Faith Factors Site Visit

Christ Lutheran Church
Charlotte, North Carolina
15-18 March, 2001

Interview Team:

         Hal Weldin
         Amy Frauenholtz
         Dawn Trautman
         Greg Priebbenow
         Consultant:  Tom Berkas

Table of contents:

 We met as a team twice before our site visit.  Our first meeting was with Tom Berkas on February 28^th and our second was on March 8. 

We arrived in North Carolina late evening, Thursday, March 15, and began our interviews at 9:00am the following morning.  We were in the Sr. Pastor’s office for the morning interviews and in a conference room for the afternoon interview groups.  Our interviews and schedule of the day is as follows:

 Friday

 Saturday

 Sunday 

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The community has a can-do atmosphere. Just a bit down the road from the church there are several new housing developments and a new shopping complex. Growth is everywhere, particularly in the neighborhoods around Christ Lutheran. There is a spirit of creativity and rejuvenation in the greater community as well. In housing, downtown, mainstreets, and outlying areas there is evidence of renovation, throwing out/tearing down the old, replacing it with new. Rapid suburban growth and downtown

Charlotte is the 2^nd largest banking center of the US, and that significant presence impacts the city’s atmosphere. People understand that investing now means rewards later. Those who attend Christ Lutheran are largely white-collar folks – professionals who value quality, want to make things happen, and are committed to seeing projects through. The staff also uses a business management team strategy: moving to staff supporting lay leaders, rather than the typical parish strategy of pastors and lay staff who do all the work of the parish.

Southern hospitality runs deep in the culture of Charlotte, and now the city is developing as a cultural center as well.

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Christ Lutheran Church is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the largest Lutheran Congregation in the North Carolina Synod, and in Region 9 of the ELCA. As of 31 December 2000 they had a memebership of 2248 and an average weekly worship attendance of 991.

Christ Lutheran Church is located in an upper-middle class neighborhood and has been blessed with a history of excellent leadership, both lay and pastoral, and solid financial resources.  Their campus consists of four structures:  sanctuary, Lackey chapel – multi purpose building, Youth house, and office-administration building.  They are currently beginning three phase capital-fund-drive to finance the construction of an education wing, sanctuary space, and office space. The first phase, the education center, will cost approximately $4 million.

Christ Lutheran’s staff is made up of three ordained ministers, fifteen lay staff and a separate group of four staff that run the Children’s Center (6 males, 16 females).  The lay staff work in two primary areas:  family ministries (incorporating Christian education and youth ministry) and music ministry.

The Children’s Center cares for 200 preschool children in both half and full day programs.  They operate independently from the church staff; yet have pastors lead chapel services twice a week.  The Children’s Center is considered a vital outreach service to the community.

The congregation’s mission statement is “Making Christ Known” and the essence of this mission is expressed in the imagery of “Hands reaching up,” “Hands reaching in” and “Hands reaching out” (see the congregation’s emblem).

Hands Reaching Up:  Worship

Regularly, four worship services are offered each Sunday morning, two being “traditional” in style and two “contemporary.  Over a dozen different music and arts teams are utilized in the overall worship program e.g. bell choirs, liturgical dance troupes, the Spirit Song instrumental and vocal choir.

Hands Reaching In:  Learning

A wide variety and range of Christian education activities take place within the life of congregation.  Following are some examples:

•      Sunday morning Christian education activities include Sunday school classes and events for those aged two through to senior high youth, confirmation small groups and a selection of adult classes. 
• Wednesday evening programming forms another “hub” of Christian education activity, with additional adult education options and music/arts activities.
•    2^nd to 5^th graders are invited to participate in a program called “Christian Foundations” which involve parents and their children attending different events over the course of four years.
• Special family ministry events called “Connections:  Connecting Home and Church” are offered throughout the year to help parents and youth/children have intentional time together around topics relevant to particular age groups (e.g. Prayer Formation for kindergarten-age children).
• A “milestone ministry” has been developed to help families celebrate successive “faith milestones” (e.g. baptism anniversaries, first communion) in the lives of children and youth.

Hands Reaching Out:  Service

A key outreach and service ministry of the congregation is an annual senior high music ministry tour called “The Experience.”  This production is youth-led, youth-organized and youth-run.  Other service and outreach initiatives include active involvement with Habitat for Humanity and the provision of meals and accommodation for up to a dozen homeless persons on a once-a-week basis.

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Culture:

• Expectant- members are looking for the ways God is active in their lives, and how God might be calling them to serve.
  
  
• Innovative - status quo is not OK. If something isn't working (i.e. confirmation, Sunday school) throw it out and try a new approach.
  
  
• Welcoming and Accepting – Former pastor remembered people’s names after one visit. Atmosphere of genuine pastoral care and concern. Several people said it felt like home; the way church is supposed to be.
  
  
•   Supportive, Encouraging, Empowering – lay people are encouraged, supported, and empowered to take on leadership roles, try new things, fail, and try again.

Language/Theology:

• A pervasive feeling in worship, staff meetings, and our interviews that God is present, alive, and active in the congregation and its people.
  
  
• Staff members talk about the Holy Spirit, its presence and activity as gift in their midst. 
  
  
• God is calling all people to serve one another in his name – each person is valued
  
  
• God has a mission for Christ Lutheran in the community
  
  
• Freedom to make mistakes and laugh – abundant life in God’s grace and forgiveness
  
  
• God is calling staff and members to give the best, be the best.
  
  
• Music communicates the presence of God – connection between that and the Holy Spirit.

Leadership:

• Cohesive - Strong sense of team amongst the leadership. A lot of transition in pastor and youth ministry personnel, yet youth and family ministry maintained momentum with sustained innovation and growth throughout.
  
  
• Models gift-based teamwork – Each staff member is working in an area he or she is passionate about. At our dessert conversation, they agreed they would do this for free.
  
  
• Places value on youth and family ministry – Without exception, staff and key leaders value youth and family ministry. That is unique.
  
  
• Demonstrates purpose, intentionality, prayer and visioning as integral to leadership.
  
  
• Spreads the vision – members and staff knew the core mission of the congregation, had a sense of what that meant, and felt a sense of ownership in it.
  
  
• Conscious visioning move from a Chaplain-oriented congregation, to a programmatic church, and now to a “Lay empowered, Staff as resource” congregation.
  
  
• Quality is important in all areas. “Good enough never is.” “Raising the bar.”
  
  
• Members trust the staff – even during pastor transitions the level of trust remained high.
  
  
• Staff and pastors see themselves as there for the long term
  
  
• Have a history of preaching that teaches – makes you think, something to take home
  
  
• Council’s role has changed from watchdog to setting the vision and giving permission

Gift-based ministry:

• Expectation that parents take a role in educating their kids in the faith
  
  
• The idea that anyone could get together a team and do something has filtered into the senior high kids
  
  
• If you have a passion for ministry, create a team and we’ll support you.
  
  
• Children and youth and their ability to contribute is taken seriously, they are given key opportunities to do it.
  
  
• “(Pastor) David said get involved, get your feet wet, decide what kind of ministry you like and we’ll get you into it.” Amy D, p. 9
  
  
• “I feel very supported. There’s no territoriality…. The staff and volunteers work with each other’s gifts to make things happen.” Amy D, p13

Preliminary Conclusions

            Christ Lutheran has a welcoming, accepting, expectant spirit. The culture and language reveal a theology of a God who is at work, active in each person and in the congregation. They speak often of the Holy Spirit moving in their midst, drawing people together, making things happen. Worship, both traditional and contemporary, is the heart and center of the congregation’s life together.

The pastors have made a conscious visioning move from a Chaplain-oriented congregation, to a programmatic church, and now to a “Lay empowered, Staff as resource” congregation. Their historically aggressive recruitment and empowering of lay people, coupled with their innovative approaches to ministry creates opportunities for all generations to make a difference in the life of the congregation and community. Youth are a valued as individuals, and understand that they too can lead in the areas they feel God has called and gifted them. Overall, the members and the staff feel a deep sense of ownership of the church, God’s mission for them, and the many ways in which they carry it out.

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Interview with Amy Daniels, Director of Family Ministries

March 16, 2001, 9 - 10:20 a.m.

Interviewers:  AmyGF (scribe), Hal (leader), Greg, Dawn

Amy Ds reflective/corrective comments

FF:       Amy, tell us a little about yourself and your history with this congregation.

I have lived here in North Carolina all my life.  I grew up in Gastonia, went to college at Chapel Hill and have lived in Charlotte since married.  I studied for a year at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, right after I got married – I did a lot of commuting.  I did CPE during summer at a hospital, and then decided that was enough. I thought about counseling ministry but decided to have kids first. (Deleted sentence – so much more complicated than that).  I have been part of this congregation since 1985. On our first Sunday visit we met the senior pastor at the door at 8:29 a.m. and he remembered our names at the communion rail.  We had friends in the congregation who welcomed us; people always spoke to us on Sunday mornings. I did my seminary fieldwork here; the senior pastor worked with me to make that possible. I kept my membership at home church while in seminary but joined here before though until my first daughter was born. Then we joined here and the pastor asked me to do Christian Education. I’d never thought of being a Christian education person.  (Pastor) David said get involved, get your feet wet, decide what kind of ministry you like and we’ll get you into it. He was the one who built the team and got the idea of team ministry going. David’s predecessor, the first senior pastor, is still a member. In 1989, I started as Minister to Families with Young Youth and Children.

FF:      You felt like Pastor David really saw your gifts and was tenacious about having you share them here?

Yes.  I had no training and no expertise.  But I had a baby. I said, “I can organize anything!”  I have been in the Christian education position since 1989 and have grown a lot.  David left in 1990.  Scott is now the senior pastor and has just turned 40.  He has been prepared planned to be a senior pastor since he was in junior high school

The family ministry has evolved. I started out with ELMS, a youth group for 3rd-6^th graders.   It needed some work so I started organizing, offering more youth group stuff for elementary ages. I got books of games and devotions, etc. to give me ideas.  One of my first interactions with Rollie (Martinson) made me understand more about family ministry. I then realized our focus was too narrow, so 6-7 years ago we started writing our own curriculum.  We have a brainstorming team of lay members who worked on that.

One year we made a musical tape so the kids would all hear the same music. We tried planning the entire Sunday school curriculum by the lectionary but then the pastor switched to thematic preaching. Sunday School was dying so we killed it and decided on a different format. We now do big group stuff for 2^nd-5^th graders with video, drama, etc. Small groups meet within the big group with the all the older boys and girls in separate small groups of kids their age. There are now close to 100 kids in the room. We changed the whole concept of Sunday School five years ago.

FF:       You had been there 4 years then?

Five to six.  I‘d see Rollie (Martinson) and we’d talk about tweaking the programs.

FF:       Were you full time?

I have had lots of changes: from 20 hours originally to 28, then to 33, then added assistant, then becoming full time in 1994 and then not replacing assistant when original person moved on.  When second campus opened we added back an assistant.  to 35 hours with an assistant to now being full time without an assistant. The biggest change came two years ago. I became Director of Family Ministries over youth and children’s ministries.  Youth Director began to report to me, and we ended up with three part time people also reporting to me (Jan as Administrator of Confirmation and Christian Foundations, and Stacie and Stephanie as Christian Educators.)

This is about Christian Foundations program development.  The associate pastor (responsible for youth ministry at that time) and I had talked about changing confirmation to a younger age. We changed first communion education and it was very well received. So we decided the younger age was when we wanted to train them up. Our brainstorming team developed the “Christian Foundations” program.  The parents are involved throughout.  When we brought Rollie down to evaluate it he said “Do you know what you’ve done – you owe it to these kids to continue!” (This led to latest change two years ago referred to above.)

I didn’t think Christian education was a youth job. We have had lots of youth directors, so the kids feel jaded. Music ministry gives continuity to kids that are musical.

FF:       It seems that for younger kids, transitions in your ministry programs gave new life.  Not so with senior high?

The junior high youth are still involved with confirmation.  Our youth directors have changed about every two years. We were looking for a youth director when Rollie was here last. So we re-structured.  A youth director was hired who reports to me; then we have two Christian ed. people, and Jan the administrator of Confirmation and Christian Foundations. The pastors just come in and do what we ask and are the heroes. The new structure gives support to the youth director.   The call committee for the youth director worked with me to establish a job description. This last youth director to leave left in the middle of the year, which turned out to be good. Parents stepped up to the plate, and got the call committee organized and managed the youth program.   We had three quick interviews. One of the committee’s questions to me was, “Do you think the Youth Director needs to use the computer?”  We needed to do some committee education – my entire job is administrative.  I said, “You want a youth director who will do all that administrative stuff AND hang out with kids. “But we have a secretary” they said.  We have two part time secretaries for a big staff.  I explained that the Youth Director would have to do the administration stuff themselves.

FF:       So you have had a tough history with that position?

People have been loved and been hated in that position. But we really had unrealistic expectations for the position. I could do no wrong – we had no children’s ministry so everything I did was great. The concern was that when I shifted to full time, people would raise their expectations, but that’s been good. Parents assume with the youth that the youth director should do everything because kids don’t want to hang out with parents. The interim helped parents realize that was not true.

FF:       What is the structure like now?

Paul Hill said to hire someone from within and then send that person to him for training. So Natalya started and after Rally Day she went off for 3 weeks.  She came back stronger.  I feel like there’s hope she will stay for several years.

Anyone who comes in and feels apart of the team thrives and survives. Anyone who wants to be a loner struggles here. Youth directors keep weird hours so it was hard for them to feel a part of the team.  I think that’s the hardest job.  I work hard.  Mark (music ministry) works hard.  I give all credit to the Holy Spirit who has brought so many volunteers here – we get a lot of stuff done. We thought of the youth director as the weak link, but they were asked to do an impossible job.

Now on Tuesday mornings the three pastors, the administrator, the intern pastor, Mark and I meet as leadership team. Then the full team meets for devotions, prayer concerns and general stuff.  David (the previous senior pastor) was good at team building in a sense. He worked hard to develop the leadership team, but not the support team.  The interim pastor came and had parties one Friday each month for the entire staff.

David brought Rollie, and got us involved in changing the church. We’ve had Rollie here 3 times in my 10 years, and things have changed in a big way after each time he’s been here.

FF:       So what is your structure?

Our youth director is full time, and then we have three part timers – two Christian education persons covering birth to college and giving support to the youth director, and then Jan who does administration of Confirmation and Christian Foundations part-time.  Pastor Jeff works with Jan and I on confirmation that we’ve rewritten to fit into our mission. I see it all as a part of our mission. You’ll see our logo on all this stuff. We want to make it each person’s vision to “make Christ known.” We’ve studied the Purpose Driven Church and their five pillars, and interpreted our mission as hands reaching up (worship), in (discussion, learning, fellowship) and out (evangelism and service) which is easy for people to grasp. Confirmation conforms to that. People think our confirmation program includes too many demands, but we have raised the bar because we think its important and we think there are things the kids need to know. I hope I didn’t say that.  It is about relationship to Christ as Lord and Savior and about being a disciple, involved in church to serve God.  There are no specific facts that will make or break a confirmation experience.  There is much that we want them to experience and do to uncover their life of discipleship.

This year we’ve started a new thing called “Connections” – intergenerational stuff. The Holy Spirit is vital here – I’m talking about programs because I think they’re transferable. The gift of the Holy Spirit is not something you can tell others how to find, it’s something to pray for. Also, what’s transferable is programs in general – not their specific content. You can’t buy something off the shelf and have it work – you’ll have to adapt it.

We’ve been trying to do intergenerational events – meals, Sunday School etc. The people that teach in Sunday School say they learn as much as the kids. We do “Connections” events for one age group and their parents. That is Mindy Bak’s idea that I stole and modified. “Connections” is an event for at least two generations. Truly, my goal is to get parents in and educate them so they feel comfortable helping their kids at home. We have “Connections” events for 10^th graders and their parents on driver’s licenses and 2^nd graders and their parents on the Lord’s Prayer. Now we have leader a person on staff who is inspired to do more of the Milestone passage events. Also, confirmation parents are required to be involved.

FF:       Can you flesh out for me the staffing structure?

The senior pastor is responsible for everything.  He is young and wonderful, has kids so is good with children’s education.  Pastor Jeff has been responsible for discipleship and made the second campus work. He does Alpha and other adult education.  Pastor Sally’s focus is pastoral care. She is also liaison with Women’s Ministries, Service Ministries, Senior Ministries, etc… Mark Glaeser is our Minister of Music and has been working on developing contemporary worship here since 1993, but we still have high quality traditional worship. He does both well and doesn’t claim to like one better than another. Contemporary worship is a strong part of family ministry.  I don’t see family ministry as working well here, I see ministry working well here. The Holy Spirit is active here.  Donna, the Assistant Minister of Music, is now full time.  We have a couple of other people who help with music part time. (Tenny Shifley is part time as accompanist, organist, etc and Jane Edgren is responsible for children’s choirs).  Our current administrator is new. He has communications person to do newsletters etc.  Then there is Mary, who does secretarial work, and Sue, who is our accountant.  JW is the food service manager – we needed someone who can cook for the preschoolers and congregational activities.  He’s just smart and has a good feel for ministry.   He has done security work too and has led Christian education in a smaller congregations.  Lyndon is the facilities guy.  We’ve killed a few of those over the years.

On Tuesdays the whole staff – those that are available - gets together for devotions etc. and we do lunch together that day. When Dave Bigham started he was shocked that we did lunch together. We have parties as a staff every 4-6 weeks where we all get together with our spouses. We like each other; we don’t get to spend enough time together … at convocation we hang out together. That kind of feeling transfers into the congregation. Mark and I are best friends, we’ve been here 10 years together. David used to say he had the dream team, now Mark and I are on another. This is my family, as much as my family at home. When there’s chemistry it works. Just know that I’m telling you the good stuff because that’s what you asked for. I feel very supported. There’s no territoriality. Our camp program is ballooning this summer.  The new big thing is “The Experience,” which is written, directed and run by the kids. They work on it all year and tour in the summer. The director (a student) is on the road to ministry – he’ll be one of my camp counselors this summer. Natalya went on the tour with them when she first got here and they learned how to be a youth group. “The Experience” is the biggest part of our senior high ministry.

We also have “Music, Art and Drama Days” during the summer for elementary kids. We put a musical them together in a week over the summer (Mark and I developed) – it’s really fun.  The staff and volunteers work with each other’s gifts to make things happen. This summer there will four weeks of camp with paid senior high counselors.

FF:       It seems that the ministry continues here even in the midst of key transitions in staff personnel?

One of David’s teaching moments was whenever someone left – he said “It’s an opportunity” That has been the case. During the interim after he left we cleaned-up the church membership rolls, and people were still joining – despite what Barna says about the importance of the senior pastor

FF:       Has part of the ministry here been to empower impassioned lay staff?

Yes - and the staff has grown because of it. Natalya came from Scott’s previous church. Now all the non-pastor staff are lay people who were once volunteers here. People can be on church council after being here just a couple years. Sometimes we empower people well, sometimes not so well. But we invite people to step forward and get involved – to use their gifts. When we started the contemporary service we did a calling thing and volunteers called hundreds of people and we had 200 visitors on the first Sunday. Ministry is about casting seeds. If someone comes here and grows in their faith and then leaves, they are being sent out as an ambassador for Christ. When a new mission start happened out on the edge of the church drawing-area David visited all the non-actives in that neighborhood and encouraged them to join. He commissioned 100 members to start that church – and we still had a net gain of members that year. Last Sunday there were 28 families at new member classes, which we have 4-6 times a year.  The Christian ed. staff said “how are we going to have space for all of those families?” But we keep adapting, cooperating, and growing.

FF:       How is the Children’s Center connected with the church?

The director there is on staff, but is not a church member. There are church members on their board, and they have a liaison to church council. They keep their own books. The center has always operated in the black – which is rare. It opened in 1989 with a full day program.

FF:       Is it an outreach tool?

We get new members through the center. About 30% of the kids are members.  There are 100 children in full day care and a couple of hundred in ½ day care. At any given time there are 200 kids here. It gives this place life.

FF:       Is there chapel at the Children’s Center?

Yes – the pastors and I do it two days a week.

FF:       You mentioned your “Foundations” program for 2nd-5^th graders.  How has that changed confirmation?

Some kids in confirmation haven’t done Foundations, so without having a graded class system we try to offer opportunities for kids that know more.  We have small groups for sharing and caring.  In one year, groups look at bible knowledge and the other year at issues.   The Catechism we do in the large group with enrichment activities where the kids pick the follow up activity that will challenge where they are at in their faith. The emphasis is on the total look of what it means to be a disciple – servant work, small groups, study, learning. It would be like that even without “Christian Foundations” which looks just at the Catechism and the Bible.

All of the planning for that takes place upstairs.  Upstairs is the family ministry headquarters – all the staff there are women. The men on staff are afraid to come upstairs.  There are two rooms, - one has four desks with three phones and four computers. I have the other office.

FF:       What things have helped build the culture where parents are involved willingly?

It is still building.  Some parents don’t know they are supposed to come. Some have come and found that it has made a big difference for them. Angela will talk more about that.

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Interview with Donna Hanna, full-time Assistant Music Minister

3/16 10:30 a.m.

Interviewers: Hal (leader), Dawn, Greg, and AmyGF (scribe).

FF:       What’s your history here, what are you currently doing?

Came to the area 13 years ago when my oldest was getting into confirmation. Joined here, became immediately involved – had been heavily involved with music and VBS at my old church. Asked to run VBS the first year we were here. Then he asked me to run Christian ed as interim – asked if I wanted to be hired. I said no but we hired Amy and have been blessed. Served on the call committee for the Minister of Music. We hired Mark (11 years ago) and I volunteered for him. 10 years ago when we started contemporary worship he asked for an assistant and they hired me part time.

FF:       That was a bold move - to ask for an assistant when he hadn’t been here long?

Yes, he’d been here 2 years. I was hired for 8hrs a week – I was still teaching school at the time. 3 yrs ago I went to 30 hrs a week here, last year to full time. I was actually working 40 hrs for the last two years. J Mark and I share all responsibilities. I accompany choir, Mark directs, we alternate organ work and contemporary service. Both of us do 830 and 11, I’m principle keyboardist for contemporary – he does synthesizer.

I direct handbells – 3 choirs and 3 chime groups. Even a senior citizens chime group.   I do Flute group, we share brass group. Mark directs Spirit Song [contemporary worship band]. Lots of rehearsals. During the week we do all the work on FINALE [computer program for musicians]. All music for the service is printed in the bulletin so I do that. I do all arranging, transposing, adding horn parts for great songs for brass, bells, choirs, etc. I do all the Finale stuff – my son taught me when he was 14 – he used to do it all, but now I do.

FF:       Tell us about your kids’ experience here?

