Saint Matthew Music & Ministry

A Word of Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:28:00 +0000

As Worship Arts Team Leader, my primary focus is to encourage worship through the arts. During the 2009-10 program season at Saint Matthew, we’ve experienced an incredible amount of music from folks here at Saint Matthew and beyond. And throughout it all, my hope is that the people of Saint Matthew have been encouraged by the musical diversity that is offered in worship through the amazing dedication and hard work of the many, many volunteers who’ve given of their time and talents.

Worship Team (directed by Jason Bendickson) – Thank you for being the workhorse music team of our church! Your dedication, energy, talent and time are tremendously appreciated.

Choir & Men’s Ensemble (directed by Geoff Carter) – Thank you for an amazing season of incredible music! Our community is tremendously blessed by your musical offerings and worship leadership.

Bells (directed by Geoff Carter) – Thank you for all the hard work you put in this year! Every offering of music from the bells this year was absolutely incredible!

Brass (directed by Jason Bendickson) – Thank you for making those Saturday morning rehearsals and offering your talents on Easter Sunday. There is much more for us to do! I’m looking forward to it.

Kids Praise & Cherub Choir (directed by Laurie Van Buskirk and Jason Bendickson) – Thank you all for your enthusiasm and joyful spirit as we sang songs of thankfulness, service and love to God!

There are also many people who volunteer their time behind the scenes on Sunday mornings to help make Saint Matthew the welcoming and friendly place it has become; if you stop to think about it, it’s actually kind of mind boggling.

Prayer Ministers (coordinated by Laura Hoy) – Thank you for your commitment offering up prayers with and for people during communion and following worship. Your openness to the Holy Spirit in prayer is changing this congregation from the inside out!

Communion Assistants (coordinated by Dolores Niccolai) – Thank you for your presence in worship as we receive the good gift of God that is the body and blood of Christ. Hearing the words “…for you” each Sunday reminds us of God’s amazing love for us.

Greeters (coordinated by Grala Warren) – Thank you for offering the first smile and handshake for all who worship at Saint Matthew! Nothing says “you’re very welcome here” like a warm greeting when you first walk in the door.

Ushers (coordinated by Ed Jerome) – Thank you for guiding us in worship from the back of the worship center.

Readers (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for consistently leading our congregation in prayer and the reading of God’s Word.

Acolytes (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for bringing the light of Christ into our worship time each Sunday!

Welcome Center Volunteers (coordinated by Nancy Pierce) – Thank you for being a consistent point of connection for people who are interested in finding out more about Saint Matthew.

Coffee Volunteers (coordinated by Nancy Pierce) – Thank you for masterfully working those coffee pots to ensure that no one will be in want (for coffee, anyway).

Projection Ministry Volunteers (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for what I think is one of the most difficult worship leading roles on Sunday morning. And thank you for your grace as things inevitably get changed spur of the moment. Y’all are rockstars!

Promiseland & Impact Volunteers (coordinated by Angie Kavert, Kristi Carlton, David Dykes and Melinda Armonstrong) – Thank you for ministering to the youth of Saint Matthew with such consistency, grace and love. Growing disciples is a life-long journey and y’all are at the forefront of that road.

For all the volunteers who serve in the areas mentioned above, and even the ones that I left out, THANK YOU! And as the summer heat begins to settle on the valley and we look forward to long lazy evenings, impromptu barbecues and memorable vacations, I want to encourage you to give thanks to God for the amazing gifts we’ve been given as a community here at Saint Matthew.

Blessings,
Jason

Spring Concert! May 2 at 4:00pm

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:18:00 +0000

The Saint Matthew Music Department invites you to attend our Spring Concert featuring musical selections by the Saint Matthew Choir, the Men’s Ensemble and Bells of Saint Matthew. It promises to be an uplifting and encouraging evening of music.

Concert begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Worship Center at Saint Matthew. There will be a potluck dinner immediately following in Fellowship Hall. All are invited. This is a great opportunity to bring friends. Childcare will be provided.

As We Forgive

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Ken shares with us his thoughts on "...as we forgive others"

As We Forgive Others from Jason Bendickson on Vimeo.

He Knows My Name (Song Story)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:00 +0000

We sing a lot of music at Saint Matthew but we don’t often get to hear from the folks who write the songs that we sing. Tommy Walker has written many of the songs we sing on Sunday mornings and I wanted to share an excerpt from an interview with Tommy about how the song “He Knows My Name” came to be written.

- Jason

"He Knows My Name" by Tommy Walker

The first time we went to the Philippines we stayed in an orphanage and there was this little boy who came running up to me and he introduced himself as Jerry. About an hour later he ran up to me again and he said, “What’s my name?”

I said, “You’re name is Jerry."

He said, “We’re friends, right?”

An hour later, he comes up to me again and says, “What’s my name?”

“Jerry.”

“We’re friends, right?”

“That’s right buddy, you got it.”

The next morning he runs up to me and says, “What’s my name.”

I said, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. You know I know you’re name.” Then I said to him, “We’re friends, right?”

