One of my early-stated goals was to create an environment in our church where a Sunday like today could happen. The quality and spirit of the morning captured well our value of ministering to the young and investing in the future.

I enjoyed both our Jr. High Pastor Erin Wible and High School Pastor delivering a tandem message today and helping us recognizing the 8th grade promotion and High School seniors who graduated. Kudos for you dedication guys!

I enjoyed bugging our production booth and got in trouble for conversing too loud in the booth. Go figure that would happen!

Set list: They picked some cool songs today–loved it! These kids ROCKED!

• Sing To King – Passion
• My Glorious – Delirious
• Famous One – Chris Tomlin
• Came to My Rescue – Hillsong United
• Strong Tower – Kutless

Links:

• Planning Center link
• Fred McKinnon’s Sunday set lists from all over the place
• whole worship service video page link!

How was your worship weekend? Please share!

RECAP: This was our third installment of “Change”–Greg brought it home with a challenge about what audience we really are hoping to please: Jesus, or the crowd. My voice was nearly gone due to laryngitis this Sunday, but Ben co-led and did great as did our whole band. I have to say that Mike is the best worship band leader I have ever worked with, including myself. He loves the guys and gals and inspires us with his dedication and passion for worship.

SET LIST: Ben co-led worship with me, taking the lead on “Not To Us” and “Audience of One.” Not just because I enjoy being led by Ben or Bob or other worship leaders, I really think he–in a good way–out shined me. I needed support due to vocal problems, but Ben took it further really helping lead this morning. Thanks Ben!

• Hosanna – Paul Baloche
• Not To Us – Chris Tomlin
• Cry Out Your Name – Jeff & Karol Moore
• The Greatest Gift – Rich Kirkpatrick
• Audience of One – Big Daddy Weave

How was your worship weekend?

[You can find more set lists from churches all over the place at Fred's blog.]

Recap: This weekend was a family affair with both my wife and daughter helping me lead worship on Sunday. Because this is the “Christmas hangover” week for us involved in Christmas Eve services. (By the way, we had a GREAT evening on Christmas Eve.) The hangover week meant we had to work without a full rehearsal. I am very pleased in our tech and music teams at the consistency and commitment they have to make a Sunday like today work so well.

New Year means a change to refocus on the priorities we have and Mark Strauss of Bethel Seminay in San Diego reminded us at Sunridge of that fact with the message he delivered. Mark has been with us a couple years in a row on this weekend. Thanks to Mark for his words and encouragement to us today.

Set List: The songs this weekend were tried and true except for one original I wrote that was introduced early in 2008 called “This Sacred Place.” Our worship set was put together to get us to decide to focus on Christ as our ” go to” instead of anything else.

• Let The Praises Ring – Lincoln Brewster
• I Will Boast – Paul Baloche
• All We Need – Charlie Hall
• This Sacred Place – Rich Kirkpatrick
• Everlasting God – Brenton Brown

How was your worship weekend?

RECAP: This weekend seemed to get started slowly since I took last week off. Once I warmed up, however, the team carried things and our service was another meaningful time together. Mel Grams, our resident wise sage of the ministry inspired us by teaching this week. It is amazing to see a currently-minded yet older man preach and seize the room with the gift God has given him to preach.

We lit the Advent candles this week, our focus on the shepherds. An elder lit it with the reference to this group of men being our “shepherds” and leaders. I thought that was a nice touch. Our church has never used the Advent lighting, but it seems to fit this year really well. Our theme, “The Arrival” will end with a special candle lighting service for Christmas Eve.

SET LIST: This week we added more Christmas carols and hymns to the mix.

• O Come Let Us Adore Him (chorus a capella)
• Come, Now is The Time to Worship – Doerksen
• Today is the Day – Brewster
• O Come All Ye Faithful – (arr. Third Day)
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing
• Angels We Have Heard On High
• We Fall Down -Tomlin

What about Christmas worship moves you the most?

[My friend Fred has set lists from churches all over the place. ]

RECAP: Today we spent some time with an open mic! Greg, our pastor, instructed us to come forward and make a mosaic and that if a piece is too big it might wreck the mosaic.  What a great way of encouraging brevity. We had dozens between our two services come forward and share thanks for a restored relationship ruined by drug addiction, to a man who was banished from his church for having AIDS who shared thanks for the love and acceptance he has found from The Brook and our church. The stories of many trials were heard in this mosaic.  All the bad news of cancer and divorce and rejection were put in the light of seeing the reality of God in even the toughest of circumstances. For me, this was one of the most moving and meaningful services we have had at Sunridge. I know, I have said that two weeks in a row.

