If It's Sunday ...
...then I'm at church!
Today it's my honor to actually "work" at church. I volunteer on the tech team and run PowerPoint. For a really neat explanation of how the tech team operates and what exactly happens, you need to read my brother's blog and specifically this article. He goes into great detail about what takes place during the Sunday services. (By the way, my brother's blog is entitled "Craig's blog." What the name lacks in originality, it makes up for in simplicity and rememberability. Ok, I made that word up but you get the picture.)
PowerPoint is an application in windows where you can create slideshows. Officially, I guess it would be considered graphics. PowerPoint is seen by the congregation, not the TV viewing audience. It's projected onto a couple of really big screens so that the congregation can see the words to the worship songs as well as Pastor Broggi's Scripture. It's a very important job. Failing to "flip" a slide silences the voices of those who rely on them during the worship singing. Failing to "flip" a slide during the sermon will bring a gentle reminder from the Pastor that you might need to wake up. It's ok. The guys working the sound board are the ones who get "the stares" or blame ... not me! Only because I'm hidden away in "The Booth." Operating PowerPoint is really not that complicated. All you have to do is pay attention and press a button.
There was a time, however, when you really worked up a stressful sweat when it came to "flipping" the slides. You see, I was helping with PowerPoint at the beginning. At that time, all we had as an outline for the Pastor's sermon, was a list of the Scripture verses that he was using. If we would flip the slide at the right time and was spot on, the PowerPoint team would high five each other and whisper "woohoos." If, on the other hand, a slide was missed, we comforted each other with shoulder rubs and "better luck next times." The song slides were pretty easy, you just sang along and flipped the slide. The sermon slides, however, were a guessing game.
My first sermon was on an Easter Sunday. Saying I performed poorly is putting it mildly. I missed every sermon slide. I failed to get even one high five. Nor was there a single woohoo. (I did get a pretty good shoulder rub, though.) And because it was Easter, there were about a gazillion people in attendance who all saw my miserable attempt. I was devastated and near tears. To make matters worse, my fellow team members were forcing me to do the second service. Didn't they just see how horrible I did? But one of them left the booth and printed out the sermon notes in a different format. Instead of just a list of Scripture it had a "picture" of the actual slide. You could now see the entire verse.
I still objected to going forward and doing PowerPoint for the second service but I did it. And it went smoothly. I didn't miss one single slide. I got high five after high five, woohoo after woohoo. Oh what a glorious victory! Oh what a glorious feeling!
And that's the way we've been doing the sermon slides ever since. So today as I'm flipping away slide after slide, I can also actually enjoy the sermon instead of sweating away with stress. I do not take lightly the fact that I'm entitled to two services. I always feel that because I get to hear Pastor Broggi twice that there is probably something I really need to hear from God. I'm certain that there is a specific point that's meant just for my heart to hear and actively apply to my life.
Working on the tech team is an honor and I'm glad to be a part of it!
Today it's my honor to actually "work" at church. I volunteer on the tech team and run PowerPoint. For a really neat explanation of how the tech team operates and what exactly happens, you need to read my brother's blog and specifically this article. He goes into great detail about what takes place during the Sunday services. (By the way, my brother's blog is entitled "Craig's blog." What the name lacks in originality, it makes up for in simplicity and rememberability. Ok, I made that word up but you get the picture.)
PowerPoint is an application in windows where you can create slideshows. Officially, I guess it would be considered graphics. PowerPoint is seen by the congregation, not the TV viewing audience. It's projected onto a couple of really big screens so that the congregation can see the words to the worship songs as well as Pastor Broggi's Scripture. It's a very important job. Failing to "flip" a slide silences the voices of those who rely on them during the worship singing. Failing to "flip" a slide during the sermon will bring a gentle reminder from the Pastor that you might need to wake up. It's ok. The guys working the sound board are the ones who get "the stares" or blame ... not me! Only because I'm hidden away in "The Booth." Operating PowerPoint is really not that complicated. All you have to do is pay attention and press a button.
There was a time, however, when you really worked up a stressful sweat when it came to "flipping" the slides. You see, I was helping with PowerPoint at the beginning. At that time, all we had as an outline for the Pastor's sermon, was a list of the Scripture verses that he was using. If we would flip the slide at the right time and was spot on, the PowerPoint team would high five each other and whisper "woohoos." If, on the other hand, a slide was missed, we comforted each other with shoulder rubs and "better luck next times." The song slides were pretty easy, you just sang along and flipped the slide. The sermon slides, however, were a guessing game.
My first sermon was on an Easter Sunday. Saying I performed poorly is putting it mildly. I missed every sermon slide. I failed to get even one high five. Nor was there a single woohoo. (I did get a pretty good shoulder rub, though.) And because it was Easter, there were about a gazillion people in attendance who all saw my miserable attempt. I was devastated and near tears. To make matters worse, my fellow team members were forcing me to do the second service. Didn't they just see how horrible I did? But one of them left the booth and printed out the sermon notes in a different format. Instead of just a list of Scripture it had a "picture" of the actual slide. You could now see the entire verse.
I still objected to going forward and doing PowerPoint for the second service but I did it. And it went smoothly. I didn't miss one single slide. I got high five after high five, woohoo after woohoo. Oh what a glorious victory! Oh what a glorious feeling!
And that's the way we've been doing the sermon slides ever since. So today as I'm flipping away slide after slide, I can also actually enjoy the sermon instead of sweating away with stress. I do not take lightly the fact that I'm entitled to two services. I always feel that because I get to hear Pastor Broggi twice that there is probably something I really need to hear from God. I'm certain that there is a specific point that's meant just for my heart to hear and actively apply to my life.
Working on the tech team is an honor and I'm glad to be a part of it!
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"Hey! He's starting! C'mon, guys! Let's go, guys! Let's go!"
Aah. Memories...
Or...how 'bout that coke being popped open. All look to the culprit and the culprit, "What?" Makes be belly laugh everytime I think of it!
How about the Wednesday night that Pastor Carl was about halfway through his lesson and a PowerPoint projection of Notre Dame Cathedral came up on the wall. Seems a certain Notre Dame fan was playing on the 'puter in the booth.
Behind the scenes at Community Bible! Wow!
I was just talking to Sonja yesterday and she said once Pastor Broggi asked Morgan if he was sleeping up there. Y'all are so brave!
Nah. Just trouble makers...LOL! In the old building, when there were 2 services with Sunday School in between, Pastor Carl taught the Discovery Class. Craig got there very early to set up PowerPoint for the sermon notes. One Saturday night, he got the email with sermon notes from Carl very late and it took him till about 2 a.m. to change them from whatever format they were in to PP, then had to be at CBC by 6:30 to put them on the booth 'puter. After 1st service and during Discovery Class, Craig took a much needed nap in the booth. I panned the camera around to him and it went to the in-house CCTV. Laverne, Carl's secretary, happened to see it in one of the nursery rooms and Craig had to put up with her razzing all the next week. I was ROLLING! Everybody thought it was funny...except Craig.
Joy-
Now THAT'S funny! Hopefully the Pastor doesn't know when I'm running PowerPoint. I try to be as anonymous as possible!
Len-
I forgot about that. LOL! I don't think Craig ever forgave you!
No, I don't think so either. I think that's why he laughed so much at, "Hey! He's started! C'mon..."
About Morgan sleeping...I don't think he ever sleeps...EVER! He is too energetic to sleep. The reason Carl asked him if he was sleeping was he missed a cue to change slides. Morgan had the bad habit of trying t multi-task while on PP. While running PP, he'd check his email, blog, and play E games all at the same time all on the same 'puter!