June 17, 2008
Strep Throat Really Sucks.
I've been laid out with Strep Throat for almost a week now. I gave it to my wife also. She and I share a lot of germs; it's one of those things about marriage. We finally went to a health clinic yesterday and got a test. Apparently, we've both got a gigantic case of it. Our tests came back, really positive. So, now we're on antibiotics. Cool.
Supposedly, our 2 month old son is not at risk of getting strep. Hopefully Joanna will stay healthy. She has been asking all week long to share our food, or drink and we've had to keep turning her down.
I have one more day of staying out of the office, then it's back into the saddle. Today, I'll be trying to work from home (in between diaper changes and whatnot.)
So please pray for our recovery...and wash your hands.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2008
Missional Worship
I had this talk from Doxologist streaming while I worked today. It got me thinking about how is our worship at New City Fellowship missional? How are we engaging with the culture around us instead of just being a Christian ghetto?
We might seem pretty out there to some people, but our worship is fundamentally made up of Christian traditional styles. Yes, traditional. Black tradition, African tradition, Praise and worship tradition, New City tradition, etc. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with Christian traditions, but how are we as disciples of Christ making our worship understandable by non-churched people?
Are we engaging with 18-30 year old males who are mostly absent from the American church in general? Is our worship music feminized and touchy-feely? Do gang members, video gamers, indie kids, goths, gays, facebookers, bloggers hear our music, do they hear our worship and not get blinded by cultural and religious idols that we have given more real estate in our worship service than The Gospel?
Am I over analyzing? It can at least drive us to prayer. Can we just pray about being contextually relevant with grace without compromising the gospel? Lord, when will our church explode with a wave of people who never darkened the door of a church before who suddenly receive the gospel with power?
Posted by Kirk Ward at 4:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 4, 2008
A Trip to the Doctor
Today I went to the doctor for the first time in probably a decade. I've been having issues with my stomach. The doctor thinks that I probably have a bit of an ulcer and some reflux issues. So, I'm going to take some acid reducing meds for a few weeks and see if it helps.
All of this is a little embarrassing, and humbling. It was really hard to get up the nerve to go the doctor for help. It feels like I'm being a weeny. Bruce Willis didn't pause while battling a skilled team of terrorists to complain that his tummy hurt.
It's also a little taste of mortality. I'm no longer 18. I suffer from the effects of aging even in my 20s. It's no big deal, but it just makes me a little melancholy.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 4:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 30, 2008
New City Fellowship Music Team Ministry Report for 2007
New City Fellowship Choirs
2007 was the year that we saw the dream of a choir program realized. In the spring, the choirs were organized around the Black History Program and Resurrection Sunday. When the fall came around, there were enough singers to make the choir a more established team including a group of committed leaders.
Black History Program
In February, we had an amazing experience when we came together to worship Jesus through the voice and experience of African-Americans. This was a challenge to organize, but it was incredibly encouraging to all who came as well as a wonderful offering of worship.
Growth in South City
God answered many of my prayers when the South City service was blessed with two committed and visionary pastors and with being able to meet in a better facility. The musicians in South City are very thankful to be done with all of the frustrating circumstances surrounding our former location. We are also thankful for how the passionate and focused leadership of Kevin VandenBrink and Macklann Basse has given the entire worship service a boost.
London
I had the pleasure of taking a team of Music Team members to the London Evangelism and Prayer Conference in July. We were given the responsibility of leading the other conferees in worship sessions, and in addition to what we learned and experienced in evangelism, we all came back with a more confident approach to worship leading and greater appreciation for the fellowship of musicians who lead worship together.
Music Team Leadership
This year, I was finally able to get a better taste for team ministry by forming the Music Team Leadership. The Music Team is made up of over 50 volunteers including worship leaders, singers, instrumentalists, sound techs, and text operators. The Music Team Leadership is a small group of people from the Music Team who feel a more committed calling to serve the whole Music Team through leadership.
What to expect in 2008
• South City will develop a more localized music administration and worship planning.
• The choirs will continue to cast a vision for how they can be used for the Kingdom.
• More intentional and relational development of musically gifted leadership.
• Encouraging songwriters, artists, and musicians in our congregation to develop unique expressions of worship that reflect the kaleidoscope of sounds and images that represent New City Fellowship.
• Ward baby #2!
Posted by Kirk Ward at 9:19 AM | TrackBack
November 15, 2007
Holiday Season Prayer Requests
Music Team Prayer Requests
-pray for the inclusion of Liberians, Congolese, and Burmese musicians in South City
-pray for the inclusion of Congolese musicians in U City
-pray for the Youth and Mass choirs at U city to be filled with people who have a desire to lead worship in spirit and in truth for God's glory
-pray for technically gifted people to help with sound and text at both sites
-pray for a piano accompanist to has the time and the sense of calling to serve the Youth Choir
-pray me to learn to delegate, to empower and to equip the musicians in our church to offer their gifts to the Lord in service
-pray for the musicians in our church to feel refreshed with enriching and inspiring aesthetic experiences, instead of feeling burnt out by being over-scheduled, over-extended and frustrated
-pray for the freedom of the unleashed gospel to be poured out on our congregation every week in our music
These things have been making me anxious over the past few weeks and I am tired of carrying their weight on my heart! The bible encourages me to "not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present [my] requests to God." Phil 4:6.
Please pray with me for these things.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 12:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack