Fellowship Bible Church - 4/22 - 4/23/2017

This weekend, we began a new series about living a generous life: "The Flow of Everything." it was a great start to the series as we looked at God as the source of absolutely everything we have.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-Service: "You Are God Alone (Not a God)" [Billy & Cindy Foote]
"Made Alive" [Citizens & Saints]
"Jesus!" [Citizens & Saints/The Northwest Collective]
"Good Good Father" [Housefires]
"Son of God" [Starfield]

We had some challenges to overcome this weekend with team members getting sick or injured (at one point there was the possibility of me leading from the drums– yikes!), but the Lord provided and brought a team together that did a great job serving and leading. 

Fellowship Service Recap - 10/15 - 10/16/16

This weekend we concluded our Awakening series with a message from 2 Timothy 1:6-12 about how the Gospel is the greatest gift for us and for others. It was a great reminder and encouragement to share the wealth of the Gospel message with everyone in our lives.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-Service - "Lead Me To The Cross" [Hillsong United]
"Sing to the King" [Billy Foote, Passion Worship Band]
"Hosanna" [Hillsong United]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"My Victory" [Crowder]

It was a great weekend together. Both Lindsay and Rachel did a great job leading, and I was thankful to only be leading one song this weekend, as I ended up with a pretty good cough. Someone commented to me that every single member of the band was singing as they played throughout the weekend, and that is a great inspiration to our congregation as they led from their respective positions. It was a beautiful thing.

I continue to see a lot of new faces in the congregation each weekend, many of whom are infusing a new energy into our gatherings, and it is very encouraging to see. I'm excited to see what the Lord does in and through our church family in the coming years!

Have a great week!

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 05/07 - 05/08/16

We had a great celebration together on this Mother's Day weekend, as Pastor Joe shared a message about Mary of Bethany, and what we can learn from her example about sitting at the feet of Jesus. From the Gospel texts, he reminded us to sit at the feet of Jesus to listen and learn from Him, to express our hearts to Him, and to offer our lives to Him. It was a beautiful picture of the relationship we can have with Jesus when we focus on the main things.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Captivate Us" [Watermark]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue/The Modern Post]
"This Is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham]
"O Come To The Altar" [Elevation Worship]
"Good Good Father" [Pat Barrett, Housefires II]
"Sing to the King" [Billy Foote, Passion Worship Band]

It was a beautiful weekend of worship together. We had the chance to honor mothers and to reflect on our own relationship with Jesus. For our singing, we focused on themes of God as our Father who knows us, who loves us, and who has adopted us as His own sons and daughters. For our response time, we introduced a new song, "O Come To The Altar," which I have come to appreciate lately, and I was excited to sing it together this weekend. It has a similar theme to the gospel song "Just As I Am," in that Jesus calls us to leave behind our old lives and simply come to Him to find life. I think it will be one that we continue to sing together for a while. We'll continue teaching it over the next few weeks and reevaluate at that point. "Good Good Father" is a very emotional song that reminds us how God is a perfect Father to us, and how we are His beloved children. It's a song that I feel we can sing only so often because it is so emotionally heavy, but is is powerful when we do sing it together. This weekend, it was very fitting.

Overall, it was a beautiful weekend of worship together. Many people–both staff members and volunteers–worked long hours to get things ready in our new facility for the weekend. The hours of sacrifice by them is more beautiful to me than any building will ever be, though. They worked hard to make room for guests who need to hear the gospel and experience the saving power of Jesus! I'm so grateful for our church, and the opportunity to serve Jesus together with them.

For all of the mothers reading, I hope you had a great Mother's Day!

Have a great week!

in the Son,

Bill

FBC Service Recap - 03/19 - 03/20/16

This weekend was our final week of journeying through the book of Acts in our Mission Possible series, and we also celebrated Palm Sunday weekend together. We looked at the final days of the life of Paul, and how they reflected Jesus' final days as He headed to Jerusalem to offer Himself up as a sacrifice for our redemption. For our singing, we focused on Jesus as Lord and King.

