WEST COVINA CHRISTIAN CHURCH SEPTEMBER 2011

PAGE 5

Editor’s Note: Renae, this“spotlight’s” author, purposely(I believe) left the articlewithout a title. So, I am callingit, “Leading Worship.” But youwill see as you read on, that it’sabout much more. It’s abouthow disciples grow when theyprepare their own hearts toshare the love of the Lord.Welcome the experiencing ofGod’s love yourself, as you readwhat follows from Renae.

Each week the worship ministry

seeks to serve the church byleading songs that help thecongrega>on give praise andworship to the Lord. Prac>ce byeach team for the weekly serviceis an integral aspect of theministry. But over the past fewyears, we’ve come to realize thatwe need to invest more prac>ce>me beyond that week’s worshipservice.

One of the ways that wehave been doing this is to spendmore focused >me together tolearn new songs and reviewthose that are already a part ofour repertoire. Our “worshipjams” as we have come to callthem, have become a regularpart of our ministry rou>ne. OneSaturday a?ernoon in earlyAugust, the team came together

to hear a devo>onal from PastorKory and to jam.

Pastor Kory began our>me by talking about thesignificance of our worship inchurch. He painted a picture ofworship in heaven by using apassage in Revela>on to help ussee how important it is, as it willbe our primary ac>vity inheaven. He reminded us not toget caught up in the familiard i v i s i o n o f s o n g s a s“contemporary” or “tradi>onal”but to recognize that all aredesigned to bring us closer toGod. His devo>onal helpedremind us of why we lead andprovided a renewed passion forserving.

Our worship coordinator,Tina Whitley, helped prepare forthe session by geNng input fromthe worship leaders beforehandabout songs to use during thejam. She also compiled andprepared the music, as well asled the prac>ce >me. For apor>on of the jam, we reviewedsongs that have been introducedto the church over the past fewmonths. It’s through this extraprac>ce >me that we get in syncon melodies, rhythms, and flowof the songs so that there is

rela>ve consistency among thedifferent teams.

A significant part of the>me is spent going over newsongs that we would considerintroducing to the church. It’sour goal to have a “balanceddiet” of songs – songs that speakto a variety of themes, such asadora>on and thanksgiving toGod, the cross , miss ions,commitment and obedience. Inaddi>on to the lyrics of thesongs, we also consider otheraspects like style, tempo, moodand “singability.” As we prac>cethem, we get a sense of how thesong will work for our Sundayservices. This prac>ce also helpseach leader become morefamiliar with the songs so thathe or she is comfortable leadingthem in the future.

Although these prac>cesare hard work, the fellowship isen joyab le and the bondsbetween us grow as we learntogether. These >mes areimportant for us as a ministry.The quality of our fellowship,along with the investment of>me in learning and prac>cingthese songs, help us bring aworthy offering to the Lord eachweek during our Sunday service.

Spotlight on Worship

“Leading Worship”By Renae Kishimoto

WEST COVINA CHRISTIAN CHURCH SEPTEMBER 2011

PAGE 6

What lives on forever?By Tom Yasumura

“Wow, it looks beau>ful! Thank you so much.” That praise from a customer is the reward for working hardall day out in the sun. I work as a Japanese garden professional specializing in aesthe>c trimming. I do uekitrimming on pine trees, junipers and other trees in a garden. It wasn’t an easy road to become a cra?sman inthe business. It never occurred to me to become a gardener while I was in college. I played for a college golfteam and, a?er gradua>ng, I worked at a golf course pursuing a golf career as a teaching pro. God didn’t openthat door so I switched to the Landscaping business. I knew from the beginning, this business is verycompe>>ve so I had to acquire special skills in order to succeed in it. A?er working as a gardener for severalyears, I started training in pine tree trimming about three years ago under a veteran Japanese gardener whois a good friend. A?er being trained week a?er week, I learned many things. It was very important to learnnew things and prac>ce what I learned. You don’t just acquire new skills unless you prac>ce them over andover. It is a long process but once you get it, you’ll own the skill for a life >me. My job is to maintain a gardenthat is designed by talented landscape designers. Gardeners are o?en overlooked when people look at thebeau>ful design of a garden, but the hands of cra?smen play a cri>cal role in preserving the garden’s beautyand passing it on to future genera>ons. There are many Japanese gardens both public and private inSouthern California. As a Japanese gardener I feel that it is my mission to maintain the rich tradi>on andculture inherited from our predecessors. Gardeners provide peaceful and serene spaces in a stressful and ahec>c society. I love my job and thank God for giving me this profession.

Non-­‐living things stay good regardless of age. Unlike architecture, gardens deal with living things. If they arenot taken care of regularly and properly, they will eventually die. I o?en think about my faith while I work. WeChris>ans are receiving the blessings from God promised by the faith of Abraham in Genesis 12. For Chris>answhat is good is the gospel. John 3:16 clearly declares that through Jesus we will receive eternal life. That isgood news! This ul>mate truth must be passed on to my kids’ genera>on and my grandkids’ genera>on andmore. God’s truth must live on forever. A garden without a gardener will eventually die. Likewise the gospelwithout faithful Chris>ans will eventually die out. God created earth, then humans designed to live forever inharmony. But if we con>nue to live unfaithfully, it will lead to destruc>on. My mission as a Chris>an is topreach the gospel to the world and teach about what is everlas>ng. I believe faith requires ac>on. Likecra?smen who get training and prac>ce what they learn over and over to acquire their skills, Chris>an faithrequires that the Word we learn from the bible be put into prac>ce. Our faith is meaningless if we don’t liveit out. When Jesus gave the great commission to his 11 disciples in MaWhew 28:18-­‐20, that commandment isgiven to every single Chris>an as well, without excep>on. The Word of the bible is living and must be passedon to all genera>ons to come. Our mission is to protect the Word from the Enemy and con>nue to preach thegospel. It requires the faith that can boldly declare, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel.”

I will teach my kids how to trim trees when they grow old enough, not because I want them to be gardeners butbecause I believe that once they learn the skill, it will be useful in their future. Teaching the truth of the gospel tomy kids is much more important. It is a big responsibility that I can’t tweak in the teaching. The gospel of Jesusbrings light in the darkness. Jesus’ light must continue to shine forever. I want to keep this light in my heart andpass it on to my kids. I hope my kids will spread the light in the world and Jesus’ light will live on forever.

“Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”Acts 28:31