The service on Saturday was a blessing. Since our church celebrated Maundy Thursday (Страстный Четверг), the youth did not have a gathering for themselves. I felt called to do this a couple of weeks ago, partially because I only then realized that Easter was coming on us quickly, but also because I'd like to continue a new tradition that we've started a only a few years ago. Besides, it's a great way to see those who do not typically attend our church, see old friends and companions, praise Jesus for His faithfulness to living a life like ours, putting himself down, taking on sin to death and rising from that death to prove He's more powerful than the evil/injustice that exists on earth, and worship God together in that knowledge and in our community.
We had a guest speaker, Brian Schultz, a Biblical Studies professor from Fresno Pacific University, who lived in Israel 12 years before coming to teach/work here in the States starting 6 months ago. He spoke of the ressurection "via the backdoor", reading from Jeremiah, Habbakuk, and John. Hope you all enjoy listening. If you have any suggestions for this ministry or any ideas, leave a comment.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
The value of silence
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
One thing brought to my attention at this past youth night is the value of silence. Our lives seem too busy to sit still, be quiet, listen, be patient... The loud morning alarm-clock, the bustling cafeteria, the busy workplace, the classroom, the drive to church, music in the car, cars rushing by, music in the church, music driving back home, music when you go to sleep... God is not only where we look for him, but also where we don't. God can be found in the silence. It is perhaps the silence that speaks the most of God.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
One thing brought to my attention at this past youth night is the value of silence. Our lives seem too busy to sit still, be quiet, listen, be patient... The loud morning alarm-clock, the bustling cafeteria, the busy workplace, the classroom, the drive to church, music in the car, cars rushing by, music in the church, music driving back home, music when you go to sleep... God is not only where we look for him, but also where we don't. God can be found in the silence. It is perhaps the silence that speaks the most of God.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Youth Night 3/6
Here's some of the musical worship that was performed this Thursday night. Because it is Spring Break for FPU, a lot of our musicians are gone (hint hint, Fresno locals). So we were running low on supply in regard to musicians. So Ilusha, Igor and myself decided to do an acoustic set, with the help of a sweet keyboard. Take a listen.
My thoughts: I was a little (perhaps I'm underexaggerating) disappointed about tonight. I expected to come to practice today with everything in place. I wanted everyone to put aside their stress, busy work day, concerns, many thoughts, and focus on God. I wished we could have spent more time in prayer (especially before practice). The sound guys came at 7pm (when we are supposed to stop practicing), so that got me really ticked off. It just seems like nobody takes their ministry/service seriously. Hopefully things change for the better. Today just seemed like a real test on my patience. Maybe I expect too much of people? Am I just that big of a jerk?
My thoughts: I was a little (perhaps I'm underexaggerating) disappointed about tonight. I expected to come to practice today with everything in place. I wanted everyone to put aside their stress, busy work day, concerns, many thoughts, and focus on God. I wished we could have spent more time in prayer (especially before practice). The sound guys came at 7pm (when we are supposed to stop practicing), so that got me really ticked off. It just seems like nobody takes their ministry/service seriously. Hopefully things change for the better. Today just seemed like a real test on my patience. Maybe I expect too much of people? Am I just that big of a jerk?
Sunday, March 2, 2008
House of the Gospel Youth - Thursday, February 29th, 2008
This week's Thursday Youth night was a great evening. We had a guest speaker come from Russia to speak to us about relationships. Instead of me talking about it, I decided to post the audio recordings I made of the evening for the reader (you) to listen to.
Worship Band:
Ilusha Rud - Guitar/Vocals
Natalia Datsko - Vocals
Vasya Todoriko - Bass Guitar
Misha Borisov - Electric Guitar
Anton Trofimenko - Drums
Speaker:
Ilya Ivanenko. Originally from Maikop, Russia (Krasnodar Oblast, a short ferry and bus ride from where I was born and raised), Ilya serves as a missionary based out of Novorosiysk, Russia, where he is participating in raising up a church. The topic of tonight is "What to do before you consider getting engaged".