Here's what we sang together:

"Sing to the King" [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Hosanna" [Brooke Ligertwood]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]
"O Praise The Name (Anástasis)" [Marty Sampson, Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher]
"This Is Amazing Grace" [Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle]

It was a great weekend as we celebrated Jesus' Triumphal Entry and looked forward to the celebration of Easter. Our team did a great job, and it was a fantastic finish to our Acts series.

FBC Service Recap - 02/13 - 02/14/16

This weekend, we studied Acts 13-14, as Pastor Joe shared about why God has chosen to use the Church as the main vehicle for His mission on this earth. He taught about Paul and Barnabas' first missionary journey, and detailed how the gospel advanced through them despite resistance and suffering.

Here are the songs that we sang together:

Pre-service - "She Must and Shall Go Free" [Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, William Gadsby]
"Sing to the King" [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Jesus!" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger]
"Son of God" [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran]
"God With Us" [Leslie Jordan, Jason Ingram]
"It Is Finished" [Dustin Kensrue]

 We had a great weekend together, singing songs about the Church and about the redemption that is in Christ alone. I've had Romans 3:23-24 on my heart and mind this week, and this weekend seemed to align in so many ways with what Paul wrote there:

 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." (ESV) 

We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and adopted as sons and daughters, and brought together as the body of Christ–the Church. We focused on the hope that is in Christ alone, Christ's unique worth as our sole source of salvation, the fact that God is with us, and His finished work on the cross for our redemption. I never get tired of signing those truths!

Have a great week!

In the Son, 

Bill

Service Recap - 11/7 - 11/8/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

For our third weekend of our Rebuild series, Pastor Joe shared about our internal resistance to having our hearts devoted to the Lord. He talked about the value of the daily practices of repentance, dependence, and obedience in rebuilding a heart for God, and being available for His working in us.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Hail the King" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger of Citizens & Saints]
"Sing to the King" [Charles Sylvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"How Can It Be" [Jeff Johnson, Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury, as sung by Lauren Daigle]
"Jesus Take All of Me (Just As I Am)" [Charlotte Elliot, Brenton Brown]

It was a great weekend, as we celebrated the Lord's Supper together and looked at the condition of our hearts for God. We sang "How Can It Be" (sung by Lauren Daigle) again, which is one of my favorite newer songs that I have heard. It is an honest and thankful song of worship, looking at all the Lord has done for our redemption and to bring us to Himself, despite all of our sin. He is so good to us. For the Lord's Supper and the response time, we sang "Jesus Take All of Me (Just As I Am)," which is Brenton Brown's modern arrangement of one of my favorite hymns, "Just As I Am." I love the beautiful image of coming to Jesus with nothing but our sin and Him accepting us based on Himself and His work for us. Our salvation is not dependent on us, but on our gracious heavenly Father. He has done great things for us!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship, too!

In the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 09/05 - 09/06/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week our Discipleship Pastor, David Hinkle, preached about how we are the light of Christ because we have the light of Christ, and how we shine brighter together. It was a call to community and doing life together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Absent From Flesh" [Isaac Watts, arr. by Jamie Barnes of Sojourn]
"Sing to the King" [Charles Sylvester Horne, Billy Foote]
Communion - "Man of Sorrows (In My Place)" [Philip Paul Bliss, Bill Horn]
"He is Jesus" [Heath Balltzglier, Matthew Melton, Steve Fee]
"Shine" [Matt Redman]
Post-Service - "Great Are You Lord" [Leslie Jordan, David Leonard, Jason Ingram]

We had a great weekend of worship together. We sang a lot of music! For our countdown, we sang the arrangement of Isaac Watts' hymn "Absent From Flesh" by Jamie Barnes, which is a great lyric and a blast to sing and play. "Sing to the King" is one of our church's staples. "Man of Sorrows (In My Place)" is an arrangement I just finished, of one of my favorite hymns, and this was our first time singing it together. I look forward to sharpening it as we continue to sing it together. I hadn't noticed before working on it, but this hymn is by the man who wrote the familiar music for Horatio Spafford's "It Is Well With My Soul." We brought back "He is Jesus" after a week off as we continued to teach it to our congregation, and it continues to be a great song for us. We finished our services with a send-off of "Shine" by Matt Redman, which tied directly with David's message. After our services, we played out with "Great Are You Lord."

