Hope Community Church

One of the most rewarding aspects of life is physical exercise. Whether we are in the gym, on the track, running the streets or cycling, we know that what we are doing is good for the longevity of life, as well as the present benefits of a clear mind and a better physique. Personal and career development through opportunities from seminars to webinars also is rewarding. But nothing compares to the fulfillment experienced when a Christ-follower is hitting his or her spiritual “sweet spot.”

Being “on the game” spiritually is seldom easy, but the process is exacerbated when proper tools and plans aren’t in place. Imagine going to a gym to find that they had a few dilapidated machines, and when you asked for a trainer to help you plan a workout routine, they just scratched their heads and quickly excused themselves out of embarrassment. You’d never go back to that gym. And, if you did, you’d never progress as you should.

The church, Hope specifically, ought to be a place where you come to develop spiritually, to get the proper tools and “routines” for spiritual growth. Thankfully Hope is such a place. Let’s consider a few avenues for spiritual formation at our awesome church.

Starting Pointis like the orientation classes at the local gym. The purpose of which is to introduce the participants to the need for spiritual exercise, as well as to give the class an overview of God’s story and how each fits into His story. Those that take such classes gain invaluable insight into the whys and hows of Christianity, much like one at a gym orientation would discover the hows and whys of physical exercise. So if you are new to the church scene (previously unchurched, dechurched or recently rechurched) this class is for you.

Small Groupsare like the pilates and BodyJam™ classes you take at the local gym. These are small groups of people who have a desire to get beyond where they are; to define their spiritual muscles, to tone their spiritual attitudes, to enjoy the company of people with a similar interest of getting in shape with a group of friends. There are small groups for men, women, singles, twenty-somethings, even middle school and high school students. Small groups are the single best way for most people to develop their spiritual muscles. If you’ve been at Hope for more than two months it is time you stop by the small group counter and register to participate in what could be the most rewarding spiritual experience of your life.

LifeLabsare like the five week seminars that can be taken through a local community college or city park program that are more intensive and focused. Skilled teachers instruct participants in areas from stewarding our God-given resources to understanding the message of a particular book of the Bible. If you are looking for more in-depth instruction on a particular topic or book of the Bible, then check out the LifeLab schedule.

LifeSolutions is for those who are just too weary and worn out from the daily grind of life to really think about plugging into something that will help them grow. They are looking for ways just to maintain some semblance of order to their lives. Perhaps a major event in their life has caused them to go into a tailspin. Well, we want such folks to know that not only are they welcome here at Hope, but there is help here as well. If you find yourself in a difficult or stressful place due to any number of real life situations, LifeSolutions may be just the opportunity for you to get the help you need to navigate through it.

These four avenues are by no means the only ones for your choosing. But they are the best ways. The Spiritual Formation Team at Hope is diligently working to bring more opportunities that will help you advance in your spiritual fitness—wherever you are in your journey. For now, take advantage of one or more of the venues already present…don’t wait!

People often ask about Hope’s position on a particular political issue. The question makes me uncomfortable because rarely do they like my answer. So today’s post is about promoting understanding, if not boundless joy. That’s shorthand for “this will be long and you probably won’t like it.”

Christians in America are often defined by what they oppose. Christians are told to stand for truth on myriads of political and social issues. Too often we succumb to the lure of choosing allies and enemies based on bumper stickers, like kids choosing teams for sandlot football. I can hear it now, “With our second pick, we choose anti-terrorism.”

It’s far easier to identify an enemy and win an argument than love people well and win a heart. It’s as if being in opposition is better than being in cooperation. Shouldn’t we be defined by the things Jesus said the church should be known by? Our love for God (Mt 22:37), our love for one another (John 13:33), and our love for our neighbors (Mt. 22:38).

The truth is, at Hope we just don’t do politics.

Pastor Mike often says we don’t have church positions on issues, we have Biblical positions. We teach God’s word. We don’t pull punches, and we believe Jesus is the hope of the world, made known through His church. God’s plan is not government, politics, or protests. His plan is for His church to live the gospel fully. We are not called to rely on others to solve social problems. We don’t expect our neighbors to be like Jesus until they are transformed by Him. We are called to demonstrate Jesus’ love to the “least of these” (Mt. 25:35-40). Mike explained this in his message just before the 08 elections that can be heard here.

People don’t need right political views; people need a Savior.

Our approach to those outside the church has always been to accept them right where they are, and try to move them towards faith in Jesus. We believe the one who forgives their sin and lives in them is capable of changing them, including their political views. Our job is to talk about the gospel, and as the gospel transforms individuals, society will be transformed.

However, most outside the church are not interested in our view of societal utopia or what parts of our culture are in conflict with God’s values. We have to have a relationship for them to care what we believe. If we maintain a political scorecard, we risk our neighbors rejecting our message, the gospel, because they don’t agree with our agenda. And that’s too big a risk for us.

At Hope, we focus on being the church and proclaiming the good news rather than trying to change the culture at large. We know this means we may miss opportunities to oppose evil or work for a more just society. But we choose to seek to reconcile our neighbors to Christ first, and let them live more justly as the means of changing our community. We don’t be take a stand on issues like war, global warming, the lottery, CEO compensation or health care reform.

We take a stand for truth: The Truth. Jesus.
That’s not to say others are wrong for answering that question differently. These are hard choices.

The church’s stance doesn’t preclude Hope’s members and attendees from lobbying, opposing evil, and advocating for justice as God leads them. We expect that to happen. We just won’t risk the name of the church on any one issue other than the gospel. Our desire is that we do that in a way that people see Jesus more than the issue, His message of grace and forgiveness more than politics.

We hope you’ve secured your tickets to Hope’s holiday presentation of A Christmas Tale which begins this week! Over 10,000 tickets have been distributed and we are pleased to announce that we have “sold out” all six performances:

•  Thursday, December 10, 7:30 pm
•  Friday, December 11, 7:30 pm
• Saturday, December 12, 4:15 pm
• *Saturday, December 12, 6:15 pm
• Sunday, December 13, 9:30 am
• *Sunday, December 13, 11:30 am

*Please note that performances with an asterisk will begin 15 minutes later than their usual start time to accommodate the performance weekend.

So…what do you do if you have no tickets and/or are on a waiting list for tickets? We invite you to come anyway! Here’s how ticketing works for all performances:

Ticketing
At each performance, those with tickets will be seated first (general seating). Then, five minutes prior to the start of each performance, we enlist what we call a “5-minute warning” announcement which explains that all unoccupied seats are now released for general seating whether ticketed or not. When all seats have been filled, overflow seating will be provided in the chapel upstairs where the performances can be watched live via video feed. As you can see, if you have tickets it’s important for you to be in your seats prior to the 5-minute warning. And as always, we will do our best to locate seating for everyone.

Waiting Lists
In the meantime, we will continue to take names on our waiting lists and as unused tickets are turned back into the church office this week for redistribution, we will contact those on our waiting lists in first-come first-serve order. If tickets are available for you, you will be contacted by email so that you may pick them up at Guest Services (our “will call” window) the day/time of the performance. To be added to our waiting lists, email info@gethope.net and provide your name, email address, number of tickets needed and for which performance.

Parking
Due to the large number of guests who will be joining us for these presentations, we ask regular Hope attendees to use shuttle parking and help save on-site parking for guests.

Children/Youth
Please remember there is no childcare for either Thursday or Friday nights’ performances. On Saturday and Sunday, regular nursery through pre-school care will be offered. However, KidCity and the Middle School services will be closed for this weekend’s services so that children may enjoy the production with their families.

Christmas Eve Tickets
Please note that tickets for our Christmas Eve services will be available during all performances this weekend (and the following weekend) and can be picked up at the ticket counter before and after each performance. As always, tickets are free but allow us to alleviate overcrowding in any one service.

Merry Christmas!
We look forward to sharing this Christmas presentation with you and yours this weekend.

Mike Lee, Hope’s Senior Pastor, wraps up our series on putting together the complete weekend experience.

How do I come up with a message? I just say everything Laura tells me to say. All kidding aside, it starts months in advance. With input from the elders and pastors, we choose sermon series that we feel addresses where God is taking us as a congregation. I come up with a few ideas that we build a weekend experience around. We try to have one idea we want to communicate with each service.

