Financial Peace Dramas Rock!

Most of you got a short preview of Sherry and Tom's financial peace scene on Thursday night at the meeting. Thanks to continued scene work and a few pointers from their director/writer Dalene. They nailed it tonight! Way to go, guys.

Great Weekend!

Join me in applauding the many great performances involved in this weekend's services!

1.) Greg's in the "Everyday is Exactly the Same" music video

in the "Out of Sync" commercial:

2.) Mark Meyer's baseball breakdown

3.) Mary Davis' poor old lady with the groceries (who knew Seth Bible was so mean?)

4.) Doctor Sherry and her lack of "patients"

5.) Phil and Tom and their memorable Chess game

in the Heir Force room:

6.) Phil's incredible direction!

7.) Brad's knack for prop creation and a jersey accent as "Vinny"

8.) Sam's talented performance as "Sam"-aptly named

9.) and Levi's performance as Gordo trying to make geeky athleticism work...

and 10.)the support of a great team that is willing to do whatever it takes to bring people to Christ in creative and unique ways!

Great job, everyone!

Meetings 2.0

What an awesome meeting last night! Shannon snapped a quick snapshot of our "Machine" exercise, led by Jen and Julie. (Yes, Julie was moving THAT fast! : ) If you missed it, here was our agenda and trust me, you DO NOT want to miss next month. We'll be sharing original monologues from our personal walks with Christ as well as some more fun exercises from Jen and Julie. Hope to see you all there!

Drama Team Meeting Agenda 4/23/09

· Scene Critique: Tom and Sherry-Financial Peace University Scene
· Prayer
· New Team Members: Julie, Jennifer, Shannon, Dianne and Billie
· Questionnaire—those who haven’t e-mailed yet, please fill out tonight
· Upcoming series: Letters, One Prayer
· Drama Team Next Steps:
A.) Meetings:
The why: “Heart of the Artist” excerpt
The what: Evaluation, Planning, TRAINING, Performing, and Praying
B.) More Serving Opportunities=Mark Meyer’s Brilliant idea!
Once a Year Event brainstorm:
a night of scenes? Improv night? A full length play?
· Assignment for May Meeting:
Write a short 1-2 minute monologue on one of the following topics:
1.) I know God has a sense of humor because of the time that…..(tell a humorous story of when God taught you a lesson)
2.) I know God is real because of the time that….(tell a story of a tough time in your life and how God helped you through it)
3.) I know God loves transforming people’s lives because He did it with me. (A before and after snapshot: Tell how you have grown or changed as a result of an experience/relationship with God.)
Tips:
A.) Keep in mind basic plot structure:
Exposition-inciting moment-rising action-climax, falling action-resolution (lesson learned)
B.) Bookends: If you had to sum it all up in one sentence or one metaphor, what would it be? Begin and end there.

· Improv Training activity with Julie and Jen.
· Prayer requests/Prayer

(1.) Janet's son's family is moving to NC and we prayed for their safe move and the quick selling of their house in Mississippi

(2.) Kelly has two little babies on the way in her family from her brother and sister, we prayed for safe pregnancies and healthy babies

(3.) Kelly is pursuing the next step for her walk with Christ that includes an opportunity to be gone for six months in a program where others decide her involvement for her, we prayed for her patience and the decision -makers wisdom

(4.) We prayed for Brad's oldest daughter and finding direction in her life. Diane also prayed for a special blessing on their relationship.

(5.) Diane was holding an interview this morning at 9:30am with a young lady who might come work for her. We prayed for a special blessing on their meeting and discernment for Diane in the hiring process.

All in all a fantastic meeting! See you all May 28th!

Exciting Next Steps for the Drama Team!

