Music Ministry Search

Transcription

1 Shepherd s Voice Congregational Report September 10, Wurzbach Road San Antonio, Texas ShepherdLutheran.com Prayer Requests: prayer@shepherdlutheran.com Texting Ministry: Text Rom.10:17 to church@shepherdlutheran.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: facebook.com/shlutheran twitter.com/shlutheran To subscribe to an electronic copy of this newsletter: Our mission: To lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Music Ministry Search Rev. Christopher M. Kennedy, Senior Pastor, pastorchris@shepherdlutheran.com Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We are in a time of transition for our Sunday morning music ministry. For 14 years under Pastor Craig s leadership, we were blessed with strong music. Now with Pastor Craig s departure, we are searching for a new Director of Music Ministry. During Bible class a couple weeks ago, I discussed our search for a new music director. One long-time member offered a helpful comment. She said that previously when we ve searched for a music director, the Lord has provided just the right person, and she believes God will do the same this time, too. I share that conviction. The next person will not be a clone of Pastor Craig but will bring his or her unique skill set to the position. In His perfect wisdom, God will give us just the right person for this season of our church s ministry. To find the right person, we are undertaking a nationwide search. Our Texas District office has generated names of nearly 20 candidates. In addition, the job posting has been circulated through other pastors, music directors, college music programs, and musicians guilds. These postings have resulted in a solid stack of resumes. The Elders and Deaconesses are overseeing a call committee to evaluate resumes and interview candidates. The committee includes staff, Elders and Deaconesses, and musicians in our church. It s hard to put a timetable on the search process. A music director would probably need to stay at his or her current church through the busy Christmas season. My hope is that we fill the position by January, but all kinds of factors make a call process hard to predict. The committee will move through the process deliberately; not slowly, but not rushing either. 1

2 Below is information from the job description: Position summary: The Director of Music Ministry is responsible for all worship service planning and music. This currently includes one Saturday evening contemporary service, two Sunday morning traditional services, and Wednesday morning school chapel. Eventually the lineup may include the addition of Sunday morning contemporary service at 9:30. Responsibilities Work with the Senior Pastor to plan music and remain in regular communication with him Select music for all services Play instrumentally at all services or arrange for a musician Personally direct or arrange for the direction of all choirs and ensembles, including: o Adult and children s choirs o Hand bells o Contemporary praise band Coordinate with Band Director on instrumental ensembles and instrumentalists (strings, brass, percussion) to accompany lead instruments (organ/piano Sundays or praise band Saturdays) Play for weddings and funerals or arrange for a musician Coordinate music activities to reach the community (examples: summer camp, caroling at a nursing home, singing on a river barge) As we search for a new music director, many faithful members have stepped up to provide special music. Working alongside guest organists, Pastor Doug is leading hymns on piano during Sunday services. Soloists such as Rachel McNabb and Justin Hollingsworth have served us with their voices. Andrea Melcher graciously has assumed the role of Interim Choir Director. Doug Urban continues to lead our band and orchestra instruments. Upon hearing the need for musical talent during our transition period, our day school teachers rose to the challenge; our school classes are signed up to sing at several 10:45 services in September and October. It s wonderful to see a community come together to meet needs. God has given us a wonderful diversity of musical talent. As we search for our new music leader, many people are demonstrating their own leadership by filling the void. God is always worthy of our very finest in worship. We want to give Him nothing less than the best we have to offer. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. Make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram s horn - shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Psalm 98:4-6 Serving Jesus alongside you, Pastor Chris 2

3 School News Principal Sue Gary, Mission Statement: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School and Child Care is a community of parents, students and staff working together to foster Christ-like qualities in all we pursue: spiritual growth, academic excellence, social, emotional and physical development. Light it Up! We are looking forward to riding that Energy Bus with you for another great school year in which we share Christ with kids and be His light to the world. In keeping with our Energy Bus momentum, our theme this school year will be "Light It Up!", based on Matthew 5:16 -- (Jesus said) "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." September Energy Bus Focus: Students will be focusing on Principle #1 with their teachers. Each week, teachers will discuss a new topic related to the Energy Bus principle. Parents are encouraged to reinforce these principles with their families. September I m the Driver (Principle 1) This month we will reinforce taking personal responsibility for your actions, not blaming or complaining, but feeling empowered to take risk and make necessary changes to get the results you desire. Students and staff are focusing on the following pledge as we encourage all students to reach their leadership goals today, tomorrow and as they follow God s career path. SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS LUTHERAN SCHOOL & CHILD CARE ENERGY BUS TEAM MEMBER PLEDGE I AM CHRIST-LIKE. I AM POSITIVE. I AM PRODUCTIVE. I AM RESPONSIBLE. I AM RESPECTFUL. TOGETHER WE ARE POSITIVE PASSENGERS ON THE SHEPHERD ENERGY BUS! Celebrating Christ with His Kids Everyday! Sue Gary Principal 3

4 Shepherd at 50 T.J. Redmann, Chairman of Planning Oversight Committee, Our Shepherd at 50 Campaign is well under way. Our two major Lines of Effort: Mission Church Plant (EVANGELISM) and the Shepherd Lutheran Church and School Campus Improvements (STEWARDSHIP), as well as the Supporting Effort our Capital Campaign (DISCIPLESHIP) have all begun their initial efforts. Many parts and pieces of the plan(s) are all beginning to come together and we can readily see the hand of God in our actions. EVANGELISM: Roy and Jacqui Farias have arrived, are looking for a house in the projected Church Plant area, and have begun getting into Alamo Ranch to meet what will become our new neighbors. Roy was commissioned as our Lead Church Planter on 03 SEP He and Jacqui have quickly integrated into the Shepherd of the Hills team bringing a strong faith life, dedication to expanding God s Kingdom here in San Antonio, and a total commitment to leading others into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. The Launch Team has begun twice a month gatherings (once for dinner to pray and plan and once to attend other churches activities and meet the neighbors). This core group is also looking for a place to meet, form a congregation, and begin their Mission. STEWARDSHIP: We have interviewed several companies and selected one as the Design-Build firm that will design, develop, and construct/renovate the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Campus Facilities (pending approval by the congregation). All members of the congregation are encouraged to ask questions and voice their opinion to Dave Kottwitz. We will use all the data collected from the three LPA Town Hall Meetings to outline the needs and wants for the school construction/renovation but your input remains valuable at any step in our process! At this point, we have no concept as to what the new or improved facilities will look like. We will; however, provide architectural renderings (drawn pictures) as soon as they are available for review and comment. Everyone s participation in the enhancement of our campus is encouraged. DISCIPLESHIP: Our Capital Campaign is also beginning to get underway with several key events coming up soon: Capital Campaign Information Weekend SEP 2017 Capital Campaign Prayer Event Weekend...30 SEP/01 OCT 2017 Capital Campaign Pledge/Commitment Celebration Weekend NOV 2017 Additionally, we have opportunities to receive a presentation about the Shepherd at 50 Capital Campaign on 01, 04, 07, 08, and 15 OCT 2017 these activities are open to all our congregation members as well as our school parents or any interested party that desires to be part of this incredible ministry for our school and our surrounding community. Several sub-committees are still looking for members to help in any way so volunteer. And remember that the fruits of this labor will directly support our Evangelism and Stewardship initiatives. SUMMARY: There is a lot of activity going on within the Shepherd at 50 initiative(s). There has been a lot of progress, but there is also still a lot to do this is the opportunity to help each other in an endeavor that supports the Great Commission of go forth to make disciples. T. J. Redmann, PhD Chairman Shepherd at 50 Committee 4

5 Church Planting Rev. Aaron A. Tilt, Pastor of Discipleship, A couple weeks ago in our epistle lesson at Shepherd we heard these words from St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Church: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." To continue to grow that structure - God's temple - is the task of the Church. And of course we're not talking about buildings, we're ultimately speaking of the family of God - the people. That's what Church with a capital "C" is all about. But to help grow the temple you need support structures - teams, networks, denominations, established local churches to send out the missionaries. Here's an obvious but overlooked reality of the Church - every single local church (except maybe in Jerusalem) in existence today was a plant at some time. And while the details vary, every one had a team, financial support from a mother church or network of churches, and encouragement and support from other existing local bodies. So I want to introduce you to a couple of the members of our extended church family - our church planting cousins if you will - so you can see how these things have been put into practice recently. ACTS Church Lakeway (Lake Travis) is the mother church of ACTS church Leander, ACTS Church Lakeline (formerly ACTS NW & Antioch), and coming September 10 the launch of ACTS Church Kyle. They are also a close cousin if you will (as we will be) of Narrative Church in Georgetown - By the way - these are all LCMS churches even if they don't say that on the sign. These churches are all living proof that a changing "less religious" culture does not mean the death of the Church. After all, it was Jesus who said the gates of hell will not prevail against his Church - so we have nothing to fear and everything to gain by seizing this opportunity that God has charged and challenged us with. So while specific tactics may have changed since monks were spreading the Church across Europe in the Dark Ages, or those first Saxon immigrants founded what became the LCMS on the frontier of 19th century Missouri, or even since Shepherd last undertook the task of planting a new church with Messiah Boerne - the task of building on "the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" goes on. So check out some of our "cousin" church's websites - and pray that the Holy Spirit would lead our team to do the work he's prepared for us to do. For Christ and His Kingdom, Pastor Aaron Tilt 5

6 Initial Stages of Church Planting Roy Farias, Church Planter, Hello Friends! I hope you know how excited I am to finally be here in San Antonio and to be able to hit the ground running as I join in on all the hard work Aaron and the Church Plant Team have already been doing. So what does the initial stages of church planting look like? Our hope is to launch our first service one year from now. In the months leading up we will continue to grow our Church Plant Team with committed folks who have a passion to reach Alamo Ranch with the Gospel of Jesus. I will be working to get to know this incredible team that Aaron has built as we begin to meet regularly to discern the needs of Alamo Ranch and how God wants this new church to be formed. Our team will be meeting together twice a month. Once, to go through a book study together entitled The Transformational Church, and to discuss the business of the church plant. Second, to visit other church plants who have already launched to learn and grow from their experience. For the first six months of my tenure as church planter I will also be intentionally learning the DNA of Shepherd. I will do this by getting to know you intentionally through sharing a meal and hearing your story and sharing mine with you. Weekday Snapshot: -Saturdays/Sundays: I will be assisting in our worship services and joining the other pastors in leading the Sunday Bible study hour. When not scheduled at Shepherd, I will be visiting local churches in the Alamo Ranch area to build relationships with local Christians in the area. -Mondays: I will spend time in personal study and prayer time for the first part of the day. I will also begin setting up appointments to spend time with our Shepherd family and local church and community leaders in the Alamo Ranch area for the week and week ahead. -Tuesdays: I will be with our Shepherd staff team during their staff time and devotion. I will be spending time in church plant studying through resources provided by another mentor of mine who serves as a church planting coach in Tim Keller s Redeemer church planting network, and books recommended by Mike Newman. -Wednesdays and Thursdays will look similar: My day will be spent in Alamo Ranch. The goal is to have touch points with local ministers in the Alamo Ranch area. I will be spending time with local church staff, receiving a tour of their facilities and beginning to build relationships with their pastors. Time will also be set aside for lunch and dinners with our Shepherd family. As Jacqui and I make Alamo Ranch our home in a few months, most of my day will be spent in Alamo Ranch and getting to know our neighbors. This means that not only Wednesdays and Thursdays will be spent with the Alamo Ranch community. We plan on having most of our dinners filled with our Alamo Ranch neighbors all throughout the week! We will have many dinners, Bible studies, and social events at our home open up to our neighbors and their friends. -Fridays: Set aside for family time and to finalize anything not completed in the previous days. I will be meeting with Aaron weekly as we begin to lead the church planting efforts and our team. Along with Pastor Aaron, I will be meeting with Pastor Chris monthly for check-ins and accountability. Mike Newman will be walking me through becoming an LCMS pastor. Having completed my seminary studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, I am excited to begin my studies for my upcoming ordination exams and learning from Mike about our wonderful tradition. Another 6