You may think I lay prostrate on the floor before God in prayer for 48 hours, and he speaks directly to me, but that’s not how I work. I do think and pray for weeks about the main point. I find the Holy Spirit works in the preparation and presentation. The Weekend Program team helps greatly with creative titles, elements to enhance the message, and focusing on creativity and excellence.

On Monday, when I start writing, a lot has already happened. Most often I’ve already chosen a Bible passage that teaches the theme. I then begin to develop the story from a human interest perspective. I study to add verses and biblical principles to flesh out the message. Sometimes I’ll have a movie clip or song in mind that will help make the point. I may get an idea that changes the whole structure of the message. The last step of the first draft is writing a hook to get people engaged with the topic.

Significant focus goes toward application. Since I have my own major issues, I like to ask how would this apply in my life? I really do try to look at it from the average person perspective, because most of us face the same struggles. Years ago I learned that pastors often spend 90% of their time teaching, and 10% on application. But one of the most doctrinal books in the bible, Romans, is 50% theology and 50% application. In Jesus’ teaching, often he focuses 4/5ths of his teaching on applying truth, so we invest a lot of the message on applying truth to our lives.

Once the first draft is done, I begin to think about illustrations and humor. These are windows to the soul, and if you can get people to laugh, you can open their hearts to listen about sex, lying, or other challenging topics.

That leads into editing. I usually have about double the material I need. Too much content means it feels rushed, and often its stuff that just isn’t needed. Simpler is better. So I remove what is less relevant,

The last step is the polishing. Rough spots get smoothed and phrases are crafted to be memorable. People forget most of what they hear within hours, so I focus on making it memorable. This usually happens on Thursday, but it goes on throughout the weekend. After each service, I refine a bit more. I try to tailor the message to each service because the audiences are so different. I still haven’t figured out the 4:15 Saturday crowd…so if you “get them,” please tell me.

This sounds more orderly than it is. It’s a collaborative and creative process, so there are bumps. But you know that…it’s Hope.

We continue our feature of what goes into putting together the complete weekend experience by taking a look at graphics with Elyse Darling, Hope’s Graphic Designer.

When tasked with writing a blog post about the graphics production for the weekend services, my gut reaction was to create a graphic. Given that a graphic about graphics might send us all running around in circles, I gave up and started typing out some…gulp…words.
 
As the graphic designer on staff, I concept and design the graphics for the weekend services, as well as graphics for the website and eNews, and printed materials and collateral for all the ministries and special events.
 
Creating the graphics for a weekend service usually begins a few weeks before the series starts. For a standard 4-6 week message series, I usually begin conceptualizing the art as soon as we know a series topic and title. Typically this starts with a conversation with Debbie Dodson, our Creative Arts and Communications Director. We will talk about what the message series is about, the kind of mood we want to establish with the art and what direction we want to go visually. Some questions we will typically ask ourselves are: How can we visually communicate and support the message? Is this intriguing/controversial/inviting? Is this a topic we have fun with or is it a more reflective and serious topic? Are we pushing the envelope too much, too little? The answers to these questions help me decide which direction to head in artistically.
 
Once a clear concept and direction are defined, I will begin by sketching out ideas and brainstorming concepts to create the basic series logo. Then it’s on to the computer. (I use a MacBook Pro with the Adobe CS4 Design Suite, mostly Illustrator and Photoshop.) Typically I will start with font selection and type treatment and build the logo from there. For any photographic elements I need I usually look to online resources. Occasionally I will find the perfect image and with a little tweaking and layering, I add the logo and the final art is complete. More often than not, it requires combining several images to create the look I’m going for using both stock photography and original art.
 
After the final art is complete, I will create a high resolution version and start working on the supplemental art for the series. This is sometimes the most creative part of the process because it’s an opportunity to really expand on the series concept and have fun with it. Supplemental art includes the title graphics, sermon notes screens, DSKs (the graphic bars used to display the names of the speaking pastor and worship leaders), website and eNews graphics, CDs, bulletin graphics, and, for the longer sermon series, atrium banners and stage signage.
 
