Our Stories
Got any change?
By JD Watson | posted 09/18/2008
"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:19)
Several summers ago my wife Becky, myself, and a handful of leaders loaded up a bus full of kids from Redmond High School for a week long trip to Young Life camp at Wildhorse Canyon in central Oregon. If you've never been to a Young Life camp let me give you a small picture of the experience: Built with teenagers in mind, these camps are like resorts. There are swimming pools, soccer fields, zip lines, go-carts, great food, and 600 friends just your age. Loud music, fun games and activities all make Young Life camping the crème-de-le crème. It is truly top-notch and makes for an unforgettable week.
If there is one thing you can count on with YL camp it is the consistency and excellence in their proclamation of the Gospel. Music, messages, and activities are well thought through and as a leader, one comes to know what to expect. It's a formula that works. Walls are broken down and Jesus Christ is introduced in a whole new way.
The kickoff to each evening's meeting session, called 'Club', is music led from the stage. Usually a guitar, drums, base and some singers are all rockin' to songs you'd hear on the radio.
You can imagine my surprise this particular year when we get to club and instead of singing along to Brown Eyed Girl or Jewel, we were lead by 3 singers and a drummer singing urban hip-hop. No guitar. No bass. Neither I nor the group of guys I brought had ever heard any of the songs. We sang along, but it was just hard to get excited.
I must admit I was pretty disappointed. Here I'd poured my time, effort and heart into getting these guys here and it wasn't the way I wanted them to hear about God. Would they be turned off by the music? Why couldn't it just be what I was used to?
At our leader meeting the next morning it came to light that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. After 5 minutes of discussion, the camp director stood up and challenged our reluctance to a different music experience. He said he had intentionally arranged for a different style of band to lead music. He asked us to give it a chance. He encouraged us to think outside the box - outside our comfort zone, and see that we can experience God differently. God is capable of showing up in new ways and if we are open to it, the results might just be surprising.
During the next 7 weeks we are going to be exploring who we are as Creekside Covenant Church. What does it mean for us to be a missional? The staff and Leadership Team have been working hard to facilitate our discovery of who we are and where we want to go.
I'm working with a small team to do some creative things during our Sunday morning worship times together. We're going to be trying some new ideas, keeping some of what we're used to, as well as going back to some old ideas. Some may work well, and others may not. I encourage you to come on Sunday mornings with an open heart and mind to new experiences and ready to seek a refreshing encounter with God. I encourage us as a community to not only be open to change, but also to be a part of the change. This will be a stretch for many of us, but a stretch with the possibility of great results.
At Young Life camp, I was reluctant to the new type of music that week, but it grew on me-and the kids too. By the end of the week all the guys were singing loudly, and I couldn't imagine a better fit. The music was great! We liked it so much we bought the CD to listen at home. On top of it all God moved in mighty ways and each one of those high school guys encountered our Lord.
I feel like God has been working on my heart in the last few months. Although I've got more questions than answers, I'm wrestling with how God is calling me to be a part of our missional vision. I know I'm just one piece of the puzzle, but I'm an important one in God's mission. We each are. I believe God is encouraging me to think out of the box. Think differently. Think long term. Think with others in mind first.
Is God looking to move in a new way at Creekside? I believe He is.
JD can be reached at jd.watson@cwprops.com.