7 exciting learning opportunity for Aaron and me is our mentorship with an Austin LCMS Pastor, Pete Mueller. Along with being a pastor, Pete is also the founder of the ACTS church planting network, and he has agreed to coach Pastor Aaron and myself in our church planting efforts on a monthly basis. All of this is with the goal of equipping our entire team to begin evangelism efforts where we are meeting all our neighbors with the Gospel and allowing them to experience Christian community. As we do this we will begin to see our future Church forming into a larger gathering of believers and seekers growing in our devotion to Jesus. We believe that as we remain faithful to the cause of reaching our neighbors with the love of Christ, over our first year, we will have a sustainable amount of people to effectively launch our church community and begin weekly worship services. I will be attending a church planting conference in a couple of months, and will continue to meet with my church planting mentors, other church planters, and seasoned pastors. I know as I do this many more great and effective ideas will be shared in how to effectively plant a church. Our team will take these ideas and experiment with them in our context. Please be praying for us as the Lord leads us to reach Alamo Ranch with the Gospel of Jesus! In a previous letter I shared the incredible need for our neighbors in Alamo Ranch to experience and know the transforming love of Jesus. Under 9% of the folks in Alamo Ranch believe their faith is really important" to them. While that statistic is bleak, I see it as an incredible opportunity to reach people with the love of Christ who currently don t know it! Around 80% of church plants new members are newly baptized Christians! You are making it possible for Shepherd to herald the good news of Jesus to our neighbors in this community! And I am humbled that you are allowing me to lead this church planting effort. As we launch a new church in this area, it is your love and prayers that will carry us through the fun and difficult times that lie ahead of us. We know that God is going before us now and that his good work will flourish. Our future church will join the current Jesus loving churches and the ones to come so that every person in Alamo Ranch is impacted with the Gospel and invited to be transformed by God s love to do his mission in our neighborhood and the world. If you are interested in hearing more about the church plant or are interested in joining our team, please feel free to reach out to me! I would love to have coffee and/or share a meal with you. As Moses said, LORD if your presence is not there do not send us. (Exodus 33:15). I know the Lord is present in Alamo Ranch and our Lord deserves the devotion of all the people in Alamo Ranch and beyond and so we GO! God s rich blessings upon you and yours always! In Christ, Roy 7

8 Ministry Matters Alice Klement, Director of Equipping Ministry, ext. 511 Thanksgiving Our Mission: To lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus It will be here before you know it! This year consider inviting someone from China to share your family s Thanksgiving traditions. These folks all speak English and are eager to experience everything American before they head back to China after two years here. You ll have a chance to meet the family prior to Thanksgiving, and I ll give you information about the family before you meet them. This is a wonderful opportunity to represent America and our Lord Jesus. It is also a great learning experience for your children, grandchildren, and YOU! Just let me know you re willing to host. Mikki helped to host a group of Chinese for Easter Dinner this year. It was great fun to teach our Chinese friends about American customs in addition to the Joy of the Resurrection. Remember the Challenge of 50s You can impact the Kingdom of God on the other side of the world. ServLife issued a challenge to us, and the World Mission Fund Team accepted it! We have committed to give $5,000 a year for five years so that in 2019 (SHLC s 50 th Anniversary) we will have trained 50 pastors who will have planted 50 churches in Nepal. You can easily join the action. Decide on an amount to give Mark World Mission Fund in the check s memo Drop it in the offering You ll be making an eternal difference! Women United in Christ Sept. 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Worship Center Your prayers are powerful and effective. The Bible says so in James 5:16. The second Women s Ministry United in Christ prayer time will feature Scripture reading, testimonies, and, of course, prayers. There will be two topics for our prayers: the start of the new school year and our church plant. Sarah DeYoung and Jacqui Farias will give testimony to God s direction in their lives. 8

