Sunday The 30th Through My Window

Here are a few pictures of this morning and our facility.



Want to catch a glimpse of my thoughts on today....here they go:

• Today I delivered the message at our campus. Pastor Bil was off this Thanksgiving weekend so our campuses were given the option to go live.
• I talked vision at our campus. Many people have come on board that have never been to Bay Area Fellowship.
• I gave a little BAF and 5 Points Campus history lesson.
• Talked on 5 Points that are the foundation for our campus. All came out of Acts 2:42-47
• So pumped for the future of our campus.
• Music sounded great this morning.
• We put up some new lights and hung some tin to add to the atmosphere. I got one more surprise for next week.
• Tom Grant, our production director, did an awesome job of bringing the lighting and stage design to life. I had an idea...he ran with it and it added so much to our morning.
• Numbers were a little down for the Thanksgiving weekend...don't know if that was the norm at all of our campuses.
• Last night when I practiced my message I had to look at all of what I wrote...this morning I hardly looked at my notes...that can be a good thing or bad thing.
• I was so busy thinking about the message and the new changes I only was able to snap off a few pictures.
• Our production crew has grown to a solid team. I'm looking forward to what the future holds for them.
• Due to using Mediashout for the first time...the graphics for this morning were full animated moving graphics....that added some extra atmosphere.
• Even though we were down we had several first time guests...that always excites me and shows me that we are on the right track.
• I've been letting Juno Garcia do some of the speaking elements each Sunday. Juno is our Service Director and if I'm not there will handle running the morning.
• One of my statements this morning was that we are not just a "video campus"...we are the church.
• Told them we are about NUMBERS...numbers of lives being changed...numbers of families staying together...numbers of teenagers having a hope..numbers of people spending eternity with Christ.
• Pumped about the future of our campus...we have a great group of people who really want to see this church happen.
  

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving and yeah I'm gonna do one of those posts that some of you that subscribe to a million blogs will probably just scroll though...

I'm so thankful to where God has brought us...thankful for a wonderful wife and three awesome girls...thankful for a group of people who are catching the vision of our campus...thankful for a great friend I've found over the last year....thankful for a pastor who like me wants to make our area the hardest place to go to hell...

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful time this Thanksgiving.

5 Points Re-Wired

It's the day before Thanksgiving and even though I've been off for two days from school (my principal job) I've been highly absent from the blogging world. I thought I'd take a moment and let you know what I've been up too.

For two days, I've been working with my production director, Tom Grant, on some upgrades to our adult room. Now albeit, to some churches out there what we did would be nothing. But one of the things about our campuses at Bay Area Fellowship is that we have intentionally tried to start them with the least amount of finances that we can. That way as we launch more campuses, no matter what size town we go to it can work. This week, though we upgraded from our starting package. Our room was a little plain so we added a little WOW.

I put a real brief teaser in this short video:

The Most Important Leadership Quality

Pastor John Atkinson, Multi-Site/Hometeams Pastor of Bay Area Fellowship and my partner has a great post on his blog called "The Most Important Leadership Quality" Here is an excerpt:

The lack of integrity however, will define our leadership and our lives!
1. We must have integrity in our faith, or we'll change the Word of God to fit us, instead of changing us to fit the Word of God.
2.Without integrity, we'll be able to see pride in others, while missing it in ourselves.
3. Without integrity, we'll challenge others to live lives of purity, while in the privacy of our own homes we'll fail at it.

There are some more points on his post so make sure you go read them all. You can also follow Pastor John on Twitter at www.twitter.com/johncatkinson

Sunday The 23rd Through My Window

Here is a look through my window for Sunday 11-23:

