Archive for April, 2006
Youth Sunday
by Ashley on Apr.23, 2006, under Ashley Bingle
The youth, meaning kids in 6-12 grade, at Community Presbyterian Church in Celebration put on two entire church services pretty much all by themselves. We had a little help from some adults, including my Dad, my Sunday school teacher, and Shaun Hartsell, our Youth Pastor. We had youth singers, youth bell-ringers, youth ushers, and even a youth speaker to do the sermon. I was privileged enough to be included in the group that led worship. I was part of the singing group that provided the music during the offering and during the second service another girl and I got to lead the hymns that the congregation sang. It was quite an interesting experience taking over the job of an adult for the day. I was also part of the team that ran the technology booth. We do things such as un-mute microphones and change the words on the screen. Unfortunately the place that we work from is up a flight of stairs from the sanctuary and overlooks the entire congregation so I had to go down to sing. Being required to wear a dress and having only high heels to go with the dress I had made it very hard for me to go up and down the stair quickly and quietly. In effect I had to leave my shoes at the bottom of the steps and get them when it was near time for me to sing. I then had to walk around the back of the pews to get to the other girls in choir. I almost missed my cue the first time when I was still trying to strap on my shoes, but I made it in time to sing with the other girls. Over all the experience was a large change of pace and quite fun. I liked it a lot and hope to join in again when we do another Youth Sunday next school year.
NOP
by Ashley on Apr.23, 2006, under Ashley Bingle
Now if the word NOP doesn’t mean anything to you then you weren’t at Celebration Community Presbyterian Church on April 2nd. To explain to those of you who were not there, NOP is an acronym for Night Of Praise. The Director of Worship and the Director of Missions came up with this fundraising idea last year when a charity that we often give money to was about to go bankrupt. At a Night Of Praise all of the different music groups perform at least one song. I, being in the Youth Choir, got to participate in the most recent Night Of Praise. In Youth Choir there are only eight kids total who came at one time or another. Now seeing as five of them had not come for the previous three weeks and the director and her daughter, who is also a member of the choir, were going out of town for the night, the two of us left were left to fend for ourselves. We were introduced by the afore mentioned Director of Worship as “the Youth Duet” and were “directed” by the same Director of Missions that originally helped to come up with the idea, who sang along with one half of the two part song. We sang You Are Holy Prince Of Peace by Michel W. Smith dressed in black with the lights shining right on us. It was beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as the song that the Adult Choir sang afterwards, There Is Love In The House, but still very very nice. At the end of the NOP all the groups got up and sang Amazing Love together, that was a sight worth seeing, and hearing for that matter. Afterwards the other girl and I got dozens of compliments on our outstanding job of singing. It was a night I will never forget. So now you know what exacticly a NOP is. I’m glad you do.