In all, it was a fantastic weekend. Our team does such a fantastic job, and it's a joy to serve the church and to make music together to point people to Jesus!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship, and have a great Labor Day!

in the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 07/18 - 07/19/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend was like Easter in July, as we looked at 1 Corinthians 15 and Pastor Joe shared about the hope of the resurrection. It was a great reminder of the hope that we have because of Jesus.

Pre-Service - "Death in His Grave" [John Mark McMillan]
"Made Alive" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger - Citizens & Saints]
"Sing to the King" [Billy Foote, Charles Sylvester Horne]
"Lamb of God" [Andi Rozier, Meredith Andrews, Jason Ingram - Vertical Church Band]
"Great Are You Lord" [Leslie Jordan, David Leonard, Jason Ingram - All Sons & Daughters]
"You Have Overcome" [Bill Horn & Erik Oldberg]

We continued teaching a new song, "Great Are You Lord," and our congregation seemed to engage with it more this week than last week. We'll rest the song a week and then bring it back in two weeks and see where we're at then. We also sang "Death in His Grave" by John Mark McMillan, which is a great song about the resurrection of Jesus. Since Joe's message focused on our hope for today, when we die, and then when Christ returns, our songs pulled from each of those three themes.

It was a great weekend of worship together, despite personally wrestling with a cold and nasty cough. We made it through, and Jesus was lifted up. Our team always does a great job serving the church, and this weekend was no exception.

Now, it's time for nap.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship!

In the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 04/18 - 04/19/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend we continued our series, Never, with a message called "Never Go Back," where Pastor Joe shared about biblical repentance. It was a powerful call to leave behind our old lives and to cling to Jesus.

Here are the songs we sang from this weekend:

"Jesus, You" [Bill Horn]
"Sing to the King" [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Lord, I Need You" [Daniel Carson, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Jesse Reeves]
"Glory to God Forever" (Bridge Only) [Steve Fee, Vicky Beeching]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]

It was a great weekend together. During "Jesus, You," we had a synced video that showed the first names of everyone who made a decision to either trust in Christ for the first time or to reconnect with Christ. It became an opportunity for prayer together, and to reflect on Christ's powerful work in all of us. Other highlights were "Lord, I Need You" and "Rejoice," as they provided opportunities for us to repent and to trust the Lord in the midst of our struggles, recognizing that He is faithful, He is with us, and He will remain with us, no matter what. "Rejoice" seems to be an anthem for our congregation right now, and I think there is good reason for that. it really encapsulates a lot in the lyric. It reminds us:

• of God's worthiness of all of our worship
• that His mercies are new every morning
• that He has reconciled us through the sacrifice of the cross
• that He is our faithful Father
• that He knows and understands our trials and sufferings, having walked the path before us
• that He hears us when we cry out to Him
• that one day, He will right all the wrongs of this life

"Rejoice/ Come and lift your hands and raise Your voice/ He is worthy of all praise/ Rejoice/ Sing the mercies of your King/ And with trembling, rejoice!"

Amen.

Songs We Sing - 02/07 - 02/08/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

Here are the songs we sang together last weekend:

Pre-Service - "There is a Fountain" (Citizens & Saints version)
"Sing to the King" (Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne, performed by Passion Worship Band)
"I Stand Amazed" (Charles Hutchison Gabriel, arr. by Chris Tomlin)
"From the Inside Out" (Joel Houston, arr. by Todd Fields/North Point)
"There is a Fountain" (Citizens & Saints version)

It was a fantastic weekend. We talked about how Jesus is concerned with our hearts more than outward appearance, and how only Jesus can cleanse and change the heart. "There is a Fountain" was a great fit with the message, and a great way to end the services. I'm excited about continuing to sing that one together!

