Feb 14

Looking Back on the Weekend @ Bridge/WC

By Ferrell
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This is the 2nd of my weekly blogs discussing stuff that happened and stuff that God is doing at The Bridge & Whitley Church……so here goes….and as you will see, these comments are in no particular order:

  • The Valentine’s Dinner Theater ROCKED! About 350 people attended…..lots of people from the community….GREAT JOB Betty Grantham and her creative team….Betty is our Director of Creative Arts…..watch for pictures coming soon!  Special thanks to those in the cast and crew who hung around a couple of hours longer than everyone else just to get the sanctuary and classrooms cleaned and set back up for Sunday worship!
  • Some of our Encounter Students Ministries kids delivered Valentine’s Day gift bags to the hospital today for children who are patients….including an 18 year old……so proud of Pastor Jared and Amanda for leading at teens to put SERVING OTHERS FIRST!  Servolution!!!
  • Our Outreach Team is serving at the Soup Kitchen today…..Mpact Girls’ Club made cookies for the homeless!
  • Thanks to Jim Gillikin and Joey Lancaster for getting our parking lot cleared of snow so we could be safe at church today.
  • We had 2 great services at The Bridge on Thursday and Saturday.  Please keep in mind that we are ONE CHURCH WITH TWO LOCATIONS.  (CLICK HERE: www.BRIDGECHURCH.cc )  I love it when people come up and have questions about the message.  Some people are still checking Jesus out.  They have questions about who He is,  the Bible, church, etc.  I LOVE IT!!
  • We announced this weekend that WHITLEY CHURCH will be starting a 3rd service on April 11th.  Beginning on the SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, our worship  schedule will be 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
  • Some people have been asking for the song that Kendra Britton/Collette Sherrod and the Mime Team did a couple of Sundays back.  Click HERE for the song.
  • Did the choir raise our worship to a new level today or what?!?!?!?! Thanks to Betty Grantham and LeaAnn Poole and the entire WC choir.
  • Jamie Cooper, our office manager, is constantly going above and beyond the call of  duty and we really appreciate her passion for her church!  She says, “Please give a shout out to my wonderful office volunteers (and maybe mention that we could use a few more as I lost a really good one this week).   Also big thanks to Robin Moran for the wonderful lunch this week!!!
  • HAITI MISSION TRIP ….  We are trying to set something up for after Easter …. We’ll keep you posted
  • I thank God that I serve as senior pastor of a church that will allow me  to preach without compromise!  This FAITHBOOK series has been a back-to-the-basics message for me, and I believe, for our congregation as well. This has been an emotional series to preach.  It has reminded me of my early days as a preacher and my Bible college days.  I want my life to be MOLDED…MOTIVATED…and MANAGED by God’s Word.  At WC/Bridge we believe the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God – TRUTH WITHOUT ERROR.  No apologies.
  • THANKS TO Kim Browne who has done a great job building our DivorceCare Ministry. She is going to take a break.  Kim, you have taken this ministry to an HNL!  (For our new attenders, that means Hole Nuther Level.)  This ministry will come under Intentionally Yours, our marriage and family life ministry.  Scott & Sherry Jennings, who serve as directors of IY, will be overseeing DivorceCare.
  • You can still get in on the MARRIAGE RETREAT in Myrtle Beach! It’s February 26-28.  Call Jamie at 735-5411.  LISTEN to your pastor: DO NOT miss this retreat!  It is FUN and it will have a VERY POSITIVE impact on your marriage and home life!
  • You can still get in on FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY. First class is THIS SUNDAY at 5 pm to 7 pm.  Email Matt Chestnut at mwchestnut1@aol.com or call Jamie at 735-5411.
  • “SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE  - New Years Revelation” is this coming Sunday. 6 pm – DO NOT miss it!  FUN!  Relaxed atmosphere!  This is a great way for new attenders to get more connected!
Feb 07

Looking Back on the Weekend @ WC/Bridge

By Ferrell
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  • God showed up. The presence of God makes ALL the difference!  No matter what other amazing tools and systems God gives you – the technology, the hospitality, the facility, the systems, the leadership teams ….NOTHING is even close the importance of God’s presence!  Thank you Jesus for showing up!!
  • Prayed with a 15 yr. old to receive Christ….as Perry Noble says, “That never gets old!”

