Archive for May, 2010

Vision / Information / Prayer (V.I.P.) Thought

Sunday, May 30th & Wednesday June 2nd

Vision:
1 Chronicles 29:11-13 (English Standard Version), “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”

HONOR: high respect and esteem.
We respect, honor and highly esteem our God when we worship Him and offer Him our praise and our lives! As we serve Him, and bless Him with all that we have, he also pours out His abundance on us!  As the saying goes, “Freedom isn’t free,” what an incredibly true statement. Freedom costs, and Jesus paid the price for us, once and for ALL. This weekend we honor our fellow Americans who have served this great country as well as our graduates! These incredible individuals have served and given time, energy, blood, sweat and tears to ensure a brighter future for our world. As you serve this weekend, do so with gladness, respect and with honor.

Information:

Fifth Sunday – this weekend, Sunday, May 30th is a fifth-Sunday.  It is the B Team’s turn to serve.  Please communicate with your Lead / Coordinator / Director if you will be out of town or not for Memorial Day weekend.

Promotion Weekend – NEXT weekend, Sunday, June 6th is when school-aged children move into their 2010-2011 classroom.  Parents will check children in to the NEW classrooms.

Prayer:

Pray for honor to abound in the House – a sense of gratitude as we serve – and than an awareness of God’s abundant goodness pour upon our teams.

Vision / Information / Prayer

Sunday, May 23rd & Wednesday the 26th

Vision:

Matthew 20:26-28 (NLT),  “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The term “volunteer” implies that one can sign-in (or check-out) of one’s duties as desired.  There’s a sense of self to the word.  What Jesus modeled was not volunteerism (an I’ll-do-God-a-favor attitude), but rather servitude (an it’s-the-least-I-can-do stance).  It’s from this position that we find true influence in the Kingdom.  Serve with a servant’s heart today and, according to Jesus, you’ll be the truest leader there is.

Information:

Men’s Momentum – Monday, May 24th at 6pm. Come as a Serve Team or Small Group – and invite neighbors, family & friends to “get hooked” with you!

Fifth Sunday NEXT WEEK – Sunday, May 30th is a fifth-Sunday.  It is the B Team’s turn to serve.  Please communicate with your Lead / Coordinator / Director if you will be out of town or not for Memorial Day weekend.

Celebration Xai-Xai – We are sending Pastors Mel and Diane Stauber to Mozambique June 1st and will celebrate this Wednesday, May 26th with cupcakes after 7pm service.  Join us!

Prayer:

Pray for humility in self and team: that we would see a need and fill it, that we would be moved by compassion, that we be compelled to serve people from a pure heart.  Pray that others would sense Christ as a result of our servant-leadership.

Vision / Information / Prayer (V.I.P.) Thought

Sunday, May 16th & Wednesday the 19th

Vision:

Philemon 1:6-7 “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.” NIV

As we serve God’s people (as we actively share our faith), we grow to understand more fully Christ’s goodness.  Isn’t that why we serve?  It helps others – and us too!  In fact, as we serve Christ and His people, many are overjoyed and encouraged! The wonderful enthusiasm we sense at Celebration is related (directly!) to your heartfelt display of God’s goodness!

Information:

A Most Important Reminder – Everything we do culminates at the invitation to receive Christ during a Celebration service.  Please be sensitive to that moment when going to your volunteer post.  Sit toward the back – or exit before the invitation and prayer time – in order to respect those who are making an eternal decision.

Team Night – May 18th, 6:30pm. An evening of training and growth for all Serve Teams!  Also, invite new team members!  Snacks & beverages provided.  Childcare provided with pre-registration online or at the Welcome Center.

Men’s Momentum – Monday, May 24th at 6pm. Come as a Serve Team or Small Group – and invite neighbors, family & friends to “get hooked” with you!

Prayer:
Pray that a deeper revelation of the good things we have in Christ emerges as we serve others.  Pray our work communicate love and encouragement to those we serve.  Pray that each volunteer is refreshed today.

