Tomorrow is Sunday!

I am really excited about church tomorrow. Okay...I'm always excited about church, but tomorrow is really going to be awesome. I can't wait to meet together with each of my brothers and sisters at Immanuel to worship. I love it when we sing together, pray together, and study God's word together. It truly is a family experience. But, the Immanuel Choir is doing a great song called Mountain Mover, and this choir and orchestra knock it out of the park. Anne's solo is incredible too; but when is she not? Some friends of ours are coming out from Tennessee and will be in the services tomorrow, as well. The choir is growing tremendously and will be in full force, so, it will be an exciting day.

If you are in Southern California, make plans to be at Immanuel tomorrow morning. It is going to be awesome!

Some Tools

As I stated in my previous post, we have to be willing to exegete our culture. In other words, we need to break it down and understand who it is we're trying to reach, discover what it will take to reach them, and be intentional about influencing the culture instead of remaining irrelevant within the walls of the church. Our friends at Outreach Magazine did a study in reference to the rising disinterest of 20 somethings concerning the church. Take a look at the above link.

I'm not saying we have to hit our college campuses tomorrow and conduct interviews. However, we need a better understanding of the world that we are trying to reach in order to see a difference. Let's be more intentional about winning people to Jesus. Afterall, we do have THE CURE to the cancer that is plaguing the world in which we live.

Resources

How do we reach the lost? This question is something that has been at the forefront of the church for centuries. But, have we lost our passion to see people saved?
Recent reports show that out of approximately 45,000 southern baptist churches, only 364,000 people were reported to have been baptized last year. That would mean that collectively, each church only baptized 8 people the whole year. Even sadder than that is the fact that a large portion of our churches baptized 0. O? How do you baptize nobody for a whole year?

I think the answer to that last question lies in the fact that many of our churches have become culturally irrelevant to the people they are supposed to be reaching. I intentionally did not say "trying to reach" because that would not be true. If a church has become irrelevant to the community they have been placed in, it is because they do not care about reaching that community. If they did care, they would not be in the predicament of baptizing 0.

So, what can we do about it. Well, I believe it begins by exegeting the culture. We can not afford any longer to label generations and leave it at that. If we feel that our senior adults only want things their way and are unwilling to change, we have to meet them where they are and bring them to a realization of where they need to be. It is our job as leaders in the churches God has entrusted to us. But, we must have facts to back up our view. We can not serve solutions to a church based upon unfounded presuppositions. We must exegete our churches, and more importantly, our culture. Where we find people is not where we should choose to leave them. We must be intentional about reaching the lost where they are. This means that we have to find out how to reach them.

I'll come back soon and offer you some creative ideas that I've discovered may help us bridge the gap between our society and the church.

Sneak Preview

Thank you to all of you who have viewed the Immanuel Choir singing I Believe on youtube.com. As of early this afternoon (my time) we had nearly 100 hits. Wow! That goes way beyond what I expected. Get that link to your friends, co-workers, family, and fellow church members. It would be awesome to have a church video have more hits this week than all of the other junk out there. Let's make it our mission to get as many hits on that video as possible.

This Monday is Memorial Day (for those of you without calendars). In our morning worship service this Sunday we will have a tribute to our fallen military men and women. On this Memorial Day we choose to remember. Shortly after the beginning of our service we will play a video that I wrote and a friend of mine, Larry Wheeler (the voice of 90 seconds) made for us. But, you don't have to wait until Sunday. Click on the following link and get a sneak preview of it. If you are referring it to friends, along with the I Believe video, you can give them this blog address or tell them to go to youtube.com and search for jeff bumgardner. Check out the video and let me know what you think! Memorial Day Video

Sunday Night

What a sweet time of worship we had tonight. I believe it was probably the most powerful evening service we've had since I've been at Immanuel. The crowd was great, it was a very energetic environment, and God showed up. What more could you ask for? Bobby Welch was with us all day today and shared his testimony tonight. If you were not there you missed an incredible time. God is doing a great work at Immanuel!

EAT MOR CHIKIN

I promised you an update on last night's activities, so here it is. Chick-fil-a was incredible! It has always been my favorite fast food restaurant, and now there's even more reason for it. The cows were out in full force last night and welcomed us to the restaurant with a Polaroid picture with him as we entered the doors. We were taken to our seats located in the very center of a packed out dining room. Door prizes were given away (congrats Brad) and samples of chicken-minis continuously circled our table. I was on the way to being full long before the meals were served, but that wasn't going to stop me.

We had our choice of several value meals (all for free!!!), so I went with the trusty #1 chick-fil-a sandwich with waffle fries and drink. I topped that off with lemon ice-box pie, a slice of cheesecake, and ultimately a fresh hand-spun mint cookies and cream milkshake. No, that wasn't all of the food at my table. That was the food going in my stomach. Phewwww!