One element we added, besides our celebration of communion, was a responsive scripture reading of Psalm 103. In the next weeks we will try to use candles and other traditional elements in our worship.  The reading seemed to work.

SET LIST: This weeks songs were surrounded by communion and the theme of being grateful to God for the ultimate gift of Jesus.

• Hosanna – Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown
• You Grace Is Enough – Matt Mahr
• Matchless – Aaron Shust
• Sweetly Broken – Jeremy Riddle
• Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) – Newton, Tomlin, Giglio

How does open mic sharing work in your church?  How do you tell the story of God in the lives of your people?

[for more set lists from other churches go to Fred's blog ]

Recap: Sunday was another great day, with Greg finishing up the teaching part of our series and calling us to give love away.  SUNRIDGE IS CANCELLING SUNDAY CHURCH NEXT WEEK and meeting at various service projects around the valley.  We hope at least 800 will participate and then gather together for a celebration at 6:00 PM that night, November 16.

Set list: Our songs for this week formed another passionate time for us.

• Let God Arise – Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves
• A Thousand Hallelujahs – Mark Roach
• Everlasting God – Brenton Brown
• You Are My King – Billy Foote
• Love the Lord Your God – Lincoln Brewster
• Give Love Away – Travis Doucette

Find more church worship setlists and recaps here!

Recap: We are almost done with our “Give Love Away” series.  Sunday we had the Danny and Marlys Ruckles share their story of adoption and foster care, which was given as a model for what love looks looks like. The service went pretty long, with many announcements and such.  But, still we hit it, I think.

Our music had a last minute switch.  Switchfoot’s “Meant to Live” was replaced by “Forever” since we just were not getting it down.  Great song, just not the day to do it.

Daylight savings time gave less people an excuse to sleep in, which was very funny.  Amazing how that seems to impact people.

Set list: Besides a last minute song change, the time of singing saw good participation.

• Forever – Chris Tomlin
• Because of Your Love – Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown
• Majestic – Lincoln Brewster
• You Gave Your Life Away – Paul Baloche, Kathryn Scott
• Jesus Paid it All – arr. Stanfill

How was your worship weekend?  Did the time change effect the service for you?

Recap: This past Sunday we did a version of the “cardboard testimonies” with our own twist on it.  We asked members in the congregation to come and share how people in the church showed love to them.  Dozens came and participated, parading their handmade signs with things like, “Let us use their car” or “Supported me during my battle with cancer.”  It was a moving point in Greg’s sermon about how we are called to love each other and how that is a powerful thing for people to see who peer into the church.  Greg said, “How can anyone not want to be part of something like this” as he appealed to those investigating Christianity.

Setlist: Our songs this week.

• God of This City – Aaron Boyd, Richard Bleakley, Ian Jordan, Andrew McCann, Peter Kernaghan, Peter Comfort
• Today is The Day – Lincoln Brewster, Paul Baloche
• Our God Saves – Brenton Brown, Paul Baloche
• Give Love Away – Travis Doucette

How was your worship weekend?

RECAP: This weekend at the Sunridge we continued our “Give Love Away” theme.  Again, the song “God of this City” seemed to stir things up.  The idea of reaching the city seemed refreshing to the things we usually sing in worship services at our church.  In our services we reminded people that God is good…all the time.  No matter where our stock portfolio hits or how we might feel, God is good.  It may sound simple, but really being reminded of this powerful truth part of why coming to worship services week after week is important.

SETLIST: Of course, the “You Are Good” tune as done by Lincoln Brewster led us into the idea of God’s goodness.  We sandwiched it around our welcome and greeting time.  Here are the songs from this week.

• Your Grace Is Enough – Matt Maher
• You Are Good – Israel Houghton
• Because of Your Love – Brenton Brown, Paul Baloche
• Majesty – Martin Smith, Stuart Garrard
• God of This City – Aaron Boyd, Richard Bleakley, Ian Jordan, Andrew McCann, Peter Kernaghan, Peter Comfort

How was your worship weekend?  What song hit you?

Recap: Sunday at Sunridge was yet another week in our Give Love Away series.  The connection between loving God and others was explained.  Is loving God enough?  One highlight Sunday was a report from the Nepal missions team.  The team planted churches last year as well as this year.  Over 100 people came to Christ since then with people hearing the name of “Jesus” for the first time.

Set List: Our songs this weekend were meant to encourage our congregation to act in love.  Here are the tunes.

• Today is the Day – Lincoln Brewster
• All to You – Lincoln Brewster, Reid McNulty
• The Greatest Gift – Rich Kirkpatrick
• Not To Us – Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves
• Awesome is the Lord Most High – Cary Pierce,  Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Jon Abel

What happened with you or your church in worship this past weekend?

See other recaps from churches all over here.