9 Children s Ministry Cindy Miller, Director of Children s Ministry, cindy@shepherdlutheran.com Children s Ministry is about Learning and Serving At CAMP OUT VBS enthusiastic volunteers served children and their families 26 volunteers were student leaders! Children s Ministry hosted Thanksgiving in July for Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM) and my office became a storage room of generosity! Summer childcare children helped load all the Thanksgiving in July donations into the Christian Assistance Ministry truck. Happy children are engaged in a special learning time each week during the sermon at the Saturday evening service and the 10:45 service on Sundays. Children s Learning Time is led by Mrs. Nancy Bielefeldt and Mrs. Cindy Miller and designed for children ages 3 years to 7 years old. Helping the ushers with the offering at the 10:45 service is one way that children are serving in the church. Each week children carry the offering plates to the pastor after the collection. October in Children s Ministry means Trunk or Treat and that means an opportunity to serve! Trunk or Treat has grown each year! We anticipate welcoming 400 children and their families this year. In order to be prepared to provide a safe, inviting event, the Children s Ministry Community Impact Team will need the support of many volunteers. Here s how you can help: Donate wrapped candy. Sign up to decorate your trunk or tailgate and hand out treats to children. Donate hotdogs, bottled water or chips. Grill hot dogs and serve food. Register guests, direct traffic, etc. Join the planning team. Pray for a successful event. Mission To lead children into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. 9

10 Student Ministry Nick Arnold, Director of Student Ministry, Student Ministry Updates: Summer Events We finished off our summer events, which included a local servant event here in San Antonio, a mission trip to Los Angeles, and a visit to Camp Eagle. It was a challenging summer, full of opportunities for students to step out of their comfort zone, trust God in new ways, and allow Jesus to show us how powerful he really is. Confirmation Confirmation classes will begin this school year on September 10. Orientation was postponed due to Hurricane Harvey, but we re still getting off on the right foot! I will be leading (alongside some adult leaders) on Sunday mornings, and Pastor Chris will be teaching periodically on Sunday afternoons for 7 th and 8 th graders. Our Middle School kids enjoying a team building activity at Camp Eagle on July 30, Catalyst Our Sunday evening program for young people will also continue on September 10. This is a great place for high schoolers to grow as leaders and middle schoolers (particularly those who are not churched) to experience the love of Jesus through snacks, games, and conversation. Other Updates: A couple of Shepherd alumni, one who is a member, have been working with me on our Shepherd at 50 video team. It s great to see young people being involved with the work of the church! Save these dates for next year! January Winter Serve (HS+MS) February Quake (MS) March Backpacking (HS+College) April th Grade Retreat (MS) May 6 Confirmation Sunday June 7-10 Summer Serve (MS) June Adventure Camp Glorieta, NM (HS) July SA Mission Week (HS) July 29-Aug 2 Adventure Camp Rocksprings, TX (MS) Our High School Mission Trip Team in Los Angeles on July 8, (That s the Hollywood sign in the background!) Your feedback, comments, questions, or concerns are always welcome. Feel free to me at nick@shepherdlutheran.com or call the church office,