Once all the files are designed and ready for presentation, everything is distributed: the service files are uploaded to the servers for Mark Hanna in video control; the title and sermon notes are uploaded for Tina Vance to implement in the sermon notes she creates; the CD image and bulletin inserts are sent to Becky Occhipinti for printing; website and eNews graphics are uploaded to their respective servers for the website and eNews distribution. When we need larger printed items like posters, atrium banners, stage signage and roadside banners we use Scott Sams of Dynamic Print Solutions.
 
For services that include a drama or special song, I will usually meet with Debbie or Karl and Mark that week to determine the specific graphics needed to support those parts of the service. If Mike needs a certain image or illustration for his message I will either find it or create it. Additional graphics that I create on a weekly basis for the weekend include the announcement slides for campuses, bulletin inserts, posters and ministry counter signage.
 
So, that’s the graphic side of things. And if, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words (and right now I’ve got about 660 here), perhaps a graphic may have been more economical, not to mention more colorful!

Every weekend 2600 bulletins are distributed to Hope attendees. Tina Vance and Becky Occhipinti continue our series of of what goes into putting together the complete weekend experience by explaining how bulletins get to your hands.

It’s Thursday afternoon and the Hope Community Church office is filled with a strange, almost tribal rhythm that can be heard from every office, and felt from more than one. Employees can be seen subconsciously moving to the beat (also known as dancing). What’s going on you ask? Well, it might surprise you to know that the same thing happens every week…it’s the bulletins!

Yes, thousands of them are being copied and folded and it’s quite an undertaking. But wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s start at the beginning.

There are two separate bulletins, one for each campus. Each bulletin is comprised of basic information such as service times, KidCity and student ministries information and contact information. Also listed are specific announcements regarding upcoming events and opportunities.

We use shells custom designed by Hope’s graphic designer, Elyse Darling for the bulletins each week. Once all this information is typed, spell checked, proofread, edited and corrected, it goes into production. Then someone (and you know who you are) usually still finds something wrong with it.

Tina Vance pulls all this together and hands off an original to the ladies who man the machinery. Becky Occhipinti and Meghan Cunningham copy each bulletin using a Risograph, which makes high-speed one-color copies. Once the copies have a few minutes to dry (the Risograph uses real ink) they are then folded using an electric folding machine.

Imagine if you will the sound of the Risograph is a steady ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk, like straight eighth notes. The folding machine produces a slightly faster, more syncopated rhythm, something like sixteenth note triplets. Sorry, one of us is an old band geek.

The result is a get-on-your-last-nerve cacophony that lasts most of the afternoon causing many to shut office doors and end telephone conversations. We’ve often wondered if some type of hearing protection might be advisable. But hey, it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it!

The fun continues on Friday morning as faithful volunteers get together to assemble the bulletins. They have a great time together as they insert the current material so we all have the information we need. Next time you read your bulletin remember the great party we throw every week to put it all together!

Corrie Brown, Hope’s Video Director, explains how the videos used in weekend services are assembled in our ongoing feature of putting Hope’s weekend experience together.

There are three main elements to our visual content during weekend services at Hope. The first includes elements designed by our in-house graphic designer, Elyse Darling. The second is IMAG (image magnification) content delivered live on the weekends by our production team lead by Mark Hanna. The last element includes videos produced for playback during the services by me.

I am the lead editor and producer for videos we create in-house. The process from concept to final content is a varied and inexact process, but a fun one nonetheless. We use videos to inform, inspire and invite to action those who are watching. We feel it is a concise and useful medium to get information to the masses.

The process typically starts in our programming meeting. This is where the teaching, creative and technical teams meet and discuss the weekend’s services. Projects are defined by need, but sometimes we just have a great idea that we can’t ignore. From there I determine if the project is a motion graphics video, similar to those used during the Rock Solid series, or one that will be shot with cameras and talent. I create a loose storyboard concept, plan out shoots, coordinate scripting as needed, and research. Since weekends come about with surprising regularity, we’re sometimes cramming to get projects shot, edited and finalized within a short time frame. For that same reason, I think nearly everyone on staff has been in a video we’ve shown at some point.

After the video is shot, I start the editing process. (For you geeks out there, I use a Mac Pro Quad Core and edit using the Final Cut Pro Studio.) I make cuts, add in motion graphic elements where needed, add titling and audio. I collaborate with Karl Moraski for custom audio segments. He’s always able to whip up something perfect in a short amount of time. After it’s complete, I give a copy to Mark Hanna for testing during rehearsal on Wednesday evenings. If needed, I make changes and then I do my final export. Mark loads the final on the computer in the video control room and it’s ready for playback during services.

Often times we find videos to show that are not created in house. We don’t reinvent the wheel if there is already a great video that relays our message, so in that case we purchase them from a variety of Christian resources.

Due to requests and the ease of transport, I created a Hope Video YouTube channel with some of our recent video content. I will be posting our videos to our channel for all future projects and hope to add past projects to it as well. Check out our channel or subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/HopeVideoTeam.

If you ever see a video in church and wonder “where did that come from,” just shoot me an email at corrieb@gethope.net and I’ll be glad to send you a link. If you have a crazy good idea for a video, send me that as well, we’re always up for fresh ideas.

In today’s post, Debbie Dodson, Hope’s Creative Arts & Communications Director, shares how Hope’s drama team prepares for weekend performances.

“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”

Shakespeare had the right of it. A well presented play has the ability to capture us and keep us pondering its subject(s) long after the final lines are uttered. That’s why Hope’s drama team works so diligently when preparing a scene presentation for our services.

I’m often asked what it takes for us to go from preparation to performance, so here’s a quick rundown.

When a drama is scheduled, I work on developing a script that will support the message or “big idea” of that service. Since dramas inherently don’t “preach” well, it’s important that I find or craft a scene that allows us to do what drama does best: reflect life. A play or scene is at its most effective when it asks questions, stirs our memories, exposes our pain, or reveals our sin. Even comedy reflects our struggles, fears, mistakes, hopes and dreams. And thus it paves the way for the sermon to answer a foundational question, “So what can/should I/we do about that?”

But back to the process. Once the script is ready, actors are chosen who might best “fit” the scene. In other words, who is best suited in terms of acting style, relationships being played (married, siblings, etc.), and other factors.

Rehearsals begin about one week out from performances. The first is a “tablework/blocking” rehearsal, meaning we literally sit around a table working the intents, emotions, relationships, and line interpretations of the script as a whole and each character. The actors then learn their “blocking”—where, when and how they will move about the stage, what props they will use where/when, etc.

Then the actors take their scripts home and work on memorization.

We reconvene 4 or 5 days later for a “working” rehearsal where they must be “off book” (no scripts) for intensive rehearsal including the use of props, sets, costuming, etc.

Finally, on the first day of performance, we meet early for a final “polishing” rehearsal.

And there you have it; the actor’s drama surrounding a drama!

We continue our feature of what goes into putting together the complete weekend experience by taking a look at Technology with Mark Hanna, Hope’s Video Control Director.

There is a lot of work that goes into making the weekend experience what it is, from First Impressions to KidCity to the worship experience. All of these areas are facets to the over all Hope experience and I would be remised if I didn’t mention that a lot of work goes into each of these ministries every week. However, today I am going to give a big picture of what it takes to make the service happen from the tech standpoint.

First, it takes a volunteer team of ten people each service to get everything done including cameras, lights, audio and lyrics. Each of these volunteers has a lot of responsibility. So if you will indulge me I would like to take a moment to say thanks to all of the volunteers that work so hard every weekend to make Hope Community Church what it is from the tech stand point. This team is top notch and they do a great job of making Mike and Karl look good.

Things really start on Monday morning with the staff programming meeting. We review that past week and discuss what we will be doing the coming weekend. The flow of the service is determined in this meeting. The rest of Monday and Tuesday consists of gathering content, making sure we have all the pieces of the puzzle, and we know where they all go.

On Wednesday night we have rehearsal for the praise and worship team. The video team checks lyrics, cameras and graphics content. The lighting team adjusts the lights to match the video content and the audio team checks all the equipment and sound levels.

Thursday morning starts with another programming meeting to review what worked during rehearsal and what didn’t. We also tighten up the finer points of what will happen during the service mostly during the transition periods. We remove all the dead space between songs and between elements such as prayer, greeting, drama, etc.

