Ekko Church Bringing People Home.

Transcription

1 Ekko Church Bringing People Home. I love my Father-in-law. He has taken me in not just as a son-in-law, but as his own son. I've witnessed him working hard to both provide opportunities for his kids and to help sustain and comfort his parents. He seems to have everything; grandkids, a great sonin-law, an ever flourishing marriage, and a growing faith-life. But there is one thing he does not have that he wishes he had more of: time with his son who lives in Maryland. My brother-in-law is a successful orthopedic surgeon. He and his lovely wife have a beautiful child, my niece, Audrey. Due to their careers, they are situated far away from my father. Every once in a while, they come and visit. Once, when they visited my in-law's house for vacation, I found my father busy with food prep, setting outdoor furniture, arranging a feast worthy of his son's arrival. My love for my father-in-law moved me to help. I took over grilling duties and took charge of the hosting responsibilities. My family, including my older kids, began to serve and host as if the feast was happening in our home. My father-in-law s home became our home, and we gladly took part in hosting because we were grateful for the fact that we had the privilege of seeing him and my mother-in-law all the time. Hence, in hosting and serving, we freed our parents to sit, engage, and spend time with their beloved son and his family. My joy that evening was in their joy. My satisfaction was seeing them connect with their son whom they've missed so much. I was happy to host. Jesus once told a story about a father who missed his son dearly. We all know this story the story of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15). This son was no doctor, this son was no family man, but this son was still this father's son. You see, it doesn't matter what the son had done, it mattered that he was this father's son. The child is not valued based on his/her accomplishments or devalued based on his/her failures. No, the child is valuable and treasured because he/she is the parents' beloved child. So, this father stood outside his house daily, hoping, praying, and waiting for his son's return. And thank God the child returned. And in the following actions of the father we find what God's desires are. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

2 Because of his great compassion, the father runs, embraces and doesn't let go of his once lost son. And because of his great joy, the father commissions the servants to help him throw a feast, a great party. So what are his desires? What is his will? We discover here, the mission of Ekko Church. We are called to bring God's children home. We are called to make space for God to have his moment with his children holding them, embracing them, weeping and celebrating their return. We have been commissioned to host a party where God can celebrate his children's return home. But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. The unspoken heroes of this story for me are the servants. They are quiet and unseen, but they are the ones who host so that the Father can be with His sons and daughters. This is the mission of every ministry and department at Ekko. We are the servants in this story - joyful and willing servants, who have returned to our Father's House ourselves and have been embraced by the Lord. We are the ones commissioned now to throw a party. But as you may see, parties take hard work, lots of attention, and plenty of sacrifice. But it's all worth it when you see your Father enjoying time with his children. So, will you join me in serving the Father, in hosting a party, and welcoming God's children home? As you join a ministry today, know that this is what we're actually doing. Do not get lost in the setting of the plates, in the decoration of the lights, in the friction and the chaos of hosting. Stay fixed on this story and this mission. We are servants, throwing a party called redemption. Now, let's welcome everybody home. Pastor Bryan H. Kim Founding Pastor Ekko Church

3 Ekko Church Media Operations Ministry THE VISION And they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Acts 17:19-21 Every Sunday is a celebration of resurrection. It is our time to gather and proclaim that Jesus is Lord. The role of the Media Operations Ministry is to facilitate an immersive worship experience that engages all of the senses. Living in a digital culture where technology is advancing faster than we know, we believe in forward thinking when it comes to communicating the gospel. Using media, we lovingly prepare our space and our time to host the presence of God at our gatherings. Ekko Church fosters a discipline and a culture of hospitality in every aspect of our lives. Our aim, as a tribe in the Kingdom of God, is to have all of our members in a rhythm of worship and service in their private, public, and spiritual lives. Everyone who serves in a department is called to worship God every day of the week Monday through Saturday. We worship God through our work, our studies, and our home life, while on Sundays we express our worship through service, participation in the body, and our love for one another.

4 THE PRACTICES On Sundays, all team members are responsible for the audio/visual of our Sunday gatherings. This includes but is not limited to the following: A. Set up of the sound equipment B. Turn on the projectors C. Overseeing stage lighting D. Preparing and reviewing the Sunday worship ProPresenter file E. Sound check with the worship team F. Sound check with the speaking microphones G. Replace microphone batteries (as necessary) H. Recording the sermon audio I. Clean up and return of media items in the Pelican Storage case Each team will be responsible for the cleanliness of the storage room. A. At the end of each team s rotation, the team gathers to organize and clean the storage room of all Media items. THE POLICIES General: 1. Team members must be a member of Ekko Church or a graduate of Orthopraxis who intends on participating in the membership covenant. 2. Team members are expected to attend and participate in Ekklesia. 3. Team members are expected to have Red Pen Editors and maintain good relationships with each of them. 4. If a team member would like to transfer to another department, they should contact their team leader first. Once the team leader receives it in writing, they will contact Ekko staff and initiate the departmental transfer. 5. If a team member is not able to serve for a specific date or event, they must their team leader with as much advance notice as possible. Reimbursements & Finances: 1. Anyone who purchases items for an Ekko-sponsored event, at the request of their team leader, may be reimbursed upon agreement with team leaders and Ekko staff. 2. The process for reimbursement:

5 1. Provision of the physical copy of the receipt 2. Official Ekko Church reimbursement form, attached to the receipt a) This form can be provided by your team leaders. 3. The reimbursement form and receipt must be submitted to the team leader 4. The team leader will approve the request and pass it along to Ekko staff. 5. Reimbursements may take up to two weeks to process. Media Department 1. All team leaders are appointed by Ekko Staff and Pastors. 2. Each team member is approved by Department Leaders, Orthopraxis facilitator, and Ekko staff. Media Teams A. Team Leaders 1. Team leaders are expected to remain in communication with Ekko staff. 2. Team leaders are expected to coach and pastor their team members. 3. Team leaders are expected to take responsibility for their team members. B. Team Members 1. Team members are expected to remain in communication with their team leader and other team members. 2. Each team member is expected to care for and take responsibility for their peers, leaders, ministry, and tribe. Each team member will be responsible for attending all training meetings. A. Orientation will take place after Orthopraxis ends. B. Additional training sessions may take place at the discretion of the Media Department leader, and advance notice will be given to team members about the time and location of these training sessions.