11 Frankly Financial Tim Eickstead, Director of Operations, What does it mean to help lead people into a life changing relationship with Jesus? At Shepherd of the Hills this is our mission! We know that God tells us inarguably the most familiar of all Bible verses, John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. As a congregation, we feel a deep sense of purpose in helping people come to know Christ as their Savior. On a daily basis, the leadership of Shepherd of the Hills is in prayer for the lives of God s people. Each week we come together as Christian brothers and sisters to celebrate our God through Word and Sacraments. In Bible classes, school and child care classrooms, home Bible studies and mission work, our congregation, through the work of the Holy Spirit, seeks to lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. In celebration of our congregation s 50th anniversary, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church has decided to undertake the Shepherd at 50 project. The two main goals of this effort are to provide additional gym, office and multiuse space on our campus. Then, also plant a church in the fast growing Alamo Ranch area. The idea of such a bold undertaking may sound a little scary. However, in reality this is the second time Shepherd of the Hills has stepped out in faith in this manner. In 1989, on the 20th anniversary of our church, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School and Child Care was still adding to the school building as it grew to 360 students. The first 8 th grade class graduated in May of that year. Two years prior, the congregation had decided to start a mission congregation in Boerne, Texas. The first worship service of the new congregation, which is now known as Messiah Lutheran Church, was held March of The congregation on September 3, 2017 had the privilege of installing Roy Farias as Church Planter for the congregation that will be started in the Alamo Ranch area. Roy Farias, Pastor Aaron Tilt and the church launch team will work with Shepherd of the Hills over the next year prior to the first worship service in September of At the same time the Shepherd at 50 committee is securing plans for the expansion of facilities at 6914 Wurzbach Rd. What an exciting time in our congregation as the membership works together to carry out the plans of Shepherd at 50! You may ask why such an ambitious plan at this time in our congregation s history? It has been almost 30 years since the congregation has stepped out to plant a church. Oh, how the city of San Antonio has grown. We know that there is a shortage of churches in the growing Alamo Ranch area and the pending 500 year anniversary of the Reformation reminds us just how wonderful a message our Lutheran heritage has to share with those who need to experience a life changing relationship with Jesus! The expansion and renovation of the facilities on our campus is needed as the buildings were built 30 to 35 years ago. They are used daily by over 500 people to share Christ with children and their families. May I share with you a recent story conveyed by one of the oldest members in the congregation? He had just had back surgery in an effort to reduce pain caused by a worsening spine issue. The nurse who was helping with his rehabilitation came to work with his physical therapy. The nurse noticed that the member was wearing a Shepherd of the Hills School t-shirt. He asked, How are you associated with Shepherd of the Hills? The member explained his association with the school to the nurse. The nurse responded, I love that school and Mrs. Gary, she changed my life! The nurse was a student most of us remember very well. He wasn t always on his best behavior and it took a lot of redirection to just get him through the day. We worked really hard to share the love of Christ with him, his brother and their disabled mother. It has been almost two decades since we have heard from him. And to know the fact that his relationship with Shepherd of the Hills helped change his life in a positive way is so amazing. We are about leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus! On a daily basis over eighty staff and many volunteers work very hard to accomplish this mission. They do so not only on our campus, but across this community and world. Shepherd at 50 is one more way we will increase our ability to touch the lives of people. 11

12 School Ministry Pastor Doug Bielefeldt, Pastor to the School, The school year is underway, our 38 th year of providing quality Christian education! With almost 400 students and their families, our School and Child Care provides a vital ministry; so much so, it is our #1 mission outreach. Next weekend (Sept ), we ll celebrate our School Ministry through two wonderful opportunities: our Adopt-A-Student program, and our Classroom Shepherd program. Keep reading to find out how you can play a part! Adopt-A-Student One important way each of us can connect personally with our school students is through our annual Adopt-A-Student program. Beginning next weekend (Sept ), Adopt-A-Student bookmarks for every child in our school and child care will be made available in the church lobby. Each bookmark will include information about the student (name, grade, birthday) and a personal touch -- in their own words, students will share how God has made them special. Some of the students (especially our youngest children) will even include artwork! To participate, simply select one or more bookmarks and put in a convenient location, such as your Bible, to help you remember the student(s) in prayer on a regular basis. You may also want to write an occasional note of encouragement and/or send your student(s) a birthday card. Notes and cards can be delivered through the Adopt-A-Student box located on the School Ministry table in the Church Lobby. Our students love knowing you are praying for them by name! Classroom Shepherd For those of you with a heart for our students and a few available hours each month, please consider serving as a Classroom Shepherd. The job description is fairly simple: through regular visits to the classroom (at least once a month) or by attending school chapel with the class, establish a relationship with the teacher and students in order to support and encourage them in their faith. You won t be asked to teach or perform complicated tasks; just be yourself by sharing yourself and showing that Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church cares about its school. Once you are matched up with a class, you and the teacher will meet and decide how best to make that happen. Classroom Shepherds will also be asked to regularly pray for the teacher and the students. Sign up forms will be available in the Church Lobby. Choose the age group or class you prefer and we will take it from there! 12