• Actually got the date right this week in my title.
• Last four weeks have been a flip flop...183 to 163 to 192 to 163 today. I was actually hoping to bust through 200...we are so close.
• Felt like I wasn't connecting the elements smoothly. That is one of the reasons I like to type out my sermons totally whenever I preach.
• Music team did Break Free this morning....it sounded great....best song of the morning.
• Tomorrow we are making some upgrades that will be revealed next weekend.
• Revealed our next service project....can't talk to much but we are going to be doing something with a local non-profit out in our area. In a nut shell...kids and Christmas Party.
• I feel that our campus will only be as strong as the leadership team I have assembled. It will only be as strong as the bond we have together.
• I've tried something new with our information cards and last week we had 12 first time guests turn it in....this week 5. I feel it is a little more non-threatening for our guests.
• Got an anonymous tip about giving today on the cards...obviously you can guess how that one went.
• Children's area was loud today...one of those facility issues that is a good problem.
• We used our new bar area today....it looked great...still have to but laminate on it.
• Seemed I had too many announcements and things to talk about today...but no time. One of the areas I have to work on.
• Looking forward to kicking off Hometeams and Youth Ministry in the new year. I feel Hometeams are a great way to build relationships and community in a church. Our youth ministry is going to be exciting as well...I'm fixing to do some serious planning for it. Going to line out some message series.
• I felt a little out of it today...not really sure why...every Saturday I've been listening the first two minutes of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" song. It is a great reminder to me to not miss the opportunity before us. Each weekend is so vital to someone....it is when someone's son or daughter or grandchild or mom...dad...friend will be coming to our campus for the first time. It may be their first or last time to ever hear the message of Christ....it is also our responsibility to be ready.
  

Working On

Couple of projects I've been working on:

• Assimilation System - From 1st Time to Core this is a key system for any church. It is vital that we have this one on right from the beginning. My hope is to type it all up into a Google Document for you to view soon.
• Guide To Giving - With a little help from Michael I have typed out a guide (click [HERE] to view) that outlines the steps to plan for and receive an offering. I have always believed that this is an important area of worship for those that come. It is something that should be planned for.

How to Change Your Life in 7 Days

Pastor Bil Cornelius Senior Pastor for Bay Area Fellowship has a great series on his blog called "How to Change Your Life in 7 Days". Here are the links:

Step One: Acknowledge What Needs to Change
Step Two: Create Your Future on Paper
Step Three: Commit
Step Four: Deposit the Price
Step Five: Make Course Corrections
Step Six: Celebrate Your Mile Markers
Step Seven: Honor God with the Rewards

Spring Cleaning

Feel like I need a spring cleaning off my blog...only it's winter. It needs a face-lift.

He's Amazing

I've been thinking over the past month of the difference from last year to this year.

One year, one month ago I was wondering what in the world my family was going to do. Asked to leave a church staff un-expectedly...launched a church only to have that fail...wondering what in the world we were going to do...no job...deflated...unknowing.

Fast-forward and we are leading a church that last week had 192 people in attendance after it's 18th week. Have a great friend in John Atkinson...have a great multi-site team we are building....have a great group of leaders who are making it happen.

God's not just good...He's simply AMAZING!!!!!

When you are down and think your out....THINK AGAIN!!!!!

Harvest Festival Pictures

Here is a slide show with pictures of our 1st Annual 5 Points Harvest Festival.

Making A Difference

I have to say that I'm proud of my church and my school. As a church we allowed my school to come in and us host them for a field trip. They had a blast. This past week they brought me a thank you card.

Sunday The 16th Through My Window

Here is a view through my window for Sunday 11-16-08:

• Pre-Service set up was just ok. Felt like everyone was late and that we scrambled to get set up on time. I feel this area has to sharpen up.
• Music rehearsal is going great. The band has been getting sharper and sharper after 18 weeks. They can now get in and bang it out.
• I would say the area we need to sharpen most on Sunday is our First Impressions. It is ok and good...but I want it great.
• We have some little changes we are making that are going to sharpen our facility. One I can talk about right now is we have created a bar along one of our walls where people can sit or stand between experiences with their coffee/juice and snacks. We got up the first part this weekend and got a lot of complements.
• Outside of our grand opening week, attendance set another record this weekend. Both experience had almost exactly the same amount of people. We had twelve first-time guests....some with families.
  
• I feel we need to tweak our follow up system. Again...another area we are doing just ok in but we can sharpen.
• Music Sunday was really good.
• Great response to message. Even on video people were clapping to some of the points. I think they are understanding that it is still a live experience.
• Two people prayed to begin a relationship with Christ Sunday Morning....that's why we do it.
• I'm seeing more and more of a buy-in with people to the campus.
  
