Baptism Sunday

June 27 will be our annual Baptism Sunday.

We will, as always, include stories from the folks being baptized, but what other ideas could we incorporate into this very significant Sunday?

Father's Day

Father's Day is just around the corner and believe it or not, it is on a Sunday (Again!!) 

What are some ways that we can honor Dad's in our congregation?


[image by pacfolly]

Extraoridinary Normal - They were quite the characters

Beginning next Sunday, May 16th, we will be focusing for 5 weeks on different characters of the Bible.  Our goal for this series is to find several characters and aspects of their stories that will compel people to want to read their Bible more.

I would still love to have your submissions for characters to discuss.  Please comment here and tell me who you would like to suggest and what about their story it is that you find compelling.

Characters of the Bible Series to Launch After Mother's Day

Just after Mother's Day we will begin a series focusing on different characters of the Bible.

We're in the planning stage for this and I'd love your input on a couple of aspects:

First, what would you call this series? Some of the suggestions on the table now are:

Extra Ordinary
Cowards, Tramps and Thieves
Characters Welcome
Ordinary People
Most of Us are Like the Rest of Us

Next, what characters would you like us to address?

Let us know here.

[image by wintertwined]

Fighting for the Family

To follow our Easter services we will launch a series that will be all about the importance of family relationships and the importance of fighting to have strong family relationships.

Here is some copy that describes this series. It will be largely based on the series by Northpoint called Fight Club.

Of all relationships in life, few are as important or as complicated as the relationships between fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, or sisters and brothers. These relationships impact us more than we want to admit. Although we are tempted to write these relationships off when they are painful, we still know that there is something in us that needs that connection.

The week titles will be:

It's worth the fight
Get in the ring
Choosing Sides
The Final Round

What creative ideas do you have for a title for this series?

What marketing suggestions do you have?

Easter Services: The Wall

This Easter we will be using a service called The Wall. Here's some copy explaining the concept behind it:

Some of us bump up against walls where circumstances in our lives seem too much for us to overcome on our own. God is very available to help us conquer any of those walls. And one wall that we all face, even if the rest of life has been smooth, is the mortality wall. To break through this wall, each individual has to make a personal decision as to whether they'll respond to Christ's resurrection power and reach out in repentance and faith to take his hand and accept his offer of a glorious eternity with him. This message encourages each person who is up against any wall to ask, seek, and knock—and be assured that God will answer.

What ideas for creative elements would you suggest?

Year at a Glance!

For 2010 the Planning Team that decides our service and series topics met and decided to put together a plan for the entire year.

While we reserve the right to change things if we feel necessary, this does give us a plan to work from and gives you services and series to begin cooking up ideas for way ahead of time.

I have posted the series in the right column of Muse under the heading: Future Series. But I will also list them here for ease of communication:

• February - Balanced
• March - A Place for Everyone (artwork is from LifeChurch's series of the same name)
  
• April - The Best of Me (working title-a series re: potential, purpose) or a series on Family
  
• May/June - Characters of the Bible (possibly based on UnRated by Granger)
• July - Summer Series (multiple teachers, multiple subjects)
• August - Spiritual Formation Series
• September - evangelism series
• October - Fall Big Push Series on Family or Relationships
• November - Person of God/Attributes of God series
• December - An Unexpected Christmas

Please go ahead and let your wheels start spinning and start commenting your ideas for these series. I will post series postings as we approach the individual series and know more.

Thanks again for your ideas and your time! Together we can create services that use the arts to reach people for Christ!

[image by redstamp.com]

March 28, A Place for Everyone: Everyone is Invited

The final week of A Place for Everyone we are going to take a look again at how important it was for Jesus that we all know that we are invited to share this life and eternity with Him. It was so important that He gave His life to make that possible.

We are all invited to do life with Him. Will we?

What arts elements could help us tell this incredible story on Palm Sunday?

March 21, A place for Everyone: Everyone is Included

Imagine a church where people - all people - are welcome. Not a church just for church people. What would that look like?

What if church really was designed to be a place where everyone could come and not feel judged, not feel excluded but instead feel like they are a valued participant?

Cypress Meadows strives to be exactly that sort of a place.

What arts elements do you think of that would communicate this mission?

March 14, A place for Everyone: Everyone is Important

We say it all the time,

"there's not a person you will lock eyes with that is not important to God."