Enjoy, my friends. Hope this helps to get a little of our church's youth life out to the rest of "the world".
Worship Band:
Ilusha Rud - Guitar/Vocals
Natalia Datsko - Vocals
Vasya Todoriko - Bass Guitar
Misha Borisov - Electric Guitar
Anton Trofimenko - Drums
Speaker:
Ilya Ivanenko. Originally from Maikop, Russia (Krasnodar Oblast, a short ferry and bus ride from where I was born and raised), Ilya serves as a missionary based out of Novorosiysk, Russia, where he is participating in raising up a church. The topic of tonight is "What to do before you consider getting engaged".
Enjoy, my friends. Hope this helps to get a little of our church's youth life out to the rest of "the world".
Friday, February 22, 2008
Loaded 2008 - Medford, OR and Miscellaneous updates
Medford was great. Whoever missed out, shame on you. Shame! It took place February 14-17th. Anton, Syr, Natalia and myself headed out from Fresno around noonish on Thursday. We arrived in Medford around 8 or 9pm. We were apparently supposed to lead a music set on Thursday night, but were not informed until about 2 hours before it started, and we were still on the road.
What was it about?
The name of the conference was "Loaded". It dealt with the reality of being loaded with something. We are either loaded by God, or we take on our own load (values, responsibilities, etc). When God loads us with something it is a blessing. That blessing is something we should be willing to give to others. I see this as obedience to the greatest commandment.
What did it look like?
There were a lot less people this year. I see a few factors coming into play here. First, the focus of the conference itself is shifting from kids camps ministry to youth ministry and church ministry in general. Second, the flu bug has been going around, so a lot of people were/are sick. Third, some churches did not allow for their youths or any of their members to attend. Fourth, Johannes Reimer was not at the conference this year. He has fell ill and has been on strict doctors orders not to do any traveling. It's a serious circumstance. Reimer is typically the main attraction at this conference because he's such a dynamic speaker - one you could listen to for hours upon hours. And lastly, I believe this year's conference was very poorly advertised. So far most of the people I've asked said they didn't hear about any conference until I mentioned it to them (which was obviously after the conference was long over).
The conference is geared more towards equipping church workers in their ministries. So there were many speakers and lectures going on simultaneously. Most of the speakers were from out-of-country - Russia, Germany, Canada, etc.
The weather was merciful to us. Sunny and mild. There was a different crowd that attended this year - a large group of youth from the ukrainian church in sacramento came, as well as a chunk from Tacoma, WA.
What did I think?
I enjoyed my time at the conference. The effort was evident on the part of the conference organizers, especially in the amount of creative elements in the conference. Postmodern approaches to ministry, worship, and "doing church". What I enjoyed the most was the relationship that I formed and the relationships that were made stronger throughout the conference. I spoke with two fellow band members on separate occasions... good talks. I'm so glad that both of them felt comfortable enough to open up to me. I met a pastor from Moscow who has a passion for youth ministry and is a psychologist. By the end of the conference, we were hugging and wishing we had more time. He really encouraged me.
I learned the importance of the development of leaders in ministry. I know that I need to be taught leadership skills. I know that I need outside sources to give advice, tips, mentor, and critique my "work" as a leader. I know I need a lot of things. It just doesn't seem to be happening... Sorry, I don't mean to sound depressing or anything.
I don't have pictures of the conference, which is one thing you'll notice about this blog... no pictures. I don't have a camera :(
I've started painting randomly. I used to do it in high school, now I have discovered a set of brushes and paints. So far I'm just painting for fun. Nothing that's taking me more than 1 hour to complete. I've grown a strong desire to learn the accordion and perhaps even purchase one, but man they are so expensive. A used, old one will cost around 400 dollars. The new ones range in price from brand name to size and quality. I've been slacking lately. Sleeping in, not showing up to a few classes, etc. The weather isn't helping either. It's been rainy and cloudy and cold recently. Hopefully this is just a stage.
____________________________________________________
Heres some of the music I recorded over my Zen from the conference. I played on the electric guitar and the accordion, also some backup vocals (atleast in these recordings). Just click on any one of the files and it should play. Enjoy.
What was it about?
The name of the conference was "Loaded". It dealt with the reality of being loaded with something. We are either loaded by God, or we take on our own load (values, responsibilities, etc). When God loads us with something it is a blessing. That blessing is something we should be willing to give to others. I see this as obedience to the greatest commandment.
What did it look like?
There were a lot less people this year. I see a few factors coming into play here. First, the focus of the conference itself is shifting from kids camps ministry to youth ministry and church ministry in general. Second, the flu bug has been going around, so a lot of people were/are sick. Third, some churches did not allow for their youths or any of their members to attend. Fourth, Johannes Reimer was not at the conference this year. He has fell ill and has been on strict doctors orders not to do any traveling. It's a serious circumstance. Reimer is typically the main attraction at this conference because he's such a dynamic speaker - one you could listen to for hours upon hours. And lastly, I believe this year's conference was very poorly advertised. So far most of the people I've asked said they didn't hear about any conference until I mentioned it to them (which was obviously after the conference was long over).
The conference is geared more towards equipping church workers in their ministries. So there were many speakers and lectures going on simultaneously. Most of the speakers were from out-of-country - Russia, Germany, Canada, etc.
The weather was merciful to us. Sunny and mild. There was a different crowd that attended this year - a large group of youth from the ukrainian church in sacramento came, as well as a chunk from Tacoma, WA.
What did I think?
I enjoyed my time at the conference. The effort was evident on the part of the conference organizers, especially in the amount of creative elements in the conference. Postmodern approaches to ministry, worship, and "doing church". What I enjoyed the most was the relationship that I formed and the relationships that were made stronger throughout the conference. I spoke with two fellow band members on separate occasions... good talks. I'm so glad that both of them felt comfortable enough to open up to me. I met a pastor from Moscow who has a passion for youth ministry and is a psychologist. By the end of the conference, we were hugging and wishing we had more time. He really encouraged me.
I learned the importance of the development of leaders in ministry. I know that I need to be taught leadership skills. I know that I need outside sources to give advice, tips, mentor, and critique my "work" as a leader. I know I need a lot of things. It just doesn't seem to be happening... Sorry, I don't mean to sound depressing or anything.
I don't have pictures of the conference, which is one thing you'll notice about this blog... no pictures. I don't have a camera :(
I've started painting randomly. I used to do it in high school, now I have discovered a set of brushes and paints. So far I'm just painting for fun. Nothing that's taking me more than 1 hour to complete. I've grown a strong desire to learn the accordion and perhaps even purchase one, but man they are so expensive. A used, old one will cost around 400 dollars. The new ones range in price from brand name to size and quality. I've been slacking lately. Sleeping in, not showing up to a few classes, etc. The weather isn't helping either. It's been rainy and cloudy and cold recently. Hopefully this is just a stage.
____________________________________________________
Heres some of the music I recorded over my Zen from the conference. I played on the electric guitar and the accordion, also some backup vocals (atleast in these recordings). Just click on any one of the files and it should play. Enjoy.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Medford Conference tomorrow!!!
Tomorrow at 10am I meet up with Anton, Sanya Ivanov (Syr), and Natalia to load up the sound equipment from church and then at 11am, drive up to Medford, Oregon for 4 fun-filled days conference-ing it up. It should be fun. We have a good music team gathered (of which I am a part). I will be "leading worship" for Friday, but other than that, I will be playing the electric guitar (right alongside one of the guitar greats, Stiopa Chesnokov) and occasionally the accordion. FYI: you should check out a myspace band, of which I am also a part, at www.myspace.com/slaviklubband . I play accordion in one of the songs there and sing/guitar in others. It's a slavic worship team that was created to perform at our University's College Hour (kinda like chapel/devotional time)...
Pray for us. Call us. Encourage us. Send us chocolates. And by "us" I mean, the music team that is participating in the conference.