• Yesterday we had our first annual Harvest Festival. Doing it not on Halloween gave us a great turn-out. I estimated that we had between 400 to 500 people there. One public school put a flyer in all of their students back packs and we handed out flyers at Wal-Mart. We spread the word to a lot of people in our area that we are out there.
• Lots of help and a well, well planned event.
• Look for some pics coming soon.
  

How to Change Your Life in 7 Days

Bil Cornelius, Senior Pastor of Bay Area Fellowship, has started a great series on his blog called "How to Change Your Life in 7 Days". Get caught up now...http://bilcornelius.typepad.com...I should be posting links to the whole series when he's done.

Communicating Clearly

Ever feel like your in a conversation like this:



I myself am still working on this area. What are some ways you have cleared up your communication?

Take The Hit

Failure isn't final
losing isn't fatal
if we don't quit.

It is the pursuit
the drive
the consistent push
to not allow life to knock us down.

Keep getting up...
Keep driving forward
Don't QUIT!



Philippians 3:12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

When you're playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you'll fight for the winners circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor. - Pat Riley

How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.
-Lou Holtz

A Leader vs The Leader

Scott Williams, campus pastor for Lifechurch.tv, recently posted a great "leader" thought up on his blog. Here is an excerpt:

Pronunciation: “A Leader” Uh-Leader and “The Leader” Thuh Leader

Just because you are “A Leader” doesn’t necessarily mean that you are “The Leader”

Just because you are “A Leader” who leads a church of 500 people; doesn’t mean that you are “The Leader” to take that church to over a thousand people

Just because you are “A Leader” that has a position, a title and an office; doesn’t mean that you are “The Leader” that....

There is a whole lot more go read the whole post called "A Leader vs. The Leader"

A Secret

I have a secret...you'll know more in December.

Don't you just hate that!!!!

Looking For Campus Pastors

If you are a campus pastor for any church I would love to connect with you. Email me at pastorjcurl{at}gmail{dot}com. I'm looking to start networking in the coming months and I would love to know what some of you are doing.

Keeping It Simple

During this first year of our campus I'm wanting to keep things simple and focus on just a few areas and do them well...

Right now we are focusing on:

• Sunday Morning Experience
• Children
• Outreach

Coming quickly will also be:

• Hometeams
• Teens

Beyond that...there is nothing on the horizon for the first year. When you try and do everything your first year you can end up getting spread thin and not doing anything great. This will allow us to sharpen these areas and staff them well with volunteers and not lose focus by trying to do everything.

Fix It Or I'm Gone

Ok...well you may not care or not but let me tell you something Mr. Big Time Pastor Blogger. I don't like to subscribe to a blog via a feed reader and then have to click over to your site because you only allow a partial feed. That's why I use a feed reader. It doesn't matter how big time you are...how big your church is...nor how cool and relevant you might be.

I'm not sure why you do it. Maybe it's because your knowledge level in this area is limited. Maybe it feeds your ego to see more hits to your site. Maybe your trying to get a book deal and you need those hits. Not really sure...BUT...I've already unsubscribed...you won't get either of my hits.

Sorry...I know it probably won't bother you. You probably have plenty of people who follow you every day that you won't miss one. But I wonder if there are others like me. I wonder how many others you have lost.

Either way...I'm sure if you write something outstanding one of my other friends who I can read all of their post will probably put it on theirs and I'll be inspired. Until then...I'm out.

Ok...I'm off my soapbox.

BTW Mr. Big Time Pastor Blogger if your still reading this...you can fix this by going to your settings in feedburner or in your personal blog settings. How knows...one of these years I may check back and see if you did it.

Marketing Like The Church

Often we become blind to how we as a church present ourselves to guests. This video is a great parable with the thought "What If Starbucks Marketed Like The Church?"



It's got me thinking!!!!

For direct link to video click {HERE}

11-9-08 Sunday Slideshow

Here are a few pictures from this Sunday.



A View Through My Window:

• Major coffee machine meltdown...little tip when you get new equipment you may want to do a test run not on a Sunday morning...at least we figured that out.
• 1st Experience was most attended...great feel in there.
• Tom Grant is doing an awesome job in our Production Area...he has taken it on and has thrown himself into learning the sound board and soon to be new lighting board as well as building a team.
  
• Kids area did a messy game...they had fun...looking through the window there was a lot of energy.
• The whole BAF Kidz area had lots of volunteers this week...my wife has done a great job in recruiting.
  
• First time I didn't follow the message with cards and offering. I had my man Juno do it and he did an excellent job. I am trying to put people in place to lead if I'm not there on a Sunday. Pretty soon I'm going to let them do a whole Sunday while I'm there.
• We started a new series called "Experience Life Beyond Limits". We had one person that prayed to begin a relationship with Christ....PRAISE GOD!!!! Every week we see people praying this prayer.
  
• We had a director meeting during the message time of our second experience. Our campus will only be as strong as the team that leads it.
• We had five people attend our 3rd Membership Class. So far in all three we have had right between 35-40 attend them. I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze all the info into an hour plus provide a time for food. It took us right at two hours total.
• I'm pumped that the response to our Harvest Festival has been so great in the schools. Now I am just praying we have enough help.
• I did my first video challenge while driving. It wasn't much of a challenge to drive and do the video...but it took me about six takes while coming home cause my camera kept stopping at one minute. When I finally figured that out I was already in my neighborhood.
  

Fail To Succeed

You don't succeed without failure.



“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” - Colin Powell

Don't Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me

Can't Resist...Our next ministry is going to be a hip hop choir....It's getting hot in here....so take off all our....ROBES?????

HAHAHAHA....simply hilarious....ROFL...you gotta watch the whole thing to appreciate it.



Thanks Todd!!!!

Servicing Our Community 3

So I've told you a little of what we are doing to Serve our Community here and here.

Let me give you one more way. We believe in Children a lot a BAF as well as at our campus. One Elementary School in our area was doing a field trip and they were only going to be able to take two grade levels. That meant the whole 2nd grade class was not going to go.

We have paid for that class to go on their trip. We believe in kids so much that we went in and paid the cost for bus and gas for them to go. My wife dropped it off and told them not to say anything. By the end of the day (she was subbing) kids were coming up and saying thank you for the church sending them on the trip. I received a letter from the Fine Arts Teacher who my wife said was in tears that day thanking her for what we had done. It felt awesome to be able to do it.

Could we have kept that money in house? Yep. Could we have bought something with that money? Sure. Only we are going to partner with our community and serve it however we can. If we have it available we will do it.

The Answer Is Not A Black President

It's also not a white one either.

The answer to our problems is not having the first black president.

The answer to our problems is not having the first woman vice president.

It is not because one side says we need change. But change is what we need.

This may sound a little cliche. What we need to change is the apathy of the church. We need to rise up and be the church and quit playing like we are the church. We need to change the thinking in church that the answer is either with the republicans or the democrats. The reality is that for half the country either side will screw it up.

The answer is that the church needs to keep back to truly relying on Christ as the answer. We need to not get wrapped up in the hype. Both parties threw a Hail Mary and I'm positive about one thing. The Democrats are not going to turn this around...and neither are the Republicans.

Nope, neither are the answer....CHRIST IS.

Servicing Our Community 2

Here is another way we are serving our community. Read Part 1.

Every year thousands of churches around this country are doing Fall Festival's. Being four months in we thought it would be a great idea for us too. Only we decided to do it with a twist.

Most churches, when they do one, use it as a fund raiser for their kid's or youth or even for all their various ministries. NOT US. This is how we want to be different. This is how we want to partner with our community. We decided to partner with an elementary school in our area and allow them to come in and use our festival as their fundraiser. This school's PTA is trying to raise money to build a new playground. So we are letting them come in and do all the food and keep all the money's raised. None for us...all for them.

Honestly we figure this will go so much farther than we could get for our ministries. Could we do this ourselves? Sure. Could we utilize the monies raised? Of course. But what we feel is more important is the ability to be a resource to our community which is more of our priority.

What are some of the things you are doing to partner with your community?

Our First Children's Dedication

Today marked another first for our campus....Children/Baby Dedications. Here is a slide show thanks to my new campus photographer.

Hulkify-Me

This was my costume last night.