My original intent for last weekend was to attend the Unity Festival in Muskegon and then attend the worship services at the Kainay Church on Sunday where John was scheduled. But, Sue sort of talked me into Powerfest, so off I went. But I had never canceled my hotel reservation for Saturday night in Muskegon. For reasons I won't go into here, I still felt like I should go to the Sunday church services. Somehow the idea came up that I could take my new video camera (which I had no idea yet how to use), and tape John for Sue. Sue called someone from the church and they agreed, and so off I went, driving from Sheboygan to Muskegon Saturday afternoon into evening.
I got up bright and early Sunday morning (6am, which was 5am according to my time clock) and got to the church an hour before the first service. The long and the short of it was that I was unable to find anyone who could do this taping for me (as we thought would happen), and my attempt was probably not too bad for a first timer (I won't be calling myself 'calico-cinematographer' anytime soon), but not usable for Sue's purpose. That is not to say however, that the trip was wasted.
I would not have missed this opportunity for the world. When this church scheduled John for their Sunday services, it wasn't for a song or two; he WAS the service. This church started in a barn in downtown Muskegon, reaching out to the unchurched among bikers, addicts, etc. They used the music of Stryper, Whitecross and Petra in their services. So, as part of a celebration of their past, they brought John in to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do. When he arrived he asked about how he should dress (jeans and tee shirt were fine), and about the volume and rockiness of his music. He was told that they were rockers and he could bring the house down. Needless to say, John was more than pleased.
One of the church members told me that they average 600 per Sunday; around 200 for the first service and 400 for the second. They well surpassed that this past Sunday. The first service had approximately 350-400, and the second 400+. John was very well received and appreciated, as he should have been.
At each service, John was introduced, he said a prayer and then did "Let It Show." He talked a bit and then did "God Is Too Big," followed by "Amazing Grace." The pastor then came onstage and they took up their regular offering while a video was shown of the previous year's group baptism day. It showed a bunch of people being baptized in a river or lake. When it was finished, John came back out and talked about when he was baptized and about how neat it was to see the joy on the faces of those being baptized. He did "The Noise We Make," "Show Me the Way," and "Inside of You." He mentioned that he had written 5 or 6 versions of that song but it still wasn't right so the recond comapny brought in some collaborators to help finish it. He said that he wept the first time he sang it, because it reminded him of how stupid he'd been the first 30 years of his life. He read from Luke 18 about the persistent widow and how that is someone John would like to be like. John then spent the next 20 minutes giving his testimony. It was very real and very powerful, and you could tell it was touching many hearts, even though virtually everyone there was probably already Christian. The service ended with John doing "Beyond Belief" as he encouraged everyone there to not be satisfied that they were saved, but to move on to deeper faith.
Although John did the same songs at both services and general spoke the same message, they were different enough that being at the second service didn't really seem like a repeat performance. And, no, the service wasn't without flaws. John's "band" acted up a few times, and he had some trouble with some lyrics. John also felt his voice wasn't quite up to par, probably because of it being so early in the morning, but I doubt many noticed unless they've seen him many times before. He signed stuff and greeted people after the second service, with most telling him how much they had enjoyed Unity the day before.
It was a very special event and I am so glad I was there. As I told John before I left, what makes his ministry so important is not just that I can listen and be thankful that God saved and redeemed him and his talent, but that he made me so very thankful for what God has done for me and my life as well. His reply to me was, "That's what it's all about."
Good one Bridget.