All of that culminates in the weekend services. We start warming up equipment Saturday at 3:00 pm and the last rehearsal starts around 3:15 pm. By this point we have checked each of the songs at least twice so any last minutes changes or additions are made at this time. Saturday night is obviously a big night for us at the Raleigh campus because we have to have everything working properly on the first go round. This has become more critical with the addition of the Holly Springs campus. At any given time during a service, the volunteers can be found doing a variety of things, all independent of each other – best described as a very well organized chaos.

As soon as the second Saturday service is over we shut equipment off and get it stored for the evening by 7:30 or 8:00 pm. Then we prep and package all the content that has to go out to Holly Springs.

Sunday morning we are back at 8:00 am. When all is said and done, we do an overall tech review for the weekend and we finish up at about 1:30 pm. That gets us back to Monday… lather, rinse, repeat.

I hope this gives you a better idea of what it takes to produce the services each weekend. If you would like to learn more about the tech team or if you are interested in volunteering with us at either campus feel free to contact me at markh@gethope.net.

Over the next few weeks the Hope Community Church staff blog will feature what goes into putting together the complete weekend experience. Karl kicks it off by discussing music.

The music – one of my favorite parts of the service. It all starts every Monday and Thursday at our programming meetings. We plan out our sermon series in advance and then as each week approaches, we discuss the particulars of that service and the way they will flow. The elements inevitably include the message and some music. Perhaps a video clip or drama is included. Sometimes Mike may have a need for a song or group of songs to specifically fit with his message. Other times the praise and worship music may be not so closely tied to the theme of the day but is there solely to provide a way for us to connect with God through music. We also work closely with the Holly Springs campus leaders since we want to closely reproduce the services in both campuses.

If Mike needs a certain song with a special theme, I’ll see who is scheduled for that week and then try to find a song that would suit their voice and also fit thematically with the message. Often times when I’m stuck and can’t find a song, I’ll look through my own list of original song titles and ideas that I keep. Or I will put pen to paper and begin to write something that would fit the message. Sometimes I find it’s actually easier to do that than to listen to song after song trying to find something appropriate. Either way, I’ll run it by Mike. If he likes it, I’ll give him a copy of the lyrics in case he wants to include them or refer to them in the message.

Once we have the music picked I’ll send it out to the team that is scheduled for that weekend. The goal is to distribute the list six days before rehearsal on Wednesday. That gives them time to listen, practice and get familiar with the songs. It doesn’t always happen due to circumstances but that’s the goal. On Wednesday night the singers rehearse for about 30 minutes with just the piano. No microphones. Then they take about a 45 minute break while I rehearse the band. The idea is to get the band to be able to play through the set so we can bring the singers back to rehearse with the full band, microphones and the full sound system. We will do some fine tuning with the singers in case there are still questions on harmonies, phrasing or other things like that. Once we’re satisfied, the singers go home and then we really start to work on the music with the band.

We go back to the beginning of the set and start to work on any obvious problems we’ve encountered while running through everything with the singers. This may include transitions, tempo problems or tightening up the groove on any of the songs if they still don’t feel right. Once we’ve worked out the major problems I nit pick and get pretty particular about guitar solos, drum fills, bass lines, keyboard riffs, etc.

The end result is a well rehearsed band that has done everything in its power to create a set that will allow people to sing their praises to God without hopefully being distracted by us or focusing too much on us.

We then meet around 3:00 pm on Saturday for our run-through and sound check for the 4:15 pm Saturday service. Hopefully that runs smoothly and everyone one remembers what we did three days prior. The final step is we pray with the teaching pastor and tech crew for one another and for the evening’s services. If there are any glitches after the first service I’ll address them, and we do it again at 6:00 pm.

On Sunday morning the band usually meets at around 8:10 am and jams for a half hour. That is usually a great time for us to just play together and have a good time. The singers arrive at 8:45 for sound check and warm up. We pray again for the morning services. Then the 9:30 and 11:15 services happen and we are through for the weekend. Monday morning, the programming team is back planning for the following week to come.

Our volunteers devote an incredible amount of time and effort into helping create a wonderful worship experience on the weekends so a special thanks to all of you who volunteer in the music ministry here at Hope. You are all awesome and we all appreciate you and your commitment.