Today at Eastview
The Force is With Us
Though the Worship Task Force works tirelessly behind the scenes to foster and advance worship at Eastview, many members and regular attendees have a fuzzy picture of what they really do.
To make the picture a little clearer, the Easview Link decided to ask some of the team’s members (past and present) what the Worship Task Force is really all about. Lyle Morris, though no longer a member, helped lead the Worship Task Force and acted as a liaison to various teams hard at work on Sunday mornings. Laurie Payne plays (and has played) an integral role within the music ministry at Eastview and currently serves as a member on the Task Force. Rob Penner, Eastview’s current Assistant Moderator, helped establish the Worship Task Force alongside Moderator Steve Dick and is the current chairman.
How did the Worship Task Force get started?
Lyle Morris: It came from Council - if not Council, then Steve and Rob on Council. The idea came from not having a Worship Pastor and needing leadership in its stead. Steve and Rob asked a lot of people they thought would add to the team.
Rob Penner: In the absence of Pastoral Leadership, Council created an ad-hoc committee to meet the needs and create a worship experience for all that attend ECC. Steve Dick and I took on the assignment of drafting what the Worship Task Force would look like and to seek out current members of Eastview to be on this committee. A Worship Pastor would not be searched for until a Senior Pastor was in place, as the Worship Task Force was an interim-solution in the wake of a Worship Pastor vacancy.
What are some of the roles in the Worship Task Force?
RP: Each member of the Worship Task Force is in place to take on the challenges of the worship experience for all that attend on Sunday. The role of each member is to be in prayer and to humbly seek God’s grace and wisdom when creating the worship experience.
Laurie Payne: We are also there to support and encourage one another in the gifts that God has given us. We as a team are to encourage and mentor the worship leaders and to be active listeners to the people God has put in our midst. As of recent we have asked the congregation to support us in this role by including each worship team that serves in the prayer bulletin so that we can all be in prayer and support of them.
Who’s actually on this task force?
LP: The team as of now consists of 7 members who meet once a month to discuss what Rob has mentioned. We also have had a separate meeting between the worship leaders and the task force along with the support of our pastor Delbert Enns to pray together and search out the needs of our worship teams and how we can better support them. The Worship Task Force consists of Sandi Hamm, Monica Kornelsen, Bill Enns, Marlies Beesley, Stacey Enns, myself, and Rob Penner as council liaison and chair.
What does a typical meeting look like?
RP: Sandi and Monica create an agenda and I chair the meetings. Time is spent in prayer, discussing what has worked, what events are coming up, and what needs to happen/who needs to be involved, etc.
How will we see the effects of the Worship Task Force in a Sunday morning Service?
LM: Good question…the entire morning from top to bottom will be ‘worship-full’. The entire morning is worship. We want to use all the gifts that God gave us to worship Him. We want to create a place where people are free to express their love, their journey, [and] themselves to God in the way they know how.
RP: Engaged attendees of Eastview meeting God at the throne of grace. Attendees understand that this is the time for them to offer their gifts to God; it is not about a show that entertains people.
LP: Ultimately we recognize that it is not about us or anyone leading us that gets our hearts engaged to worship God. God has created each and every one of us to worship Him. Each person will experience worship differently but ultimately it is about the Lord speaking and revealing Himself to each person in our midst. That revelation will result in action and motivation to serve Him in the places He has called them to. We should seek to offer our entire lives as sacrifices and acts of worship to Him.
What are the present challenges faced by the Worship Task Force? What are the short-term and long-term goals of the Worship Task Force?
RP: People understanding what worship is. People getting involved and coming to church willing and ready to worship God.
LM: Time. It’s a HUGE job. It was also hard in that in a way there are many cooks in the kitchen – most, if not all, decisions were by committee.
LP: Satisfying and meeting the needs of each and every person that comes through the doors of Eastview. We understand that we are a multi-generational church with many different ideas of what worship should look like on a Sunday morning. It should be an experience that offers something for everyone and we are working towards this end and so value the input, support and prayers of those in our midst.
LM: Design Team-ish [according to the Worship Task Force outline, “The “Design Team” is to be a team of people who think about, vision and practically put ministries in motion to make weekend services at Eastview a “Worship Experience” for everyone.”] …and to create a worship-full experience: not ‘cookie-cutter’ but authentic worship. Hopefully all the goals are short term; long term is to find a Worship Pastor so that the Worship Task Force isn’t necessary as such.
RP: Short-term - to continue to develop the worship experience for all that attend ECC. Long-term - a Worship Pastor will be hired and part of this committee will then become a voted committee that is responsible for the design of the worship experience.
LP: We are also actively working to redesign our current Worship Ministry Package to provide guidelines and direction for the leaders and up-and-coming new members of the worship teams.
RP: If any member of the church would like to use their God-given gifts and talents they are encouraged to contact the church.
Next Service
- Sunday, December 7th
- 9:30 AM & 11:15 AM
- The Gift of Christmas - Giving
- Pastor Delbert Enns
