Gilbert Thurston

Random Thoughts About Life, Ministry and Whatever Else Happens to be on my Mind

Now What?

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On Sunday I announced that Chelsea Miller would be leaving our staff effective March 11th as our Director of Children’s Ministries.  You can read her letter here and the answers to some frequently asked questions here.  Today I’ll wrap this up by giving you some of the plan on how we’re proceeding.

  • March 11th- Chelsea’s last day leading the kids.
  • March 18th- Party (kids theater) and recognition (grown-up theater…you really didn’t think I was going to put adult did you?) for all that Chelsea has done.

In the meantime, Chad will be working with Chelsea to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.  He will then oversee and lead the teams that will make make ECTV Kids Theater the highlight of every kids week!  For the most part we’ll be keeping with the same awesome format we’ve been using.  Here’s a brief overview video from another church that uses the same thing we do.  As you can see, the hard part is done for you…the key now will be instead of 1 staff person overseeing every aspect of it, we are looking for team leaders to take ownership of small parts of it. These team leaders will then have various people who oversee even smaller portions.

To be most effective we’ll need about 25 people to take on the above mentioned roles.  As I mentioned Sunday, some of these roles are during the week, while most are on Sunday.  Some require you to occasionally miss the Adult Worship Experience while others might require you to miss little to not at all what’s going on in the main theater.  There are various roles that will need to be fulfilled for nursery and toddlers as well as roles for our K-5th grade programs.  All types of skill sets and passions are needed, as well as roles that both introverts and extroverts could do.

Ok that’s the what…but now let’s talk about the why.  Why would you want to get involved in some way?  The reason is is quite simple…research has shown that if someone doesn’t become a follower of Jesus before age 19, there is only a 6% chance that they will sometime in adulthood.

In other words, since one of our core values is “Lost People Matter to God and Therefore They Must Matter to Me” then children have to matter to us as well.  Why? Because those cute little ones will one day get to the point of being convicted of and held accountable for their sins.  In that moment will they realize Jesus is their only hope of forgiveness or are we going to send them out and hope they become a part of the lucky 6% who have an adult conversion experience?Not only that but by teaching them a biblical foundation at such an early age, you will help them to be better people, students, and eventually moms, dads, workers and citizens.

Listen, many people don’t think that they can make a difference with their life…but the reality is you can. Miss Patsy, Mrs. Huffer, Mr. Bob, Aunt Dot, these were just a few of the children’s workers in the church I grew up in that made a difference in my life.  Little did they know when they kept telling me to sit down and be quiet and stop hitting people, that one day I’d grow up to be not just a pastor, but also a pastor who would get to travel all over North America training other pastors.

These 4 were homemakers and mechanics and bankers.  Each would have probably told you that they felt vastly under-qualified, and that some weeks they wondered why they did it, but I guarantee you that now looking at not just my life but the lives of many others they’d all say, “It was worth it!”  For two of them, they’ve already heard Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servants”.  In fact, at the church I grew up in there is a plaque honoring Mrs. Huffer and my Aunt Dot for more than 120 years of combined service to teaching children.  Having read the bible literally dozens of times from cover to cover I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that no matter what I do and how “successful” I am as a pastor, their reward in heaven will far exceed anything I’ll ever get.

So with Chelsea’s departure the goal remains the same…it’s just now we’re allowing more of you to get in on one of the most effective ways that your life can make a difference.  We’d love to see you get involved.  If you haven’t already, click here to let us know in what way you’re interested in serving our kids!

FAQ’s About Chelsea Leaving Our Staff

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In Sunday’s message and then again in this week’s “Inside Today’s Experience” I made the announcement that Chelsea Miller will be leaving our staff.  If you missed Chelsea’s letter from yesterday, you can read it here.

Any time something like this happens, there are bound to be a lot of questions so I wanted to answer them here for you.    Then tomorrow check back into this blog for more info on the plan going forward.

Q.  Why is she leaving?
A.  Because it is how God is directing her.  As I mentioned Sunday, many times God will ask us to do things that aren’t comfortable and require sacrifice.  Having worked with Chelsea for the past 18 months I know how much she loves your kids and how much it pains her to be called away but doing what Jesus asks us to do must always be our first priority.  Again you can read her thoughts here.

Q. But you said she’s still going to attend ECTV right?  Why would she do that?
A.  Because she still believes in the vision of ECTV and has made many good friends here.  In other words, she’s feeling called away from her staff responsibilities but not the church.

Q.  OK Gilbert what did you do to upset her and make her want to quit?
A.  Nothing.  I may not be the world’s greatest boss but Chelsea and I have a great relationship.  Over the months she became not just an employee but a close friend and someone I protect like a little sister.  She would tell you that I’m not perfect but that I tried to support and encourage her each and every step of the way.