Worship Gatherings, 09/06 - 09/07/14 - Fellowship Bible Church

Late update here. We started our series through 1 Thessalonians this past weekend, focused on having a Ready Faith, Love, and Hope. I'm excited as we continue this next weekend.

Here's our set of music from this past weekend:

"I Am Set Free" (E) [Leslie Jordan, of All Sons & Daughters]
"Sing to the King" (E) [Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne]
"Forever Reign" (A) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan]
"Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)" (A) [Christa Black Gifford, Kari Jobe, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Joel Taylor, and Gabriel Wilson]
"Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, Vicki Cook, arr. by The Modern Post]

It was a fantastic weekend.

• We introduced "Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)" to our weekend services (we sang it for a worship night recently), and it was a very powerful moment.
• We did something similar to the Hillsong Chapel arrangement of "Forever Reign" for communion, and it was refreshing.
• We sang "I Am Set Free" by All Sons & Daughters in the pre-service time, and I love the harmony that the duo puts together. It's strong and beautiful. I look forward to singing that one again sometime soon.
• Our team did an excellent job with a few new tunes in the mix, and a fresh take on another. I'm so thankful for all their continued hard work and preparation!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

Songs We Sing, 03/29 - 03/30/14 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our student pastor, Nick Strobel, continued our series on worship with his message about godly wisdom. He went through the Proverbs and explained how living with godly wisdom is the only appropriate response of worship to who God is and what He has done for us. He told us that godly wisdom calls us to reality, humility, obedience, and ultimately, the cross of Jesus. We cannot truly walk in wisdom without the redemption that Jesus accomplished for us through the cross. It was a powerful and challenging message. He even took time out to mock my fandom of the Cleveland Browns. I was in tears from laughing, because it was so true... You can listen to or watch the message and service here.

Here's the order from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Remedy" (G) [David Crowder]
Call to Worship
"Sing to the King" (E) [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Name Above All Names" (A) [original]
Greeting Time/Announcements
Message - "Worship: Godly Wisdom" [Nick Strobel]
"How Deep The Father's Love For Us" (D) [Stuart Townend]
"Revelation Song" (D) [Jennie Lee Riddle]
"Son of God" (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran]

This was a special weekend of worship! Our entire team did an incredible job. Kelsey Thomsen co-led with me, and she continues to grow in her leading. Also, all of our singers and musicians really stepped up and led well throughout the weekend. It was a a powerful worship time.

For the songs this weekend, we focused on Jesus' sovereignty, and His worthiness of our worship because of His atoning sacrifice for us at the cross. Every song focused on these aspects in some way, and it tied in really well with where Nick went with his message. I think the highlight of the weekend for everyone was "Revelation Song." Kelsey led powerfully, and the church responded powerfully as we lifted Jesus up together. He is so worthy of all we are and of all our praise!

Hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

Songs We Sing, 02/22 - 02/23/2014 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our family pastor Brian Tryhus concluded our series on Obedience with a message about sacrifice and the providence of God. He urged our congregation to obey the call of God despite the fear that naturally arises, because we can trust Him. You can listen to the message or the entire service here.

Here's our order from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Suffering Servant" (A–B) [Dustin Kensrue]
Call to Worship - Congregational Reading - Romans 12:1 ESV
"I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" (E) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
Greeting Time
Special Guest - Pastor Reynixon Rosales
Announcements
Message - "Obedience: Sacrifice" [Brian Tryhus] 
"The Stand" (A) [Joel Houston]
"You Are God Alone (Not a god)" (A) [Billy Foote, Cindy Foote]
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a powerful weekend. For one, we had a special guest, pastor Reynixon Rosales (he usually goes by Pastor Nixon) from the Smokey Mountain landfill community in Manila, Philippines. He is one of the amazing leaders I had the privilege of meeting a few weeks ago on my trip to Manila with Trash Mountain Project. In our services this weekend, he shared how he grew up in Smokey Mountain, ended up getting out of the community and finishing his education, and then how God called him and his wife back to that community. Smokey Mountain has the worst living conditions I have ever witnessed, and Nixon and his wife, Cora, answered God's call on their lives to head back in these conditions to feed the children and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. They are heroes of the faith for me, and for everyone else who has met them.