It was incredible. What a fun night. We had the opportunity to meet the new owners and operators William and Leigh Crumb. They seem great and are very excited to be in the Highland - Redlands area. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Go to Chick-fil-a! Wherever you are located. Go. They are a Christian organization whose chief goal is to honor Jesus Christ in all that they do. We need to support that kind of stand.

Alright Immanuel Choir - you have to be in rehearsal tonight. We have free gifts from Chick-fil-a that we are going to be giving away. There are approximately 40 - 50 things to give away, so your chances are good. See 'ya tonight!

The Battle

A crowd gathered to see the action, hoping that the sheer battle for survival would provide both entertainment and a rush of adrenaline. A cheer unlike any other was heard as the warriors took center stage. The two armies stared each other down as their leaders approached. Their beady eyes locked on their targets as the sounds of the crowd around them were drowned out by the beating of their own hearts. A loud alarm put the event into action.

Dirt was flying, sweat was dripping, the two sides engaged one another with sheer determination, each one hoping to live to fight another day. Like a powerful thundering herd each pounced their prey in an effort to subdue and conquer. Many were drug unwillingly to the ground as their enemy unmercifully laid upon their struggling bodies. Others trampled their opponent as if nothing could stand in their way. Cries of approval were heard from the crowd as they begged for more. However, just as suddenly as it had began, a loud shriek signaled the ending. When the dust had settled, the field laid barren thirsting for the bodies of more victims to trample upon it in an engagement of pure will for survival.

The battle rages on and can be seen by those who desperately seek it. The next battle will take place a week from today on Immanuel's green fields as the Kindergarten League of UPWARD Soccer meets for Week 2. Be there!

Coming Up

I'm so excited about the remainder of 2007 that I can hardly contain it. I met with my Pastor today and we talked about creativity. One of the rules of creativity is to constantly experiment. We are going to be doing that in several areas of ministry this year. We want Immanuel to be culturally relevant. Our desire is to reach Highland and the surrounding area with the Gospel of Christ. We are willing to do whatever it takes to see souls saved and lives changed. Pray with us that God will inspire our people with an unquenchable passion to see people saved. If we, as a church, would wake up and finally get it, there would be no limit to what we could see God do. Get ready Highland. Immanuel is on a mission.

Good Problems

Have you ever heard that term before..."good problems"? Well, it is a term we are having to repeat to our people on a regular basis now on Wednesday nights. God has continued to bring us new people to the Immanuel Choir, but the past few weeks has been tremendous. We have had to bring chairs out and create a whole new section outside of the risers, on the floor, of about 20 more chairs. People are packed shoulder to shoulder and it is uncomfortable. We are running out of music and people are having to share. But, what great problems to have. We will be ordering more music, we will be pulling out more chairs, and we will try to make it as comfortable as possible. Praise the Lord He is growing our ministry. May He continue to bless us! Way to go Immanuel Choir! I love each of you! Keep bringing more people!

Community of Believers

Tonight was a very interesting date night for me and my wife. We had someone from our choir, Cindy Smith, come over and hang out with our kids while we went out. We had an awesome dinner and then went to a movie. At the movies we had one of our college students from church taking up tickets. After getting in we went into the theater to get a seat. We spotted the seats we wanted (3/4 of the way up in the stadium seating and almost perfectly centered). As we turned on the aisle and started to sit down we looked up to find 2 more choir members...husband and wife. We talked and laughed about how strange it was to see each other outside of church...but then, suddenly, we spotted another couple from church coming up to where we were. Once they saw us they came over and sat with us, as well. How strange, I thought, that we all chose to come to the same movie, at the same time, on the same day.

After we left the movie we went to Barnes & Noble for some cheesecake, fraps, and a book Jody had ordered. We placed our order and then turned to sit down at a table when I noticed another choir member from Immanuel grading papers at a table. How awesome is that!?!

I don't know why, but it is sometimes strange to see other believers outside of church. It's almost like we all live there on campus, withdrawn from the outside world and have no life outside of Sunday morning and Wednesday night. And, I believe, that we approach ministry that way. We totally withdraw (in theory) from the world that we proclaim we are trying to lead to salvation. We expect those we're trying to reach to conform to the proper church member before they have the "proper" relationship. We believe that if we keep doing what we're doing eventually it will have a different effect (that's the definition of insanity, by the way). We must engage the society we live in, we must be the influencers, and we must be real. How do we balance it all? As a team. As a community of believers we must change the current community. We have to love the lost.

I just feel that we don't truly get it. At least not yet. If we really understood how important it is, we would stop at nothing to see our towns and cities won to Christ. It wouldn't matter what songs we sang on Sunday morning. What would matter is that the music was relevant. It wouldn't matter if the sermon went a little long. What would matter is that the Word was proclaimed and lives were changed. It wouldn't matter that someone wore shorts and a tank top. What would matter is that they came and sat under the teaching of God's word. We can't expect to clean up the outside when there is no change on the inside. As a community of believers we must stop being about our own preferences and start acting on our convictions. Christ is bigger than a video announcement that is too "professional". There's more to our Savior than an old english hymn or a contemporary worship song. It's not about us, it's about him. When we make up our minds that we are willing to stop at nothing to impact the Kingdom for all eternity, that is when we'll finally see souls saved, lives changed, and families restored. Until then, I guess our community of believers will just continue to remain on the church campuses.

2007 At Immanuel

Looking through my calendar for the year, there are several things that I can't wait to get to. Obviously, as I've blogged about several times already, our choir and orchestra are going to San Antonio in June to sing at the Southern Baptist Convention. Several things about that excite me. Right on the heels of SA is our 4th of July Patriotic Celebration. We had a creative team meeting concerning that yesterday, and I am so ready to start putting those things into action. The fall just looks incredibly busy, but that is when I thrive. I can't stand the lulling slow times in ministry. I need a lot of action to keep going. In the midst of a busy fall, we have TEAM IMPACT coming in October. Just after that we have our HUGE Harvest Festival on October 31st. It is the absolute best Harvest Festival I've ever seen. Last year we had approximately 15,000 people come through our campus for that. It was an amazing community outreach. And NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY. We are in the process of trying to book one of Christian Music's premier music groups. I can't give the name until it is actually official, but if this happens, it will be amazing.

Get ready Immanuel. We're going to impact our community in '07. We will be more intentional about reaching out, becoming more and more relevant, and winning Highland, Redlands, San Bernardino, and the surrounding area for the Kingdom!

A Night At Saddleback

I had the awesome experience of being at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA last night for a worship leader & songwriting meeting. They invited area worship leaders and worship teams in for a discussion with songwriter and worship leader Paul Baloche. For those of you who are not familiar with his ministry, Paul Baloche has written such songs as Open the Eyes of My Heart, Arise, and Your Name, just to name a few. It turned out to be a sweet time of worship.

I also got to talk with Rick Muchow, the worship leader at Saddleback. He was just a really cool guy. I totally respect his ministry and what God is using him to do there. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better through similar ministry opportunities and conferences. God has given me great "open doors" to network with guys in my short time in Southern California.

FREEDOM

Two good friends of mine, JR Lee and Todd Lollis, have answered God's call to plant a church in Acworth, GA. I love these guys and know that God is going to use them to accomplish some incredible things for His glory. They are stepping out on faith, looking to Him to supply their salaries, homes, meeting place for the church, and a people to reach and pastor.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Be in prayer for Crosspointe - my former church, and the church that JR and Todd are leaving to follow God's will for their ministries. Pray that God will supply them with a Pastor and staff, and that He will continue to bless them in the meantime. Be in prayer for FREEDOM CHURCH, for their staff, and for the city of Acworth, GA. Pray for God to do an incredible work, the likes of which only He can accomplish. Pray for JR and Todd. Pray that they dream big, that they be equipped with the resources that match their passion, and that their families transition well. Check out their blogs, JR Lee and Todd Lollis. Also, check out the church website, freedomlive.net.

JR and Todd: I love you guys, and I love your families. Having served on staff with each of you, I can truly say that I love your passion and vision. As you take Acworth for the Kingdom, I will be cheering you on. Go get 'em!

Repelling at Red Rock

This is a picture of me about to go over the edge. This was actually the scariest moment...trusting the rope as you lean back parallel with the ground below. Unfortunately, there were no cool shots of that, but trust me, it was awesome.








In this shot, I am a little closer to the ground, and about head high with the edge of the cliff. Soon after this, I started doing flips and spinning in a really cool way. Everyone was impressed. (Okay, I really continued gripping the rope in fear for my life. But, I looked good doing it.) It was a great day and it is something I would definitely do again. I loved it!

Overall, we had an incredible trip. Seeing many of the people of Las Vegas, my eyes were truly opened to where I could be were it not for the grace of God on my life. I could be where they are. Praise the Lord He has saved me from what I could have been! Our High School choir homecoming concert is this Sunday night. It will be a great night, and I know that you guys will do a great job...you always do! I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday and reporting back to the church about what God did in your lives on Student Choir Tour '07.

Update: Vegas

Our recent choir tour to Vegas went very well. We saw a big impact within our own team, and one of our students actually said that this trip was the biggest spiritual thing that had ever happened in his life. This is why we do what we do. A lot of emphasis is put on leading people to Christ, as it should be, but we don't realize how much of an impact these ministry opportunities have on our own people. I had the opportunity to council and share Christ with one of the students while on the trip, as well as encouraging, comforting, and challenging several others. And that was just the things I saw first hand.