  • Volunteers….the second most valuable ingredient to successful worship and ministry…..people who work all week on their jobs, get up early on Sunday, write their tithe check, get their kids up, get everyone dressed, drive to church, walk in with a big smile and serve serve serve!!!  Tears are in my eyes as I write these words!  I THANK GOD FOR THE AMAZING VOLUNTEER ARMY AT WC/BRIDGE!!!
  • ERIC & VALERIE BAILEY…. catching Pastor Jimmy’s vision for ExCell pre-school kids’ church….accepting the challenge and raising an already high-quality, to a HNL!! (Hole Nuther Level)  If you have not visited our pre-school ministry on Sunday morning, just stick your head in sometime!!  Special thanks to the entire pre-school leadership team!
  • Our staff that makes everything run smoothly so all I have to worry about is preaching!
  • New Members joined the the church is all 4 services this weekend!!!  That never gets old either!!
  • Scott & Sherry Jennings for going beyond the call of duty to bring healing to broken marriages!!
  • Nursery Volunteers!! You guys always get an extra “atta boy”!!  Would YOU like to serve in the nursery? Email Catherine Barnes at catherine@whitleychurch.com.
  • The Mime Team!! You guys knocked it out of the park this weekend!!

COMING UP:

Financial Peace University -– Classes begin on the Feb. 21 – You can still get in!

VALENTINE’S DINNER SHOW — February 12 - The Love Train Goes to New York

MARRIAGE RETREAT (Feb. 26-28) – A few more rooms at Group Rate

SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE – February 21 – FREE EVENT!

CROSS & CROWN — SIGN-UP to serve!

Christian Comedian DENNIS SWANBERG – March 14th Tickets $10

NEED MORE DETAIL?  919-735-5411 …OR… www.whitleychurch.com …OR… www.bridgechurch.cc

Feb 06

TEAMS – The Best Way to Get Things Done

By Ferrell
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Team Think VS Group Think

Groups rule!  They really shouldn’t, but they do. When it comes to church leadership/administration, TEAMS should rule – not goups.  Why?  Because a strategy based on the group concept is wrought with limitations and inadequacies that create a high potential for unnecessary problems and conflicts.  Another subtle hazard of the group concept is that we are naturally inclined toward this approach.  We unintentionally gravitate toward “group-think” rather than “team-think”.  To build a team-based strategy will require you to be deliberate about educating yourself and influencing others that the team approach is by far the most effective path to ministry success.

Let’s look at some simple definitions that may help you begin to appreciate the many advantages of team over group.  A group is a small number of people with a leader who come together to accomplish an assigned task.  A team is the same except the leader, through his/her demeanor, guidance and instructions, cultivates an atmosphere where members feel a sense of ownership and commitment to value based common goals that they helped establish.  Each team member is urged to apply their own unique talents, knowledge and creativity to the team objectives.

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success!” I can’t remember who said this, but it’s worth noting:  “Teams are less about ME and more about WE.  It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”

Consider these benefits of team versus group: 1) less conflict, 2) because of the positive atmosphere team-think generates, people look forward to the gatherings and this results in an atmosphere of excitement and motivation, therefore attendance is more consistent, 3) there is a dramatic increase in the quality and quantity of input from the team members, 4) a team environment raises the level of creativity and innovation, 5) teams use the budget more efficiently than groups, 6) teams make the overall organization more flexible and adaptable, and 7) fully embraced, team-think eliminates “tufism”.

Transitioning from group-think to team-think is a current work in progress at our church. The information in this blog is what we’re learning and in the process of doing.  We’re not fully engaged in team-think yet.  Again, we have discovered that our biggest challenge in this change process is wrestling with the natural inclination toward group-think.  Moving our organization from group toward team begins with me as the senior pastor.  It starts with self-education on the difference between the two and advantages of team over group.  The staff must then buy into the team concept and begin the process of teaching the people they lead, and so on with the ministry directors, volunteers, etc.  Our goal is that team-think will become as natural to us a group-think has been.

The most difficult barriers to overcome as you move toward team-think will probably be church politics, personality differences, and competition.  When these or other obstacles arise, remind everyone that when we attempt to make permanent changes in how we think, these little irritants are inevitable.  Learning how to deal positively with each barrier will help us to evolve into an effective team instead of an ordinary group.

Essential characteristics of healthy teams include: 1) trust – all participants must be confident that they can count on each other to achieve a common goal, 2) common values – everyone must be likeminded concerning the ultimate goal of the team, 3) entrepreneurial atmosphere – an environment where innovation, creativity and risk taking is expected, not simply encouraged, and 4) reward – the glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom.

Recommended Reading:
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:  A Leadership Fable, Patrick M. Lencioni (NOTE:  Our staff at WC is currently reading this book together.  We read assigned passages and then discuss them at our weekly staff meeting.)
• Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:  A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick M. Lencioni
• The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player:  Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants, John C. Maxwell
• The Wisdom of Teams:  Creating the High Performance Organization, Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith