that happens and for the church to continue to thrive during this time and he looks forward to continuing his ministry here at Mount Pleasant for many years.

We would like to see as many people as possible praying for Chris. Feel free to share this note with your friends and ask them to be praying with you.

If you would like to send Pastor Chris a note of encouragement, here are few ways you can reach him:

Mail:
Praying for You
381 N Bluff Rd.
Greenwood, IN 46142

Email:
prayingforyou@mpccministry.com

Facebook:
Facebook.com/chrisphilbeck

Twitter:
@pastorphilbeck

You’ll hear from our Children’s Choir. Under the direction of Heidi Wright they have blossomed to more than 170 voices! You will also hear from our Adult Choir & Orchestra, some of the most incredible soloists you will ever hear and an encouraging message from our Senior Pastor, Chris Philbeck.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ. Through the birth of Jesus, God provided a Savior for each and every one of us. God literally came to earth to provide a way to set us free. That is why we worship and celebrate.

If you live anywhere in Central Indiana, you should not miss this weekend! You can visit the MPCC web site for directions by clicking here.

Service times are as follows:

• Friday, December 9 at 7:00pm
• Saturday, December 10 at 3:45pm and 6:00pm
• Sunday, December 11 at 8:45am and 10:45am

Here is Kim Tabor (my lovely bride) singing “O Holy Night” from Joy To The World in 2009. Merry Christmas!

Service Times:

• Friday, December 9 – 7:00pm
• Saturday, December 10 – 3:45pm & 6:00pm
• Sunday, December 11 – 8:45am & 10:45am

I hope to see you there! Here is a video from our Christmas service back in 2009. Kim Tabor singing, “O Holy Night,” with our choir & orchestra. I hope it encourages you.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas service in 2010.

David Freeman, "Don't Be Afraid"

Me, directing the Orchestra during rehearsal

Heidi Wright, "A Baby Changes Everything"

Warsaw, Poland

If you missed our All Worship Department meeting last night, you missed a good one. We are very excited to announce that in May 2012, we are going to Poland! We are working on a plan to take as many from our team as possible on a mission trip to Poland. This will involve choir, vocals teams, band & programming….every aspect of our team. We are excited beyond words about this and are humbled by the opportunity that God has placed before us.

MPCC has been a ministry partner with PROeM Ministries in Poland since 1997. They are doing a dynamic work for The Kingdom through a Christian Camp and Conference Center as well as planting churches. God is using them powerfully and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve them during this trip.

The trip will have a work component that will involve helping them with some work at the camp. It will also have a music component that will involve 3-4 evening concerts in different cities in Poland. We will also have a chance to see some sights and enjoy the chance to experience a different culture.

Tentative travel dates are May 25, 2012-May 31, 2012. Approximate cost, per person, is $1,600-$2,000. We would need a $100 deposit in the next 2 weeks. We will organize a series of meetings to help you with strategies on how to get help in raising your funds. The full trip will need to be paid 45 days prior to departure.

If you were unable to attend the meeting last night, we need you to do 2 things: (1) Pray. Ask God for direction. This is the most important step. Is this something HE is calling you to be a part of? Do you feel a tug in your heart to go on this trip? And, (2) Let us know the following information: 1. Name, 2. Email Address, 3. Phone Number and 4. Level Of Interest (on a scale of 1-10; 1 being remotely interested – 10 being I really want to go). Email that info to us at: worship@mpccministry.com (If you signed-up at the meeting you don’t need to duplicate that, this is just for those who were not able to come.)

More details are coming. The most urgent thing we need is prayer and to get a picture of the team we would be able to take. This is a huge opportunity to impact lives for The Kingdom. Let’s do this!!!!

I want to share a video with you from that night. One of the requests we got from our Senior Pastor, Chris Philbeck, was to have Kim sing “I Am Not Ashamed.” It’s one of those songs that will stand the test of time. It’s the marriage of an absolutely incredible lyric that speaks Truth from God’s Word and great music. It just so happens that Kim recorded that song a few years ago on our CD, “The One,” that you can find in our Online Store by clicking HERE. You can also find it on iTunes by searching ‘Kim and Brian Tabor’.

I hope this is an encouragement to you today. Here’s Kim singing, “I Am Not Ashamed” at MPCC this past Sunday night. Blessings.