And, by the way, if you are headed to Vegas, you've got to see The Blue Man Group. They were phenomenal. It was a high energy show that left me pumped up and wanting more. I also got my first repelling experience on this trip at Red Rock, outside of Las Vegas. We repelled off a 100 foot cliff. It was insane, but awesome. When I get the pictures, I'll be sure to post them for you to see.

Off to a Great Start

Last night's Easter outreach production was awesome! Musically, things were on. Drama Team - you guys knocked it out of the park. Media - you do it right every time! I am so blown away by the team that God has assembled here. We have been outrageously blessed. I don't have the numbers yet, but I do know that souls were saved, hearts and lives were rededicated to God, some have asked about joining the church, and others have asked about joining the worship ministry. God is using each of you to draw people to Himself. Thank you for your ministry. Through the power of God, we are impacting all of eternity for His glory. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us tonight.

Easter is Here

Tonight at 7pm, Immanuel's Worship Ministry will be presenting the Inland Empire Passion Celebration 2007. The drama, orchestra, and praise choir are incredible. The lighting, set, and sound are top notch. Our people have done it again. Everyone involved has done an incredible job of preparation for tonight and tomorrow night. Thank you to each of you for your talents, time, and sacrifice to make this year's production the best it can be. I am impressed by all of you.

We all know the end of the story - Christ conquers death and the grave and gives us the victory! But, there are some pretty powerful scenes depicted here - one between Jesus and Nicodemus, and 2 others between Jesus and Mary. The first between Jesus and Mary shows him as a little boy and her as a young mother. She sings a beautiful song to Him that is later echoed as she cradles her son after His death on the cross. The rehearsals have literally pumped me up with a newfound passion.

Alright, Immanuel. Make sure you are there tonight and/or tomorrow night. You do not want to miss this. Invite your neighbors, family, all of the lost people you can find, and get them here. God may use this to bring someone you know or have been praying for to Himself. Tonight - 7pm, Tomorrow-5:30pm. If you miss it you will miss the opportunity to see God do an incredible work in people's lives...and one of those lives could be your own.

It's Family Time!

As a church leader I occassionally hear from people that they can't participate in a church function because that is family night. This is the preselected time of the week that their family regularly meets together for movie night, game night, etc. Now hey, I am all for family time. In fact, I don't think that our church families set aside those times regularly enough. However, how true to form are we?

Eric Reed, a writer for Leadership Magazine, says, "It’s one way Generations X and Y are making up for the hands-off, latch-key childrearing styles that characterized their Boomer parents: heavy investment in the kids, and everything else takes a back seat -- including church.” As the church, are we making every effort to make family the priority? Many feel it seems, in most churches that we segregate the parents from the kids, the kids from each other, and the family unit from the church.

On the surface, it does seem this way. However, we must view both sides of the issue. The intent of the church is to provide the family with a ministry that will take each member deeper into God's word in such a way as is relevant to their age and interest. The trouble with keeping the family together in such an environment is that the interest levels and attention spans differ. With this in mind, perhaps the church should look at a different way to do midweek activities. In such a structure, Sunday would be the time to provide age appropriate learning. Midweek meetings would then be centered on providing family activities whose main theme is building family relationships.

With soccer games, PTA meetings, hectic work schedules and overall busy lives, Wednesday nights may be the only night families have to spend with each other. If so, wouldn't it be great to spend that night together in an environment that promotes that bonding time. Imagine the memories and experiences that could be made from these nights. What are your thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Looking Forward

I am so excited that tomorrow is Sunday. I can't wait to meet with each of our people at Immanuel in worship. It is the highlight of my week. As a worship pastor, I live from Sunday to Sunday. My preparation all week goes towards Sunday! As believers, we should live our lives from moment to moment....knowing that any one of them could be our last. As a result, each moment should be the most important one of our lives. How can I live each moment to its fullest for the glory of God? Well, I'll get back to you when I have that answer. Until then, I'll keep striving in each moment to be as much like Him as possible. I keep messing that one up, too......but praise God He knows my heart.

What's In A Word?

I read something today that has totally changed my perspective on the subject of getting new members involved in the life of the church. Check this out from Brian Bailey's The Blogging Church:

"I used to think of assimilation as a church growth tool. (We call it integration. Assimilation says, 'You will become like us.' Integration says, 'Adding you will change us.' Huge difference.)...If we don't take guests seriously and make it easy for them to plug in, then we aren't being faithful to God's blessings. So it stops now! We're taking it seriously because we want to be found faithful in every area of ministry!"

We have to get to that point in the church that we are "taking it seriously" and integrate people into the life of the church. I don't know about you, but anytime I become a part of something I want to know that I can have an impact. I want to know that they desire to have me be a part of them. We need to allow GOD to change the heart, we just need to love people into our family. Get those that God sends to us (and entrusts to us) plugged into the life of the church and you will see their lives change, as well as the life of your church.