Pray for us. Call us. Encourage us. Send us chocolates. And by "us" I mean, the music team that is participating in the conference.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Busy Tuesday turns sweet
Typically my Tuesdays are swamped. I wake up around 6:50ish in order to make it to my first class at 7:45am. Then my next class right away at 9:30am. Then work at 11:15 till 1:15. Then class at 2:00 till 3:15. Then more work from 3:15 till 5:15. But today I was also asked to teach a course, whose material I have learned in the past, for the internship I am doing. So I thought the class started at 7pm and that I had to be there at 6 (one hour earlier). I come to the place, Yosemite Middle School, out in the rundown, mad ghetto part of Fresno. Nobody is there. I walk around the dark school grounds and it looks like the school janitor is closing up for the day. After asking around, I found out that the lesson already took place from 4-6pm. Unfortunately, I was in work at the time. So its 7pm, dark, lonely, and I'm walking around poverty-stricken Fresno.
I decided to go to church because my supervisor for my internship called and said that we have been warned by the city to take down our signs advertising our lessons (it's basically a class that teaches communication/reinforcing Marriage skills. very good thing). And I remembered I put some signs up by our church.
So I drive up to the church (another poor part of town) to take them down. When I got there, I felt the strong urge to take a walk... which I did. It's funny the things one notices when one walks. It reminded me a lot of Ukraine. Not only the walking part, but also the poverty, tight quarters, smells of kitchen preparations, dogs barking, etc. It really reminded me of Ukraine. When I got back to my car, I realized that this is what the church needs to do. Atleast our church. I know I have experience in repairing roofs. I know a lot of roofs need reparations in that part of town. Should I do that? Can that be my ministry? Maybe have the owners pay for materials, and I work for free? I wonder what that would look like. The more I walked, the more I realized that we as people (human race) are similar than dissimilar. Hispanics remind me a lot of Slavics. Community, family, food... I just wonder how much would change if our church just decided to talk a walk around the neighborhood for one of their sunday services... instead of listening to a sermon, watching it take place. No words. No music. No sounds. Just life. I wonder how much more that would speak to the people.
As I got back to my car, I turned on "Came to the Rescue" by Hillsong United. The chorus in the song says, "I called. You answered. And You came to my rescue and I want to be where You are." I wonder how much would change if we sang, "You called. I answered. And I came to the rescue and You want to be where we are"... maybe it's time for Christians to not ask for rescue, but rather be the rescue everyone is looking for.
I decided to go to church because my supervisor for my internship called and said that we have been warned by the city to take down our signs advertising our lessons (it's basically a class that teaches communication/reinforcing Marriage skills. very good thing). And I remembered I put some signs up by our church.
So I drive up to the church (another poor part of town) to take them down. When I got there, I felt the strong urge to take a walk... which I did. It's funny the things one notices when one walks. It reminded me a lot of Ukraine. Not only the walking part, but also the poverty, tight quarters, smells of kitchen preparations, dogs barking, etc. It really reminded me of Ukraine. When I got back to my car, I realized that this is what the church needs to do. Atleast our church. I know I have experience in repairing roofs. I know a lot of roofs need reparations in that part of town. Should I do that? Can that be my ministry? Maybe have the owners pay for materials, and I work for free? I wonder what that would look like. The more I walked, the more I realized that we as people (human race) are similar than dissimilar. Hispanics remind me a lot of Slavics. Community, family, food... I just wonder how much would change if our church just decided to talk a walk around the neighborhood for one of their sunday services... instead of listening to a sermon, watching it take place. No words. No music. No sounds. Just life. I wonder how much more that would speak to the people.
As I got back to my car, I turned on "Came to the Rescue" by Hillsong United. The chorus in the song says, "I called. You answered. And You came to my rescue and I want to be where You are." I wonder how much would change if we sang, "You called. I answered. And I came to the rescue and You want to be where we are"... maybe it's time for Christians to not ask for rescue, but rather be the rescue everyone is looking for.
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