What does that look like in how we treat others? What does that look like in how we live our own life?

If we are important to God, if we are so important to God that He has a plan for our lives are we living our lives accordingly. Are we investing ourselves, our gifts and our strengths in His plan for our lives?

What arts elements can you think of that would help raise these questions?

Orange - what happens when red and yellow work well together!

Something BIG is happening at Cypress that is going to really impact the smallest people at Cypress!

Sunday, March 7 we will hold a service that will cast vision for our new family ministry at Cypress, Orange.

I've talked with Chuck Deitch, our Community and Family Ministry Leader, and here is a little about what you can expect with Orange.

Red is the color that represents home, love. Yellow is the color that represents church, light. When you combine the two of them you get Orange!

The church and the family are designed to work together to teach, shape, love the kids in our lives. When they work together well it sets our kids up for a true win.

What songs, videos, dramas do you know of that would work well to help cast vision for this exciting next step for Next Gen?

Balanced: Developing a Plan

The final key to staying balanced with our finances is to develop a plan and work the plan. And the plan is all about our priorities. What percentage of your finances will you honor God with 2%, 10%, or all?

[image by Steve Wampler]

Balanced: Back in the Black

There are areas in our finances in which we have to be making constant corrections. Two of those areas are: Spending and Getting out of debt.

We'll take a look at how spending is really an extension of discontentment and what it means for the borrower to be slave to the lender.

[image by Adam Crowe]

Balanced: Reading the Fine Print

In order for our finances or anything in life to be balanced, we have to have a clear objective. Your objective regarding your finances may not be defined by you in so many words, but is defined by your actions with and attitudes toward your money. Perhaps your objective is to be able to provide well for your family. Or possibly to save as much as possible. Spend as much as possible. Regardless, you do have an objective. This Sunday we're going to suggest that the only objective that will provide true balance is the objective of honoring God with our finances.

[image by starryeyez024]

Balanced: Opening the Books

The first week of Balanced will roll out some very practical thoughts on our finances. Regardless of who we are and what be believe, there are two things we have to know about finances, we always have to keep an eye on where our money is going and we have to make constant corrections.

[image by Locator]

Results of our Planning Day

Thanks to Anonomous (I know who you are! :)) and to the planning team for your input and thoughts as we worked to layout a general plan for 2010 weekend services.

I'm excited to say that we have some topics on the table for the year with the clear understanding that we will leave room for change if we feel God is calling us to do so.

I will roll out some of the topics here so you all can start your creative wheels spinning with ideas for the series.

Finances - Balanced is the packaging for this and it will be heavily based on the Northpoint series of the same name
Evangelism - Everybody
Reaching personal potential
Characters of the Bible - similar to a series by Granger called UNrated

OK, that should give you plenty to start your wheels spinning. I'll post weekly titles etc. later.

Thank you again for all your input and creativity!

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

I apologize that with the busy-ness of the Christmas season I have not kept Muse as up-to-date as I would like. As we are now settled firmly in 2010 I'd like to update you and ask for your suggestions.

We are currently in our first-of-the-year series, Creating 2010. We have two more Sundays to go in that series and the remainder of the year is, for now, a fresh, clean sheet of flip chart paper! Within the next several days the planning team will be meeting for an extended planning retreat where we will discuss ideas for the entire year.

If you have an idea for a series of weekend services, please post a comment here between now and next Wednesday (January 20) and I will add your ideas to the mix of our conversation.

[image by emma.kate]

Concrete: What following Jesus Looks Like

To follow someone is to watch closely where they are going and what they are doing and go and do the same.

So, what does it look like to follow Jesus? Where have you seen it in the lives of those around you? What has it looked like in your own life?

What songs, readings, stories, dramas do you think of that illustrate what following Jesus looks like?

Concrete: Why do we sing?

Worship is also foundational to our walk with Christ. Why do we worship? What is the goal of worship? How do we do it? We'll explore the importance of worship in this next week of Concrete.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve service is a very special and important part of tradition here at Cypress. The service this year will be a stand-alone service different from our production, Me & My Drum.

What are some elements to a Christmas Eve service that you would like to see us do?

Are there songs you wish we would sing?

Videos that would tell a compelling Christmas story?

Participatory elements that would be meaningful for the congregation?

This is your chance to get in the Christmas mood and tell us what does that for you.

I can't wait to hear your ideas!

[image by Zellaby]