Volunteerism by Mark Beeson

Celebration Church is a force in our community, propelled by a generous and powerful army of volunteers – I thought we would enjoy these thoughts from Granger Community Church’s senior pastor, Mark Beeson, posted on his blog about volunteers and their motivation to serve. He says it well, so here it is.

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Let me offer a few reasons why good people volunteer. It’s not an exhaustive list but it summarizes a few key points for team-building and might be worth considering. 

Eight Reasons Good People Volunteer to Help You

  1. They want to see done the thing you’re trying to get done.  What you’re doing isclear to them, and clearly important to them.  Because they value what you value,what you’re doing is clearly worth their sacrificial effort.
  2. They see the need and want to help meet the need.  Whether they jump in to help for a moment (helping with one step of the process), or stay with you for the entire mission (laying down their life for ultimate mission success), they see how they can assist you and they do.
  3. They want to be involved. After considering their other options (how they could otherwise be using their time, energy, knowledge and skills), they prioritize your mission above other competing values. The success of your work – for one reason, or another – is important to them.  They believe the work is worthy.
  4. They’re invited. They feel welcomed and valued. They recognize you’ve made it possible for them to join the effort. There is a place for them on the team. Affirmation and appreciation are hand-in-glove with a mission strategy that organizes all available human resources.
  5. They understand how their personal involvement improves the work. Once they understand your mission, most people know themselves well enough to realize whether their skills, training, education, strength, possessions and experiences can be leveraged against your need. They see how they can add value and advance the mission.
  6. They want you to succeed. Your ultimate success in life matters and they believe your mission success in the particulars of the moment will serve as a step toward the ultimate fulfillment of your life. For reasons you may not even understand, they want you to succeed. Since they care about you, and want you to fulfill your destiny, they volunteer to help you all along the way.
  7. They love working with you. You are inspiring, encouraging, positive, expectant, trustworthy, successful and fun.
  8. They love working with the other volunteers. They want to be with the other volunteers on your team. They love the way they’re treated and valued. It’s fun, fulfilling and rewarding to do what you’re doing with you and your team.

Conversely, good people will quit, and leave your team, if they no longer feel welcomed, don’t feel valued, lose their vision for mission success, can’t make a contribution worthy of their effort, don’t like you or find the rest of the volunteers unkind, unreasonable and impossible. 1 Samuel 26:5-7  -  David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.  “Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother. “I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied.  So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp

Celebration SERVES – Nashville

Celebration SERVES – Nashville

May 5th – Team leaves at 9 pm

Don’t delay. Get involved.

Serve the families of Nashville who have been devestated by the recent flooding. Men join the Celebration First Responder Team to Tennessee: Pack your clothes and bring money for food . The team leaves at 9 pm THIS Wednesday, May 5th (Georgetown Campus).

Follow this link for updates and photos.

For more information or to RSVP, e-mail missions@celebrationchurchtx.com

Vision / Information / Prayer (V.I.P.) Thought

Sunday, May 9th (Happy Mother’s Day!) & Wednesday the 12th

Vision:

Isaiah 40:3b-5 “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” NKJV

As we direct people’s cars, greet them, care for their kids, speak a kind word, help them find a seat, or present a video, we help make a path to God.  When we give encouragement and hope, the low things are lifted up.  When we speak truth and love, the haughty things are brought low.  All in an effort to lead people straight into God’s glory – that Christ is revealed and we, together, see Him clearer.  Your serving plays a very important part in people coming to Christ!

Information:

Growth Track Sunday – May 16th (3rd Sunday of the month).  Connect >>> Grow >>> Serve.  What is your next step?

Team Night – May 18th, 6:30pm. An evening of training and growth for all Serve Teams!  Also, invite new team members!  Snacks & beverages provided.  Childcare provided with pre-registration online or at the Welcome Center.

Prayer:

Pray that our team would make a highway for our God in people’s dry places.  That, ultimately, His glory is revealed as we serve and love and give.  Pray for strength and growth as a team.

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