You will NOT want to miss this month’s meeting this Thursday night in the Heir Force Room (6-7pm for kids, 7-8:30pm for adults!) We have some exciting changes coming up that will directly affect you and your ministry, so I hope all of you can make it! As we prepare for our next steps together as a team, I’m asking for your greatly valued input. Please a take a few minutes to pray for the team and answer the questions below before the meeting on Thursday. Please send your answers in a direct e-mail to me at kbaker@gccwired.com rather than here or on basecamp. Please pray for the team as we head into Thursday and you answer these questions. Be honest with your feedback. Casting decisions will not be based on your answers! : ) And the good news is the Drama Leadership Team has already come up with some great strategies to help us with #4-5! Come to the meeting to find out more! See you all there!

Survey:
1.)If you were the drama team leader, what would be the first thing you would be sure to change, improve, or seek to maintain?
2.) What are we doing well as a team?
3.)What areas do we need to improve, and what could we do to change these?
4.)What is/should be the purpose of the monthly meetings? What should we accomplish in these meetings?
5.)With the growing number of people and shrinking number of regular serving opportunities, what are some tangible activities or programs that could help us feel utilized, challenged, and stretched to move our art forward toward the level of excellence that brings God glory and points others toward Christ?

2 weeks in 2 minutes of Excellence

Ode to the Relationally Challenged from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Photo by Mark Beeson
Join me (and Mark Beeson!) in applauding Julie on her first serve in the monolog this weekend! Talent attracts talent, and we are truly blessed to have her on the team! Great job, Julie!

Five Fresh Faces!

Diane Bennett

Billie Bennett

(yes, DQS is hereditary..Drama Queen Syndrome : ) )

Shannon West

Jennifer Ransbottom

Join me in welcoming 5 new members to the drama team! You will get to meet these talented ladies and hear all about them at the drama team meeting next Thursday at 7pm in the Heir Force Room. But before that, you'll get to see Julie this weekend in her debut performance of one of my favorite things I've ever written! "Ode to the Relationally Challenged: 2 Weeks of Relationships in 2 Minutes". It's hilarious! You won't want to miss it!

Happy Easter!

Boomin' from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Good morning! We're up early and ready to praise God with our art! See you there!

Boomin' on Easter

Great photo by Mark Beeson!

GCC is Boomin'! Hope to see you all there! Happy Easter, everyone!

Let's Rock Together!

Don't miss this amazing concert!

Watch a cool video here.

Get your tickets here.

See you all there!

Archie

Many of you may remember David Morgan's sweet and moving monolog about his dog Archie last year. At first we thought it was a cute tribute to a fun companion, then we realized the true story lied in a ministry that brought a symbol of joy and God's love to hospital patients all wrapped up in a panting, grinning furball! Unfortunately, I received this recent e-mail last night from Dave:

"My friend Archie went to heaven today. My constant companion for more than 11 years, the decision to let him go was made this morning. After fighting failing kidneys for the last 6 weeks, along with heart disease and other aliments, his bad days were starting to outnumber the good ones. He went quietly and peacefully—as was his nature in life.

Archie was our office dog, going to the Force 5 Media offices with me for years and years. He had beds for naps in several offices, and greeted our clients and vendors with a smile and wagging tail-especially if they had treats.

Archie was the first certified “delta” dog in Elkhart and Saint Joseph Counties . Archie and I visited Goshen Hospital almost every week for 8 years, visiting over 3,000 patients and countless staff during that time. Everyone knew Archie’s name. He brought smiles and healing to many people, and helped those in need rest well. We have many wonderful stories and memories, and I know he’s receiving pats on the head in heaven for a job well done.

When I lost my first furry friend many years ago, a friend wrote the following note to me—a note that says what I feel now…once again..

“I know of no purer grief than that of having to say goodbye to a loved one, and that awful sorrow is unmindful of whether the loved one is human or animal. Our pets are as much a family member as anyone else and those who do not experience the boundless joy of a loving pet have missed a huge opportunity to love...and to be loved. There is no guile, no expectation, no positioning for advantage, no jealousy in a pet's love, rather the simple and beautiful joy of living a happy life with those for whom he cares.”

I know Archie lived a happy life with those he loved, and who loved him dearly. We will miss him.

-David"