Well, you’ve asked a good question there. My daughter is getting PHD in violin at Florida State U. She got involved in music ministry here – did musicals. All my kids have been heavily involved. The two youngest are in Spirit Song – youngest plays drums for us. He’s the only one left at home. Lots of opportunities to get involved here. With my daughter we made a list of all the things she learned to do here – VBS, liturgical dance, sing, play flute, handbells, helped lead choirs, she & a friend asked for a touring choir which became the EXPERIENCE. Became hugely successful 45 kids involved this year. Totally student driven – they do it all. We [Donna and Mark] turn pages. “Leadership skills have been honed here in an atmosphere of love acceptance, patience, support and encouragement.”

FF:       Sounds like she took a lot of initiative and the cong was responsive?

Yes. Mark is the catalyst. Music, Art, and Drama Days started when my two youngest were in elementary school. My youngest has no stage fright because he learned to do musicals here – now the he is the lead in his high school musical.

FF:       You have tenure – here longer than most staff. Any consistent theme or thread you would identify as present in this congregation?

Two things. The very first Sunday my husband and I came by ourselves, I remember feeling like “oh, this is what its supposed to be like” the sense of worship, the sense of the presence of God. That’s pretty much how I feel in worship, prayer time, meetings; God is truly present in this place and influences everything we do in a powerful way. The people know that, we ask for his support, his direction, his help. Very intentional in making sure that is what we’re all about.

FF:       You’re describing a rich sense of presence that says this is what it feels like to be part of God’s people

This place is what church is all about to me. Why we’re here, why we exist in this time in this city, with these people. It’s clear to people who have come as a visitor and decided to join – we talk about it a lot.

FF:       Do the other staff have this same sense?

I don’t want to make it sound like there’s nothing to fix – it’s not perfect by any means. I think they would feel that way. I think there’s a sense of call – among the staff but also among the congregation - to serve God and do what he has called us to do.” There are times when you get bogged down in the nasty things of life and suddenly someone will come out with something, something will happen, and we are brought back up and refocused on why we’re here. There’s no such thing as coincidence.

FF:       This is something that most church staffs would kill for. It sounds like it doesn’t come from one person, its organic

It’s as simple that our staff meetings start with Bible study and we take time to pray – most of our staff meeting is bible study and prayer. Lots of church staffs don’t pray together. Pray together! We have such a good time here  - a whole lot of fun – we like each other very much. We have a good time, well spent and enriching for all of us, I think I am a better person for who I get to work with every day.

FF:       Your family has grown here...

Oh… there’s a very very clear reason why we were led to this place. If it had just been for my kids’ experience that would have been enough, but its been so much more. I am in such a different place now than I was 10 yrs ago 5 yrs ago.

FF:       Talk about a time when your gifts were really embraced and God picked them up and used them here… a pinnacle?

Well… when Spirit Song went to the Philadelphia area to so workshops with J Burt Carlson. That was extremely rewarding because I got to do such a lot of stuff, and he complimented us. I value that.

The Christmas concert (wonderful, people flock to it) was another thing. Pastor Scott always does a brief introduction, but this year he gave a big speech praising Mark to thunderous applause. Then he said, “and then there’s the person who does all the work” [meaning Donna] – to even more applause. That was a mountaintop experience

“This is not a job, I would do this for free – especially worship. It’s such a privilege.”

FF:       What will we see on Sunday?

Traditional service upstairs with guest trumpeter - one of our college kids home from spring break at Institute of Music in Cleveland. At contemporary worship the middle school liturgical dancers will open – handbells during communion. Ripsnortin’stuff and normal everyday stuff, not much liturgy – only kyrie no Gloria, since it’s Lent. An incredible sermon – Scott is a remarkable preacher. Scott preaches ¾ services on Sunday. Sally will preach 945 traditional. Scott preaches 90% of the time.

FF:       Would you say you’ve experienced quality preaching and how would you define that?

Absolutely! Being academic and mathematical I want to learn something – to be told something new, or in a new way, something to take home with me. More than just an emotional thing. Sermon notes are great. It’s an outline you can fill in. On the back of it there are bible passages for reading throughout the week. We do sermons in series which I like and so do other people - you come back because you want to hear what’s next.

I tell you when I see that contemporary service full with all those people….mmmm. I have been there since the beginning. It’s amazing. Mark and I are amazed. When we hear the people singing we look at each other and say man – God is here this is exciting! And to look over and see my son, and even better 3 rows of teenagers. That is a cool thing. They get it. Also, it’s there to be gotten – we’ve got something to give them. Over and over I hear people saying ‘Oh, this is what I’ve missed.’ “There was the spirit and the truth and the enthusiasm and the love here – even 13 years ago.”

FF:       What else do we need to experience while were here?

I wish you could be here for the EXPERIENCE rehearsal. Tomorrow you’ll see all that cool stuff. You’ll be pleased; you’ll be enriched. Other than my children this place has been the biggest blessing in my life – and a lot of that is because of Mark. He is rare – I’m sorry you won’t get to meet him. “He has taught me more than I have ever learned elsewhere about what it means to build up the body of Christ, what it means to be a child of God...” Tomorrow I have my endorsement interview for an Associate in Ministry.

FF: [General affirmations of Donna. From us. J]

This place is truly a blessing!

Quotables/Summary

Donna has grown into a remarkable leader – and so have her kids – through their involvement in ministry at Christ Lutheran. She runs some of the 23 musical groups at the church, and basically shares all the music responsibilities with the Music Director, Mark. Worship is central to her involvement – all of the musical groups are leaders in worship. She truly believes that God is at work at Christ church, and considers it a privilege to work there.

• “Leadership skills have been honed here in an atmosphere of love acceptance, patience, support and encouragement.”
• Very first Sunday my husband and I came by ourselves, I remember feeling like “oh, this is what its supposed to be like” the sense of worship, the sense of the presence of God.
• God is truly present in this place and influences everything we do in a powerful way. The people know that, we ask for his support, his direction, his help. Very intentional in making sure that is what we’re all about.
•   This place is what church is all about to me.
• I think there’s a sense of call – among the staff but also among the congregation - to serve God and do what he has called us to do.”
• “This is not a job, I would do this for free – especially worship. It’s such a privilege.”
• Other than my children this place has been the biggest blessing in my life

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3/16 11:30 a.m.

Laurie started by sharing some random facts:

- Charlotte most churched city in the US – most people who attend church

- 2^nd largest banking center in the US – NYC is first.

- Christ is biggest Lutheran church in the south.

- We did a survey when we called Scott –

- average age 37 – married two kids,

- average income 97,000

- lots of entrepreneurs who are self made millionaires who are very generous – physical and financial.

- I was not raised Lutherans, my husband was 7^th generation  -

- When we started dating I had a really hard time in worship – the LBW – that book. Just found out that page numbers are in the front and and hymns are in the back. I just learned it because I typed the bulletins – and we are putting everything in it 

- No Lutheran Seminaries teach contemporary worship – that is unconscionable! Contemporary worship is an exciting place. For those who didn’t grow up Lutheran this is the Lutheran church. That concerns me for when our kids grow up and go off to college.

- I was on the synod committee for restructuring – it made me crazy!

- In contemporary worship not only is the music on the bulletin its on the screen. That’s new – last week my 7 yr old chose to sit in the front row for the drama and the dancing and he was singing for the first time! It was a miracle – its to hard to sing if you can’t read music. I will type songs forever if it will get him to sing. He has sat by himself since he was 3 (my husband and I sing in spirit song) – at contemporary service its ok if the kids want to dance in the aisles, and run free – its their space. Upstairs is a whole different deal.

- People feel the presence of the HS, and I feel very blessed to share that with people every week. They cry. When there’s clapping it is a release of energy because they feel something so powerful inside them that they had to let it out. 1090 in worship last week

FF:       What do you do here?

- Brochures, newsletters, supper seminars, anything to do with written stuff, help with worship banners and I made the stain glass windows in the multi-purpose space (gym).

- Spirit Song practices Friday nights and Sat a.m. – how many?

- 330 kids in Children’s Center all week so we can only set up for worship on the weekend.

- 23 choirs!!

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