Q. Ok was she fired then?
A.  No Chelsea was doing a great job.  Nothing made me happier than seeing kids each week come running out excited about what they had just experienced in the kids theater. When I hire and then evaluate people for job performance, it’s based on 3 things…Character (are they growing to become more like Jesus), Competency (can they do the job) and Chemistry (can they get along with other staff and those they are called to lead and minister to)…by each of these measures Chelsea was doing very well.

Q. You’ve mentioned the tight finances at the church a number of times, was she laid-off for financial reasons?
A.  No.  While yes, like any church plant, we’re struggling to get a financial base, things are not so bad that Chelsea had to be laid off.  In fact, I’ve told the staff that if we were ever to get to that point that I’ll be the first to sacrifice salary before I’d ask them to or have to get rid of one of them.

Q. Will you be hiring someone to take her place then?
A.  Short-term the answer is no.  Again I’ll be posting tomorrow what the plan looks like going forward. 

Q. Seriously this would be so much more fun if there was some big controversy or scandal…are you sure you’re telling the whole story?
A. YES!!!  It’s sort of a shame that as a pastor I need to do posts like this in the first place.  Unfortunately though because of the mistakes of church staff in other churches over the last couple of decades, it’s almost become a necessity to keep the rumor mill from churning.  The most unfortunate part of that is, that as Christians, we’re to always look for the good in others first off but many times we are the meanest, gossipy bunch around.  For that, shame on us.  Again the truth is, Chelsea was called here by God and now she is being called away.  I applaud her for following what God is asking her to do when it would have been very easy to just keep collecting a pay check.  My prayer is that all of us would be as obedient.

Q. What specifically can I be praying about?
A. First, be praying for Chelsea.  While she was only part-time with us, this is going to put a bit of financial pressure on her.  Again though I so admire her faith to do what God wants even at the risk of personal discomfort.  So pray that God will provide to make up the difference.  Also, be praying for her as she seeks God for what her next step is in her own service to God.  Again the plan is she wants to stay with us at ECTV, but who knows what God might have in store so pray that His perfect will be done in and through her.

Second, be praying for the children of ECTV.  While all of this might make sense to us, for them this can be a confusing time.  Why is she leaving?  Did I do something wrong?  Does she not like us?  etc…    I want to encourage you to begin preparing your children now.  Over the next few weeks the kids will begin noticing some changes so hopefully we can make the transition as smooth as possible…then on March 18th we’ll have a big going away party for Chelsea where not only will we celebrate but also encourage them to always follow God’s will.  One thing that will help is that the kids will still get to see her in the hallways before and after church so were praying that will take away a bit of the sting of losing her in the actual theater.

Third pray for the rest of our staff, especially Chad, as we work to build on the awesome foundation of Children’s Ministry that Chelsea has already laid.

Finally, pray about your part.  Again more details will come tomorrow but we need 25 of you to step up in various roles in Children’s Ministry to make sure that it not just survives but thrives.  If you’re interested in taking the next step, click here to get more info and begin the application process.

Q. Final question.  Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
A.  OK now you’re just being weird, talk to you tomorrow.  :)

Letter from Chelsea about Her Staff Departure

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NOTE FROM GILBERT:  In yesterday’s message and then again in the “Inside Today’s Experience” I made the announcement that Chelsea Miller will be leaving our staff.   Today I want to share with you a letter from Chelsea to you her church family at ExponentialChurch.tv.  Tomorrow then I’ll do some FAQ’s, followed by the plan for Children’s Ministry, as we go forward, on Wednesday.

Scott Adams once wrote, “You don’t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.”

At a time like this a letter seems so insignificant, but a way I can share my deep appreciation for the influence you have all had in my life. I wouldn’t even know where to start. It goes without saying, that this has been the greatest growing and learning experience of my life, and without the help and support of my church family, I probably wouldn’t still be here today. God has given me the privilege of serving at Exponential and some of you have entrusted me with the care and education of your most precious gift; your children.

I love each of them and am thankful for the time I’ve had to share Christ with them. They mean the world to me and nothing brings me greater joy than seeing your children walk with Jesus hidden deep within their hearts, yet with a great desire to share that love with others. They have reminded me what having a child-like faith is really all about, and have helped me grow closer to Christ. I only hope I’ve helped them do the same.

Making this decision was one of the hardest, that I’ve ever had to make, but I feel as though God is leading me in another direction. I am thankful for the staff and the friendships that have been established. For their encouragement, love and support they’ve given me since day one on August 17th, 2010. The day I moved to Harrisburg. They’ve challenged me to grow deeper in my faith and knowledge of leadership and ministry. They’ve offered help, not only in areas of ministry, but on a personal level and for that I’m truly thankful.

Since I’ve lived here, I’ve learned more what it means to fully give my life to Christ and put daily dependence in Him. I’ve learned what it means to really pray and have seen God move in mighty ways. I’m learning about myself and who I am in Christ. It’s my hearts desire to serve God in everything I do, and so I will continue to serve qualitatively. With Christ at the center of my life, I will strive to become the disciple of God He has called me to be.

Although this is a challenging time in my life, I look up! The maker of the universe, the former of our hearts, the Lord and Savior who cares about every detail of our lives, He is in control.

Chelsea

Inside Today’s Experience

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  • What a great day!
  • Last week I told everyone NOT TO invite anyone today but didn’t tell them why.
  • It immediately became clear today why I said that…for some it happened sooner than it did for others…more on that in a second.
  • So what did we do?  Well it was called “No Show Sunday” and the premise was this…
  • What would church be like if none of our normal 43 volunteers on a Sunday morning showed up.
  • In other words, without telling them why, I gave everyone who serves the week off and then between myself, Bill and Chelsea (all staff)…we did everything (Chad our other staff person was away).
  • But when I say everything, we only did the very minimum’s.
  • What this meant was no signs, nobody opening doors, no greeters, no ushers, no children’s ministry (yep that was interesting have all the kids in with us), no cafe, none of the little extra touches we normally do to spruce up the theater, no lights, no projection (ok we did use an old transparency projector.  You can see what it looks like here on the blog…wow it was horrible!), no full worship team (just Bill on keys), no stage set, no bulletin…well you get the idea.
  • There were multiple goals for the day…
    • First that people realize what we do and the incredible things that God is doing in our midst is not a 1-man show.  As I said, “Yes I may be the big mouth but it takes dozens of people doing their part to pull off all God wants us to do”.
    • Second that those already serving would realize how valuable they are and would be honored.
      • It was awesome the ovation they got and we were honored to treat them all to lunch afterward at a local restaurant.  It was expensive but they are worth 100’s of times what it cost…it truly is a team effort at ECTV.
      • In total 56 of our people who serve showed up and it was my honor to be able to personally go around and thank each of them for the various things they do.
    • Third that those not already serving would be inspired to start.  As I also said, “It’s not that we NEED you to, it’s that we WANT you to so you can experience what all the rest of us are”.
  • I think all of the goals were achieved!
  • You can listen to my message here.
  • Really though this was a message that was more felt than heard.
  • I was amazed how many people picked up on no directional signs being anywhere on Valley Road.
  • It was almost comical watching people come in the wrong doors from the outside.  Our team does such a great job of welcoming and then directing traffic that most people don’t even realize it.  It was funny time after time watching people come through the center doors and then looking around like, “Where am I?”
  • For those that did come in the usual set of doors it was also funny to see them immediately turn left to go get something to eat in the Cafe and then the shocked look on their face when they realized nothing was there.
  • Another big shocker was how many people later commented to me how much they miss the little touches we do in the restrooms to make it first class.
  • Some of the things I didn’t even know we do, but again it just proved that it’s not all about me and the staff and that the “little things” sometimes make the biggest difference.
  • Ok let’s cover some other quick stuff from the day.
    • It was nice being able to sleep in a little later than normal.
    • I busted my head on one of the railings this morning and was pretty woozy…as I write this at 5:30 in the evening I still have a headache.
    • Bill and I decided to set things up early to make sure we had all our bases covered since we weren’t using our normal equipment.
    • Everything set-up quickly which meant we had 1 1/2 hours to kill.
    • Nice of Andy to bring us some coffee cake.
    • We sat around waiting for Chelsea to come in and then the 3 of us just sat there taking turns going, “This is so weird”.
  • We always start the Expereinces with a countdown and today was no different…except it was my fingers shining a shadow on the overhead projector.
  • Bill did a great job leading worship by himself…it was hilarious when he played and sang the beginning of the old, cheesy Eric Carmen song, “All By Myself”.  His wife Meghan gave him the idea which was awesome!
  • All in all the worship time was pretty good energy and participation.
  • My message was the longest I’ve done at ECTV but there was a lot that needed to be said…and also included something I would rather not have had to announce…
  • Effective March 11th, Chelsea will be leaving our staff.
  • Please check back on the blog tomorrow and I’ll be posting much more about this.
  • Until then know that while this was sad to announce, Chelsea and I are both excited about the future of ECTV and our Children’s Ministry.
  • It was so great the sustained standing ovation that Chelsea got from everyone…it was well deserved!
  • Having been in her shoes a couple of times, I know how draining of a day the announcement of your departure can be, but she did great.
  • Again check back tomorrow for more from me and a letter from Chelsea as well.
  • Then on Tuesday I’ll post more info on what the plan is from here on out.
  • If you’re dying to know I did talk about it in the message so again here is the link.
  • Speaking of kids, all of them were in the Worship Experience with us and it was basically what I figured it would be…controlled chaos.
  • We had more people up and down today than we’ve had in the previous 15 months combined…a lot of that I could tell was kid related.
  • For the most part I was able to block out the crying and other general noises from the kids as I was speaking but I could see that others were being distracted by their own kids or others.
  • So thankful for those that serve our kids each week in a fun environment that allows them to learn about Jesus in age appropriate ways…it’s not only good for the kids but also for the adults so they can worship and learn without distraction.
  • I haven’t gotten the final count yet but it would appear that a couple dozen people signed up to begin serving in various roles we have both on Sunday’s and during the week.
  • Doing what we did was a big risk but it would appear well worth it.
  • Oh yeah forgot to mention we had one of our largest crowds ever.  Add on top of that all the kids in with us and the theater really felt full.
  • I kept apologizing to guests afterwards but they all said they understood the point and would be back during one of our “normal” weeks.
  • Next week things will be back to normal…but two things will be a bit different.
    • First for anyone interested, we’ll be sharing communion together at 9:10am in the lobby.
    • Afterward you’ll be able to see what one of our normal team meetings is like.
    • Second, all are invited to Infinito’s on Union Deposit Road at noon for a chance to eat and hang out with one another.
  • Ok think I’ve said enough…have a great week!

Inside Today’s Experience

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  • Great day!
  • Had to start the morning out scrapping the ice of the windshield and wearing my beanie…definitely the coldest Sunday morning we’ve had so far this “winter”.
  • Had to use the quotes because I know some of you would correct me and say it’s not yet winter…ok but did you really expect me to say it was the crispest fall morning so far.  Yeah right.
  • Oh wait I did just say it…
  • OK here’s the deal…it was cold this morning.
  • Anytime we start a new series it’s always an adventure since we have no way to have tested the new stage design up until that time.
  • With this one Bill built 4 “candy cane” looking contraptions with multiple color Christmas lights strung between them.
  • What’s cool is we can control each color independently…which  is harder than it sounds.
  • In fact it required 8 extra extension cords since you can’t put them into a power strip and then to the lighting control…each one needs to run separate.
  • All that to say…we had to send Gayle out on an extension cord run since we were short a few.
  • Amazingly we were short even with taking 6 of our normal lights out of the equation altogether.
  • We’ll add them in over the coming weeks.
  • So set-up and practice were longer than normal this morning.
  • Another factor was that Steve our drummer missed practice on Thursday night…something about getting engaged or something.  :)
  • Congrats Steve & Kelsey!
  • In any case, the band did a great job pulling it altogether.
  • However, the crowed energy was down today…not sure why.
  • Again using a however…on this day last year we had one of our worst days we’ve ever had…so today was light years better.
  • Chad did a great job preaching the first message in the Party series.
  • His message was about getting an invitation and not being left out.
  • You can listen to it here.
  • Since he preached that allowed me a chance to walk around a see some other things I normally don’t get to.
  • I twice stopped by and watched Chelsea and the kids in the theater next door.
  • Awesome to see them worshiping, having fun and learning about Jesus.
  • Also spent some time in the nursery/toddler area where one of our normal toddlers was crying hysterically.
  • I tried picking her up and holding her but to no avail.
  • So I put her down and quietly slipped away before anyone noticed I had left.  :)
  • It’s always good to have days like today where I can walk around evaluating things without the “pressure” of knowing I have to preach.
  • Got some things we need to work on but for the most part we’re light years ahead of where I thought we’d be at this point in our now slightly over 1 year of existence.
  • God has and is so good to us!
  • Lisa has been out-of-town all week-long so afterward my mom, dad, sister and I went to lunch together.
  • To the best of our recollection it was the first time in about 20 years since it was just the 4 of us together to eat.
  • Not sure why but I took a longer nap this afternoon than a typical Sunday.
  • That shouldn’t have been…I didn’t really do anything today.
  • Lisa flies back tomorrow…can’t wait to see her!
  • Next week we’ll continue the Party series with a message I’m doing called, “Bust a Move”.
  • Once you’re at the party, it does you no good to stand against the wall…time to get out on the dance floor.
  • What’s that have to do with the Bible and your life?
  • You’ll have to join us to find out.
  • Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 24 & 31 at 10am which will take the place of our normal Sunday morning Worship Experiences.