The timing of his visit with our church was perfect, as it aligned perfectly with what our family pastor, Brian Tryhus, preached on: obedience and sacrifice. His example was Esther, and how her initial reaction to the call of God on her life was fear, but ultimately she willingly laid down her own life for those of her people, and she became a critical part of God's story. 

The service as a whole was a powerful time of worship. The team led very well, with everyone doing their part to serve the congregation with excellence. We opened in the pre-service again with "Suffering Servant," and after this we read Romans 12:1 together as a congregation. This verse was key to tie everything in the service together–our offering ourselves as living sacrifices is a response to the "mercies of God" (ESV). Kelsey Thomsen then led us on "I Stand Amazed." We responded to the message with "The Stand," and then Kelsey led us again in "You Are God Alone," which we sang for the fourth time now in our services and is our church is learning it and singing it together. I love this song, as it is entirely a song about who God is–His sovereignty, His immutability, and His power. The character of God is crucial to understanding why we should follow and obey Him as He calls us and directs our lives. He is ultimately worthy of all that we are. We closed our services with "You Have Overcome" to bring full circle the connection between Christ's sacrifice for us and putting our obedience in the proper place of being a response to what Christ has already accomplished for us. This truth is critical for us to understand as believers; our obedience, our worship, or any "good work" are all responses to how Christ has accomplished our salvation for us. These deeds do not move us toward salvation. They are a means of following the example of our Savior. They are a means of demonstrating our thanks and love for Him. They are a means of being selfless for others, just as Christ was selfless for us.

It was a beautiful weekend of both celebrating the sacrifice that Christ made for us and contemplating His call on our lives to make disciples. Between Brian's message, Pastor Nixon's testimony, and our time of singing together, it was an incredibly moving and challenging weekend of worship.

Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this weekend?

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 02/15 - 02/16/14 Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend we continued in the fifth week of our series, "Obedience," and Joe shared about the life of Elijah and how he stood with the Lord to confront evil in his lifetime. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

Here's our service plan:

Pre-Service - "Suffering Servant" (A - B) [Dustin Kensrue]
"Sing to the King" (D) [Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne]
Greeting Time Child Dedications (at 5 PM & 9:15 AM services)
Announcements
Message - "Obedience: Confrontation" [Joe Hishmeh]
"Always" (Bb) [Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram]
"Hosanna" (Eb) [Brooke Ligertwood]
"This Is Amazing Grace" (Bb) [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a powerful weekend. Once again, Joe's message was a powerful challenge to follow Christ with all of our lives, and to confront the evil in our world and lives with the power of the gospel. We started out our weekend in the pre-service time with Dustin Kensrue's "Suffering Servant," which is a fantastic song from his new record, coming almost directly from Isaiah 52 & 53. This song has brought me to tears several times over the past month, as I have been overwhelmed with the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made for our redemption. It is powerful in both its words and in its music. There are quite a few words to the song, so it may remain a song for special occasions, but I would love to sing it more often. We continued into the service with Becky leading us in "Sing to the King," which gives us great words by which to celebrate Christ's victory, and which is one of our church's favorites. In response to the message, we expressed our confidence and trust in the Lord through singing "Always." We hadn't sung this song in quite a while, and it was great to sing it again, as it is a powerful statement of our faith. From there, Becky led us in singing "Hosanna," and then we closed out the service with "This Is Amazing Grace." This song has been one of my favorites lately, mainly for the chorus: "This is amazing grace/ This is unfailing love/ That You would take my place/ That You would bear my cross/ You would lay down Your life/ That I would be set free/ Jesus, I sing for/ All that You've done for me!"

THAT is why we sing. THAT is why we worship. Jesus has been so good to us.

Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this past weekend?

