The Reason why we serve!
Here's a great testimony that captures the heart of why we do what we do. I shared it with the leaders at our meeting last week, and thought it would be great to share with the rest of the crew.. I hope it helps remind you of the impact of video ministry & the tremendous cause behind serving in church.. Thanks for sharing Dan!
I had my first encounter with Riverview Church, then known as Rhema Family Church while I was studying at uni just after I had finished high school and left Kalgoorlie. I remember being freaked out by the worship. It was very out there for me, coming from Baptist Churches where if the song wasn’t in the Yellow, Brown or Blue songbook it wasn’t worship. Sy Rogers was preaching that night, and he spoke very well. I remember thinking “that church is weird, but the speaker was very good”. I also remember thinking that the large screens were wasted in a church…
About a year later I moved back to Kalgoorlie. Being alone in the city was too hard. My brother Andrew (Bob) and his wife Paula had moved to Perth, and my brother Dave did as well a few years later to attend Bible College at Riverview. Eventually he started working in the sound team, and is now on staff. Bob and Paula also started attending Riverview, and last year finished studying at the Leadership College. They are part of the worship team.
Usually once a year I would visit Bob and Paula in Perth on my holidays. On one of these trips I went with them to Riverview. I had been close to God and depended on him, but didn’t want to have anything to do with Church. God impacted me. I put up my hand, and went forward at the alter call. I couldn’t speak for a good hour afterwards without breaking down into tears. I wanted to leave Kal again just so I could keep going to Riverview, but I had work commitments, and didn’t know how I could make it happen. Dave told me about Churchlive which was screening on GWN on Sunday mornings, so I settled for that. I also tried going back to Church. I had been hurt by churches before, and stopped going after about a year. Churchlive kept me going. I recorded each episode, and absolutely loved Phil’s preaching. I often thought of emailing and telling of how the program had helped me, but never did.
I still felt like Perth was where I needed to be, and that I really needed to go to Riverview, so in September 2004 I moved to Perth, moved in with my brother Dave and started going to Riverview.
This was what I needed. I was able just to be in the crowd and not feel pressured, I could just listen. I did one unit at the Leadership College the next year, however at the end I decided not to continue as I felt that work was where I needed to be, not Bible College. I also felt that I should start to volunteer, but was reluctant as I had been hurt so much by churches, and had ended up resenting volunteering, feeling used and not appreciated.
In about October 2006 I decided it was time to trust God, and to volunteer, and I also wanted to meet new people. I went to a new people’s night and signed up. I didn’t say it, but desperately wanted to serve in the video crew. I wanted to help the program that helped me so much. My wish was granted and I became part of the RVTV crew.
I absolutely loved working on cameras (the audio/visual geek in me rose to the surface). Eventually they asked for people to help out with the tech team and run iris for the cameras. I volunteered again, and again enjoyed learning how to set up cameras and the workings behind the scenes.
In the last month I had started feeling tired and resentful from serving so much. I started to question why I was bothering. Then last week I was doing grip for the jib crane (tech jargon for pushing the crane) and during the alter call, I saw someone put up their hand.
This moment it hit me that this was why I was serving, why everyone puts in so much effort at church. For moments like this. For someone to meet God, and to have their life changed. It reminded me of how I felt at that moment when I was the one being impacted. I feel renewed now, that even though I volunteer, even though I may feel that I am not doing anything worth while, that I am doing it for the sake of doing it, or because I said I would, I am contributing to changing someone’s life. For moments like that Sunday night. God sees what I do, and he appreciates that, and he uses that for his purpose.
I don’t think those big screens are wasted at Church anymore…
I had my first encounter with Riverview Church, then known as Rhema Family Church while I was studying at uni just after I had finished high school and left Kalgoorlie. I remember being freaked out by the worship. It was very out there for me, coming from Baptist Churches where if the song wasn’t in the Yellow, Brown or Blue songbook it wasn’t worship. Sy Rogers was preaching that night, and he spoke very well. I remember thinking “that church is weird, but the speaker was very good”. I also remember thinking that the large screens were wasted in a church…
About a year later I moved back to Kalgoorlie. Being alone in the city was too hard. My brother Andrew (Bob) and his wife Paula had moved to Perth, and my brother Dave did as well a few years later to attend Bible College at Riverview. Eventually he started working in the sound team, and is now on staff. Bob and Paula also started attending Riverview, and last year finished studying at the Leadership College. They are part of the worship team.
Usually once a year I would visit Bob and Paula in Perth on my holidays. On one of these trips I went with them to Riverview. I had been close to God and depended on him, but didn’t want to have anything to do with Church. God impacted me. I put up my hand, and went forward at the alter call. I couldn’t speak for a good hour afterwards without breaking down into tears. I wanted to leave Kal again just so I could keep going to Riverview, but I had work commitments, and didn’t know how I could make it happen. Dave told me about Churchlive which was screening on GWN on Sunday mornings, so I settled for that. I also tried going back to Church. I had been hurt by churches before, and stopped going after about a year. Churchlive kept me going. I recorded each episode, and absolutely loved Phil’s preaching. I often thought of emailing and telling of how the program had helped me, but never did.
I still felt like Perth was where I needed to be, and that I really needed to go to Riverview, so in September 2004 I moved to Perth, moved in with my brother Dave and started going to Riverview.
This was what I needed. I was able just to be in the crowd and not feel pressured, I could just listen. I did one unit at the Leadership College the next year, however at the end I decided not to continue as I felt that work was where I needed to be, not Bible College. I also felt that I should start to volunteer, but was reluctant as I had been hurt so much by churches, and had ended up resenting volunteering, feeling used and not appreciated.
In about October 2006 I decided it was time to trust God, and to volunteer, and I also wanted to meet new people. I went to a new people’s night and signed up. I didn’t say it, but desperately wanted to serve in the video crew. I wanted to help the program that helped me so much. My wish was granted and I became part of the RVTV crew.
I absolutely loved working on cameras (the audio/visual geek in me rose to the surface). Eventually they asked for people to help out with the tech team and run iris for the cameras. I volunteered again, and again enjoyed learning how to set up cameras and the workings behind the scenes.
In the last month I had started feeling tired and resentful from serving so much. I started to question why I was bothering. Then last week I was doing grip for the jib crane (tech jargon for pushing the crane) and during the alter call, I saw someone put up their hand.
This moment it hit me that this was why I was serving, why everyone puts in so much effort at church. For moments like this. For someone to meet God, and to have their life changed. It reminded me of how I felt at that moment when I was the one being impacted. I feel renewed now, that even though I volunteer, even though I may feel that I am not doing anything worth while, that I am doing it for the sake of doing it, or because I said I would, I am contributing to changing someone’s life. For moments like that Sunday night. God sees what I do, and he appreciates that, and he uses that for his purpose.
I don’t think those big screens are wasted at Church anymore…
posted by FrankPoL at 3:52 PM
4 Comments:
Great story.
Love your heart Dan.
Well Done!
Adam
thanks for sharing that Dan.
I bet there's heaps of great stories like that within the crew..
Good things are happening.
Yes Dan, I have seen you serving alot recently and it is great to know that you saw the fruit of your efforts.
It kind of backs up the scripture:
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
dan.. ur the man.. ive always said it ;)
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