Mike Hammer - Celebration Community Church (Dillsburg, Pa)

Authentic Relationships, Passionate Praise and Biblical Truth

Mike said that these were the foundations of his ministry, and I can defiantly see how the authentic relationship plays a big part.  I had a bit of a difficult time taking much out of this interview.  But the one thing I did learn about Mike’s ministry is that he is all about getting under the surface and really getting to heart issues.  “Man looks out the outward appearance, but God looks at mans heart.” It is obvious in countless stories throughout the bible that God is the best judge of who we are and our true potential.  Our ministry is all about sharing Jesus to live in the hearts of his people. People are changed outwardly by an inner change. Mike knows that the real work of the ministry is about getting to the heart issues. Most of our relationships never go beyond the superficial level. Meaning that, although we show our unique personality in different ways we never let people know why we have the personality that we do and for the most part, we don’t even like to let ourselves know the real answer to ‘why we are who we are.  If anything, I learned that God cares more about the hearts and the why’s of who we are, and I should too.

Sam Masteller – Freedom Life

 

“Loneliness, fear and the desire for purpose will always be relevant.”

These statements along with The Christmas Story were my highlights tonight. Sam’s message was awesome! He answered our questions (specifically Dawn’s) with wisdom and care. His love for the lost and desire to truly share that love is very visible and contagious. I feel this urgency for a true and genuine love (that is only obtained through a real understanding of Jesus’ demonstration of love) for the lost and particularly those who have a strong opinion of church and Christians. I need to get this through my head that our heart should be for the sick. And I feel like I am more about the healthy churchgoers than I am about the hurting and the sick. If I got anything out of tonight or even through this entire class, it is that I need to love more. I need and want to have a deeper desire in my heart to share love with lost people. I want to set the culture and be relevant but all of that I just want to do because of a desire to be like Christ.

 

“People respond to vision, not need.”

Rev. F. Wesley Shortridge

Liberty Community Church

Ok. This was a hard one. I couldn’t nail down one thing real solid to write about at first. I want to write about Ephesians 4:11 & 12. Gerry, You hired me on to staff not to do maintenance and data work but to build a team to do it. I apologize for not doing that so well. Wes hit it home when he said he does not just preach but he leads a preaching team. His worship leader does not just lead worship but raises up teams of worshipers to do the Sunday morning worship. This idea and teaching totally changes every idea and thought I have had about leading. I love it! It is beautiful! I WANT TO GET THIS IN MY HEAD!!!!! I think about the example of Hillsongs and the phenomenal example that Darlene Zschech has set. Darlene, although she has written and lead (on stage) many worship songs, she says her primary position is to rise up other worshipers to do the work and be the feet. And in doing so Hillsongs has become the cunning edge in worship. If I don’t rise up a team under me then whom am I leading. I think it is safe to say that you are not a leader unless you have raised a team of followers. I guess in short, I want to raise a team to do the maintenance and data.

Church Rater Survey #1

What Church did you visit? Bethel AG What city or town is this Church located? Littlestown, PA What date and service did you attend? Sunday, Febuary 8th, at 5:30pm & 7:00pm

 

Evaluating How would you rate this church? Please provide ratings based on your own experience. Yes, I realize this is subjective and your '1′ might be someone else's '5′. That's ok. It's your rating and I really want your opinion. Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective! Overall: ____3_______    Friendliness _____2________  Singing _____1_______  Preaching ____4_____   First Impressions Outside:  Was the building easy to find? Yes Was it difficult to find parking?     It was a little difficult. How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently? I would have made clearer direction. We had trouble going into the first entrance. It was closed but there was no sign to direct us other wise. What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?  Big, expensive, under obnoxious amounts of construction and difficult to access, Before the service: Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway? No If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?   Can you share their names?   Did you know them before the visit?     General observations:   As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? I was in the front row and only observed the worship team. They didn’t seem free!   Were you able to understand why they do what they do? There didn’t seem to be a lot of young people, so they probably were appealing to an older crowd.   Do they seem sincere? Yes!   What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service) It felt good! Very smooth and comfortable.     Bulletin and communications:    Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive? I received no bulletin. But did notice the slides on the screens before and after the service. If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? They were informative enough. I specifically remember how they provided pictures of the people you need to contact. That was very helpful.   Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)? Yes. Jim did a good job specifying all of the announcements.   Children's Ministry   Does this church appear kid-friendly? Yes. Their children facility is excellent! And the way they remind you of what they have to offer before and during the service makes it seem that they really care. Did you bring any children with you to the service? No. If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you?     Music and Prayer   How would you describe the music? Dead, very controlled, a dull noise and too rehearsed. Did you enjoy any of it? I liked the song choices but not how they were executed. Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? Yes. How was it different from what you are used to? I am use to jumping and screaming and this was very formal. Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? No, it was nice for an evening but not for a lifetime. What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? The prayer was fine. As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God?     The Speaker's Presentation

 

Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable?

Very likable! Johannes was GREAT! And Jim Ruddy always comes off very happy and passionate.

Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why?

Yes, I would like to have coffee with Johannes. He always hits you in the heart.

Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending?

Engaged and sincere to the core!

Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk?

I was motivated to forgive and to rise to higher level of passion. Not to let the older crowd and perfectly clean sanctuary keep me from being radical and on fire for Jesus.

What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?

Nothing that I can see.

Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Enjoyable, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Energetic, Credible, Sad, Upbeat, Humorous, Useful, Life-changing, funny, 

 

 

The Message

 

What was the main idea of the message?

Forgiveness

What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking?

Forgiveness, confession, salvation, Holy Spirit baptism.

Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention?

Yes, Johannes is very good about keeping (even those of us who have heard the same story a thousand times) attention.

Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way?

When Johannes told the part about his mother sitting on his lap and him forgiving her, I about burst in to tears.

What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?

Scream a little more.

Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught?

Yes. I will remember that Christianity is all about forgiveness.

Do you understand God or people better because of it?

Yes, I understand that God longs to forgive us.

Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ?

Yes!

Jonatan & Anna Kvist

 

"Locate where the people are and go there!"

 

"You can be radical and relevant."

 

"It is so easy if you have compassion."

 

What stuck out to me more than anything about Jonatan and Anna’s message was their dependence on compassion through Jesus. It was very convicting to me because it often something I overlook and suffer without. How can we make real disciples without love? How can we do anything without love? I went home Thursday night feeling challenged in a new way. Not to go out and preach on the streets or to hands out tracks, but to go out and begin to love people more. It has honestly become a constant fight to keep focused on that goal. But it makes total sense, because it is not I who does anything but Christ through me. I was talking with Rabbi Ed the other day and he told me that he thinks it foolish for someone to say “I led that person to the Lord” or “ I got somebody saved.” Our focus needs to only stay Love. God will lead us otherwise and then we follow Him and listen. But as for sharing the gospel…People will see right through you if you do not truly have compassion and care for them. My prayer is that God would give all of us in this class a heart for His heart and compassion for His people.

New Believer Interview #1

 

I met Mike about 4 months ago. When we first met I had so many suspicions about his quit and hard-shelled character. As I got to know him I realized how wrong I was and that actually Mike is a deep thinker and loves to learn, understand and love. Mike committed his life to the Lord shortly before we met. He has been moving and traveling most of his life and left little time to get settled into a community or church family. For this reason I chose to interview him. I wanted to get some insight from someone who has little insight into the church today.

 

Mikes journey so far in life has been a struggle between finding a home and staying clean from drugs. You could directly align the bible passage “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” to Mikes life. He has tried and tried but fallen short to many times. When asked the question “what has been the best part of becoming a Christ follower?” Mikes reply was: “…I don’t have to lie and fake me life anymore…” It always amazes me how much freedom comes from Christ. It’s the same story time and time again. Relationship with Christ equals Freedom! In reply to the question “what has been the most challenging part of your walk with Christ?” Mike had a moment of self-realization when he remembered that it is hard at times. It’s not easy to be a Christian and to say no to sin all the time. Mike says “the hardest part is staying on the straight and narrow path. It’s hard to be tempted still with my old ways.”

 

Mikes encouragement was “You can’t leave anything in the dark so keep your focus on him and be real with people.”  It was encouraging because sometimes I just get to stuck on me. It is helpful to be current on the needs of the people you are trying to reach and also to be vulnerable with them. They will in turn be open and vulnerable with you.