It was late 2003. I was watching "The Return of the King" movie. The scene was a call for help, a call of desperation... smoke signals, sent from mountain tops. And in that moment, God spoke to me quite clearly. In short, He prompted me that I should start a gathering of production directors in my area. Regular meetings to share, commiserate, laugh, pray, and be involved in each other's ministries. He couldn't have been more direct.
So, I immediately followed His prompting. Two years later.
Fast forward. Today, 12 of us, local production directors in the Indianapolis area, gather regularly. I love those guys. I love how the walls of "church competition" have been replaced with acts of sharing and love.
It is within that backdrop that I was recently helping the TD at Northview Church, my friend Scott Pongratz, with the setup of their Jands Vista lighting console in their soon-to-open new auditorium. I was there, finishing up the work on a Sunday morning. Meanwhile, down the street at my church, my teams were busy serving our congregation. And, one wall away, Scott's team was busy serving, leading worship in their old auditorium.
There I was, in a neighbor church's new auditorium, mostly alone, patching dimmers when I noticed that their worship team had started singing "Mighty To Save". I paused. That's funny I thought... our church is singing that song this weekend too. And then, it really hit me. Our churches were singing that song at the same time. I stopped working. And I worshipped.
As technicians, we serve to oversee equipment, to coordinate volunteers, to support our weekend teams, to create the environment where our congregations can encounter God. It is what we do. It is what is expected of us. And yet, I fear at times that it is easy for that glorious weekend service to become routine, a job, a responsibility.
In those four minutes of two churches singing in unison, I was reminded of this beauty: people, in staggering numbers, gathering in all types of facilities lifting their voices to the God who desperately loves and wants to speak. I tried to imagine His view of the world on our weekends... a small house church in a remote location... a megachurch in a large city... every type and size of church, all praising and desperately seeking Him in unison --- choir of stunning proportions.
As the song ended, I was reminded that every cable we untangle, every lighting fixture we focus, every lyric we display, every leadership decision we manage, we are both participants and leaders in this beautiful chorus. In unison.
"So take me as You find me, All my fears and failures, Fill my life again.I give my life to follow. Everything I believe in, Now I surrender."
