In her book,
“An Hour On Sunday,” Nancy Beach, Arts Director for Bill Hybels at the Willow
Creek Community Church, tells of a man named Gordy. Here is what she writes:
“Gordy and
his wife, Barb, serve on our production crew.
Their children are grown, and for now this couple has chosen to invest
in building community on our backstage team, helping to set up stage equipment
and props and diligently praying for everything that takes place in our
services. Gordy is a big man with
twinkling eyes and a balding head. Like
the rest of our crew, he always wears black clothing so he can fade into the
background while setting up props on stage during a service.”
“When I
arrive at church, Gordy has been working for a couple of hours. He always greets me with a warm smile and
inquires, ‘How can I specifically pray for you?
Is there anything in this service that most concerns you?’ Often my response fills Gordy’s eyes with
tears. During rehearsals, Gordy provides
an enthusiastic audience for actors and musicians who wonder if their material
will connect. He laughs the loudest and
is the first one to let them know if he is deeply moved. Before the service begins, Gordy leads a
circle of crewmembers in passionate prayer for God to work mightily among us
and through us. Between services, Gordy
is the master of encouragement, letting all of us know that the part we played
truly mattered.”
As I think
about Gordy, I have to believe that the vast majority of the thousands of
people who attend services at Willow Creek every weekend have no clue that this
man even exists. I doubt that they could
pick him out of a crowd. Yet, to the few
dozen people who pour themselves into utilizing their God-given gifts and
talents to provide moments in worship that God can use to grab hold of the
hearts of people, Gordy is irreplaceable.
Though Gaylord
E-Free is not anywhere near the size of the Mega Church that Willow Creek is,
we also have dozens of people who utilize their God-given gifts and talents
every week with a heart and a purpose to be used by God to provide moments of
worship that God can use to grab hold of the hearts of the hundreds who attend
our worship services.
Is there a
“Gordy” in the midst of our congregation?
Is there a “Gordy” at E-Free who stops our key participants on Sunday
morning to ask how they can specifically pray for the service? Is there a “Gordy” at E-Free whose eyes fill
with tears as they hear of the deep desire of the stage leaders and
participants to see God move through the service? Is there a “Gordy” at E-Free who isn’t afraid
to show it when God uses something in the service to move him closer in his
walk with his Lord? Is there a “Gordy”
at E-Free who gathers people together prior to the service to passionately pray
for God to work? Is there a “Gordy” at
E-Free who is the master of encouragement and lets everyone know that the part
they played Sunday truly mattered?
Paging,
Gordy…Please report to Gaylord E-Free Church!
1 comment:
I think we have a lot of Gordys... they just stay in the background... we are totally blessed with God's heart-seeking volunteers
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