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 02/08 - 02/09/14 Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend we continued in the fourth week of our series, "Obedience," and Joe shared about David's life, leadership, and heart for God from 2 Samuel. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

Here's our service plan:

"Made Alive" (C) [Brian Eichelberger, Zach Bolen]
"Glorious One" (C) [Steve Fee]
Greeting Time
Announcements
Message - "Obedience: Devotion" [Joe Hishmeh]
"Forever Reign" (Ab) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan]
"You Are God Alone" (Ab) [Billy Foote, Cindy Foote]
"Lord of All" (A) [Kristian Stanfill]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This was another great weekend of services. Joe's message was challenging for all of us, as he called us to be faithful and responsive to God throughout our lives, and to leave behind the emptiness that so often comes from living by our own will. Our team did a great job throughout the weekend. We began our services by celebrating Jesus and His finished work for us as we sang "Made Alive" and "Glorious One," which is one of my longtime favorites that we haven't sung much here at Fellowship since I've been here. It was great to sing it together this week. Sarah Oldberg led us powerfully on "Forever Reign" and "You Are God Alone," and the church engaged well as we responded to Joe's message with these songs. We closed out our weekend with a powerful declaration of God's sovereignty and surpassing worth in "Lord of All." I wanted this to be a moment where we could intentionally set our eyes on Jesus as Lord of all, and commit our way to respond to Him and His leading throughout our days. I love this song, and still maintain that it's a song that the Church (big "C") needs to sing, because it carries a truth that resonates powerfully in the heart of every believer: "There is none so high and holy/ King of kings, the One and only!"

Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this past weekend?

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 01/18 - 01/19/14 Fellowship Bible Church (Three years and counting)

This weekend was the first of our new series, "Obedience." In this message,  Joe shared about how being on mission with God requires us to be in submission to the Word of God. He called us to "scrap everything" for the daily practice of filling our minds with the Word of God and following God in love. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

Here's our service plan:

Welcome "Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
"Everlasting God" (Bb) [Brenton Brown, Ken Riley]
Greeting Time
Announcements
Message - "Obedience: Mission" [Joe Hishmeh]
"You Are God Alone (Not a god)" (A) [Billy Foote, Cindy Foote]
"Glory to God Forever" (A) [Steve Fee, Vicky Beeching]
"Hosanna" (E) [Brooke Ligertwood]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a fantastic weekend with our church. Joe's message was a great challenge to follow Jesus more closely, and our church engaged well with both the preaching and the singing. Our team did a great job. We opened with "Rejoice," celebrating the faithful love, compassion, and mercy of God. We continued with "Everlasting God," where we acknowledged that our strength to follow comes from the Lord, whose strength and love for us never fails. We responded to the message with Kelsey leading "You Are God Alone (Not a god)," which we sang to focus on the sovereignty and trustworthiness of God. I pointed to this sovereignty and constancy as the reason we can trust the Lord in obedience, knowing that His way is best for us. We continued on with "Glory to God Forever," where we moved from seeing God's sovereignty to responding with the offering of our lives for His glory because of His surpassing worth. Finally, we closed with Brooke Ligertwood's "Hosanna," which calls us as God's people to follow Him closely in light of His return and in light of eternity. It was a great weekend, where everything tied together well the team led well.

On another note, this weekend marked my third year here at Fellowship, and it has served as a time of reflecting on all the Lord has done during my time here. I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God and His blessings in my life. He has done great things! 

Next weekend, I will be in the Philippines with the Trash Mountain Project to help equip some local pastors and to minister in several trash dump communities. I may post some notes about the trip when I get back, so be on the lookout. Please pray for us as we seek to build up the Body of Christ there!

Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this past weekend?

- Bill

Two great weekends; one blog post: 11/02 - 11/03 & - 11/09 - 11/10/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

Well, life has been happening and I have fallen behind on my posts, so a little catch-up is in order. The past two weekends have been some of my favorites here at Fellowship. We have been in the midst of a series titled "Faith" and it has been both encouraging and challenging for our church. On 11/02 -11/03, our lead pastor, Joe, shared how we have been redeemed by the finished work of Christ. This past weekend, 11/09 - 11/10, our Adult Discipleship Pastor, David Hinkle, shared about how God has set us apart for His glory and His working here on the earth. Both of these messages were powerful declarations of the gospel, and it really showed as the church sang in response. You can listen to or watch the entire messages and services here.

Here's our service plan from 11/02 - 11/03:

Pre-Service - "Song of the Redeemed" (Em) [Charlie Hall, Kendall Combes, Quint Anderson, Brian Bergman, Dustin Ragland]
Welcome
"Sing to the King" (E) [Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne]
Greeting Time
Announcements Message - "Faith: Redeemed" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion Intro
"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (D) [John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio]
Taking of the Elements
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
"This Is Amazing Grace" (A) [Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle, Josh Farro]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was one of my favorite services of which I have ever been a part. Our team did a fantastic job leading across the board. Kelsey Thomsen rejoined the team to co-lead this weekend after a long break for school in Wichita, and she did a great job in her return. I am so excited to see how everyone stepped up and called our congregation to worship Jesus. The highlights for me were "Song of the Redeemed," "Sing to the King," and "You Have Overcome." It was an amazing weekend!

Here's our service plan from this past weekend, 11/09 - 11/10:

Welcome
"Holy Is The Lord" (E) [Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio]
"Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, The Modern Post]
Greeting Time
Announcements Message - "Faith: Set Apart" [David Hinkle]
"A Mighty Fortress" (Bb) [Christy Nockels, Nathan Nockels]
"Jesus Paid It All" (Bb) [John T. Grape, Elvina M. Hall, w/ additional chorus by Alex Nifong]
"Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was another great weekend of worship. Again, our team did a great job leading us in worship. Becky Tindell did a great job co-leading, especially in leading us on "A Mighty Fortress," which is an awesome song coming largely from the book of Hebrews. It was a great fit with the message this weekend, along with "Jesus Paid It All." Together, these two songs encapsulated the emphasis of David's powerful message: we are set apart to holiness for God's glory, yet our righteousness before God is only in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf. The highlights for me were "Before the Throne," "Jesus Paid It All," and "Rejoice," which is one of my favorite new songs. If you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen. The lyric is powerful and moving. In all, it was a beautiful weekend.

So, I leave you with this: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from these past two weekends?

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 06/08 - 06/09/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

First of all, please accept my apology for the long delay in getting this out from two weeks ago. That Sunday, my wife had emergency surgery and we have been in recovery mode since then. That weekend, we were in the second week of our series through 2 Timothy - "Lead In Christ." In his message, our lead pastor Joe Hishmeh continued sharing about suffering for the gospel from 2 Timothy 2:1-13. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Sing to the King" (E) [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote, recorded by Passion Live] "Let Me Sing" (A) [Todd Fields] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Lead In Christ: Suffering For The Gospel - 2 Timothy 2:1-13" [Joe Hishmeh] "None But Jesus" (B) [Brooke Ligertwood, recorded by Hillsong Live] "It Is Well" (B) [Horatio G. Spafford, Phillip Paul Bliss, Todd Fields, recorded by Todd Fields] "Lord of All" (B) [Kristian Stanfill, recorded by Kristian Stanfill] Dismissal

Thoughts: It was another great weekend of worship with our church. Sarah Oldberg led with me, and she always does a great job. "None But Jesus" is a great song that we have not done much, so it was great to sing it with the church. I loved how everything in the weekend fit together, and I felt like Jesus was truly exalted by all the pieces of the puzzle. I'm so grateful for our church and for all the people who have helped care for us over these past two weeks! Now it is time to finish this week's post!

- Bill

What were your thoughts or experiences from your worship gathering this weekend?

Songs We Sing, 01/26 - 01/27/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we continued in the second week of our series through 2 Corinthians-- "Purpose In Christ." Joe shared about growing in forgiveness, and how forgiveness can be the demonstration of the victory that Christ has over sin. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "In Tenderness" (G) [W. Spencer Walton, Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey, arr. by Citizens] "Sing to the King" (D) [Charles Sylvester Horne, Billy James Foote] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Purpose In Christ - Forgiveness" [Joe Hishmeh] "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (E) [Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees] "Forever Reign" (A) [Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a great weekend. Joe's message was very powerful and challenging, our team led well, and the church was very engaged. Becky Tindell returned to co-lead after her maternity leave, and it was great to have her back. The entire worship team locked in really well and it was a solid weekend musically. I love the songs that we sang this weekend, and I felt like there was a good balance of both energetic songs and reflective songs. Also, our tech team did a great job, with three volunteers running sound, video, and MediaShout for the first time solo. It is really amazing to see how our team is growing and developing. God continues to bring people who have a passion to accomplish the mission of our church together, for which I am extremely grateful. God is doing some great things here, and I truly believe our best days are ahead of us.

Thanks for reading and being a part of this with me!

- Bill

What were your thoughts or experiences from your worship gathering this weekend?

Set List, 10/27 - 10/28/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued our discipleship series, "Ephesians - United in Christ." In the message for the weekend, Joe shared from Ephesians 5:1-8 how God calls us to "Love not Lust." When we settle for lust instead of love, we are selling ourselves short, and accepting far less than God's best for our lives. It was a powerful challenge to pursue love and our true identity and purpose in Christ. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Because of the drive of the message, we focused on the amazing love of God that never changes, never fails, never leaves us, never forsakes us, and never gives up.

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Sing to the King" (D) [Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne] Welcome/Greeting Time "One Thing Remains (Your Love Never Fails)" (Bb) [Brian Johnson, Christa Black, Jeremy Riddle] "Forever Reign" (Bb) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan] "Your Great Name" (Bb) [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff] Message - "Ephesians 5:1-8" [Joe Hishmeh] "The Love of God" (D) [Frederick M. Lehman, arr. by Bill Horn] "Amazing Grace" (D) [John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees, arr. by Bill Horn] Offering/Announcements/Dismissal

"Sing to the King" - We opened our services this weekend with this great hymn rewrite by Billy Foote. One of our newer team members, Cindy Gular, led us on this one and did a great job. I loved opening with this song, as it set our eyes on our hope: Christ's victorious return and the consummation of our salvation. As Joe said in his message, "Our lives our best when long-term values are  the basis of our short-term decisions." When we keep our eyes on our future and our hope in Christ, we live differently.

"One Thing Remains (Your Love Never Fails)" - We continued after the welcome time with this song, which helps us declare the truth about God's constant and unchanging love for us. I love singing this song together with our congregation.

"Forever Reign" - This song says a lot about God and His character. I love how it juxtaposes God's perfection against our weakness in the verses, helping us to see and sing of our great need for Him.

"Your Great Name" - We finished the first part of the service with this song, which points us to the cross and the redemption that we find in Christ alone. He is Lord, and He is high and lifted up, and one day every knee will bow before His throne and confess that truth. My hope for our congregation is that we will confess that truth not only with our words, but with our lives.

"The Love of God" - We responded to the message with this profound hymn about God's love. I (along with most everyone else who hears this song) particularly love the last verse: "Could we with ink the oceans fill, and were the skies of parchment made/ Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev'ry man a scribe by trade/ To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry/ Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky." That is beautifully said.

"Amazing Grace" - We tagged this onto the end of "The Love of God" to finish out our services. We did something we don't normally do, in that we sang it only with piano. It was a nice moment for us all to hear one another singing this most familiar of hymns together. I feel that it also helped tie everything together from the service: recognizing our own sinfulness, the greatness of God's love and grace for us, and fixing our eyes on our hope in Christ.

Thoughts: This weekend was a great weekend. Our team did a great job, and I am happy with how each song tied together with the focus. I felt that the church sang well in each of our services, and that people were engaging with the truth of God and His gospel in the songs that we were singing. The weekends are consistently a highlight of my week, as we remember the gospel and praise God for who He is and what He has done for us.

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience this weekend?

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!