“….so that the man [woman] of God
may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
– 2 Timothy 3:17
Today Matt and I attended an event at McKinney Fellowship called “Equipping for Impact.” The intent was to provide training and support for people involved in ALL areas of ministry throughout the church, to equip God’s people for service both within the church walls and out into the world, workplace, and community. This was the first time McFBC had ever organized an event like this, and so we were unsure of what to expect.
Awesome. Incredible. Renewed passion. Enlarged vision. Refined focus. All of this and more cannot begin to describe my experience today.
We began with a precious time of worship in the main sanctuary. The music was simple – guitar and piano – but the result was heartfelt and genuine. I could sense the spirit of God moving, bringing us collectively to a place of humility and surrender, yet building an expectancy of how He would use us. Bruce spoke from his heart regarding faith and humility, and Jaime Gonzales, our spanish pastor, translated. What a beautiful testimony that was to me of our desire to be ONE church, TWO languages. Bruce then ushered us into a time of meditative prayer, individual and corporate, as we readied our hearts and our minds for the breakout sessions.
The first session I attended was geared toward artists within the church. McKinney Fellowship is a church dedicated to developing the arts and artists within the church and to that end they’ve created a ministry titled Studio 153. All aspects of the arts – visual, technical, performing, vocal, literary – are encompassed in Studio 153. We had a wonderful time of discussion regarding the arts in the church and how art can be used to enhance worship and reach the lost. The studio director provided an inspiring look at God, the Master Artist, through creation, the construction of the temple, and even the writing of His Word. I am so grateful to be part of a church that recognizes and values artists and the texture and dimension they bring to His family.
Then it was off to a session geared toward children’s workers. Though this session was more nuts-and-bolts and procedural in nature, God used this time to reconfirm His leading for me at this season of my life.  Though I have been resistant to working with children in church – simply because it’s my JOB, too – I know that being involved in children’s ministry is exactly where God wants me to be right now.
After a brief snack break, during which I went out to our cooler in the car and grabbed my “celery sticks stuffed with one wedge Laughing Cow light cheese”, I headed to the third session. The subject was on using modern social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn as an outreach/missional tool. It was fascinating! We had great discussion, and the facilitator, young and energetic, showed us all kinds of possibilities for using relevant tools to reach those outside our church walls.
Then it was lunchtime. Matt and I had dutifully packed our SB-friendly lunches in the cooler, so we enjoyed a private picnic together in the portico, away from the yummy ciabatta sandwiches, chips, pasta salad, and fruit displayed in the main foyer. The privacy allowed us to have some meaningful discussions on what we’d learned and heard in our sessions, and gave us the opportunity to collaborate on some of our next steps in ministry together.
Following lunch, we headed to our final session of the day. I chose a vocal training class, thinking it might be helpful to me in working with the preschool music program. What it ended up being was a master class teaching the focus song for our next sermon series, “Ordinary Heroes, Extraordinary Faith.” After having been out of choir for nearly a year (and only having recently gotten back into choir after about a 2-year hiatus for keyboard and children’s director), it was good to be back in that atmosphere. The song we learned is way cool, and though I probably won’t be able to participate onstage the Sunday it is introduced, I can’t wait to sing it out from the congregation. I’m already salivating in anticipation!
We left with our hearts full and our minds opened to the possibilities that exist for us. Our God is a BIG God, and it’s such a privilege to be able to serve Him and His church!