I realized that Jerry, one of the forgotten people, one of the poorest of the poor, was literally abandoned by his parents on the streets as an infant. I don’t think he even knows his last name. He just wanted somebody to know him, to know his name. And it was so important to him that I knew his name. And then I was able to tell him, “Jerry, it’s great that I know your name, but your Heavenly Father, though you have no earthly father, knows your name and He’ll never forget you.”

I get to share that story all over the world because there are so many people who feel so alone. Alone in their marriage and their family and their job…in their life! God just lets me remind people that in this moment He knows your name. He’ll never forget you, He’s seen every tear and every time you call, He hears you.

Visit this URL to hear Tommy tell this story

http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-301-HeKnowsMyName-Walker.mp3

Spiritual Life Survey | Begins March 13

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:35:00 +0000

In the movie “The Grinch That Stole Christmas”, there was an X-ray machine that could measure the size of the Grinch’s heart. The machine showed us his heart growing bigger. What if we had a way of seeing the size of our own hearts – a way of measuring how much we love God and love people? What if we had a way to understand which things we do together have the most positive impact on our spiritual growth?

Willow Creek has developed a survey that will help us understand Saint Matthew better. The REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey provides a vivid picture of the “unseen” hearts of our congregation and their spiritual growth. It utilizes state-of-the-art research to capture not just spiritual behaviors, but also attitudes, beliefs and felt-needs of churchgoers. The Spiritual Life Survey is a proven way to benchmark and track spiritual growth in a congregation. It moves beyond measures like attendance and financial giving to determine if a church is really making a difference in helping people become more like Christ.

The Spiritual Life Survey is an anonymous, congregational online survey that is easy to understand, simple to administer and repeatable over time to monitor change. We will take the survey at Saint Matthew from March 13 to 27. Late in April, we’ll receive a customized, comprehensive report in presentation form that benchmarks and analyzes Saint Matthew’s spiritual profile. No individual responses are revealed. We’ll see what’s going on as well as how our spiritual attitudes, practices and beliefs compare to the REVEAL survey database of over 500 churches and 150,000 congregants.

We will share the results of our survey and reflect and discuss together what we learn and how God is calling us to move forward. We look forward to this adventure together.

Watch the website and the online Good News for directions to do the survey. We will send emails out with directions, so make sure we have your current email address.
(You can update your contact info online at http://saintmatthew.org/About/directory.htm)

Kairos Moments in Music

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:09:00 +0000

In mid-December I purchased Sara Groves' new CD, Fireflies and Songs. It's a great disc. I remember when I heard her first album, Conversations I felt that her songwriting style was a little to meandering for my taste, but I listened to that whole album several times in a row. Something about it was compelling to me and drawing me into her stories.

The new CD demonstrates a maturity in her songwriting and and even more raw honesty as she sings about hope, love, disappointment and struggle. I find myself transported to a place of inspired reflective peace as the music and words swim around in my mind as I try to imagine the settings and details of these three-to-four minute song-stories.

Then, something happens. I've just realized the what Sara Groves is writing about, apart from the specific details of her experiences, are all kairos moments. Defining moments! Moments of significance that have an impact on the way she journeys through life.

That gets me thinking. I believe that most, if not all music (and art) are rooted in experiencing a kairos moment and then working through this circle (the learning circle - more on that later) that we've been talking about at Saint Matthew since the beginning of January.

Life > Kairos Moment > Observe > Reflect > Discuss > Plan > Account > Act = Aamazing Music by Sara Groves (or any other artist for that matter).

One of the things artists do is take the "moments" in life and stretch them out (over canvas or over time) and create a meditation on that moment. The result is an act of creativity that becomes a part of their journey.

Wow. Maybe this is a simple thing, but for me it has become a defining moment.

- Jason

Ash Wednesday & Mid-Week Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:25:00 +0000

Join us for Ash Wednesday Worship on February 17 at noon and 7:30 p.m. in the Worship Center. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the forty days preceding Easter. Our observance of Ash Wednesday includes receiving communion and the imposition of ashes on the forehead. Genesis 3:19 invites us into a penitential season with the words, “For you are dust and to dust you will return.”

Our sermon series on “The Lord’s Prayer” will begin at this service, and a Lenten Devotional written by people of Saint Matthew with a focus on the Lord’s Prayer will be available.

During Lent, we will have mid-week worship on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. in the Worship Center. Join us for a reflective and meditative worship incorporating the Taizé style which uses simple songs, scripture and prayer. Our first service will be February 25.

Songs From The Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Join us at 7:00pm on Sunday, January 31st at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek for Songs From The Valley.

Featuring Jordan Reed, Art Heckman and Jason Bendickson.
Saint Matthew
399 Wiget Lane
Walnut Creek, CA 94598

Mike Breen & Michael Frost | Feb 12 & 13, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:34:00 +0000

Missional Theology
Friday, February 12, 2010 - Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saint Matthew Lutheran, Walnut Creek
Registration Form

4.20.21 is code for John 20:21 ... Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." This preview of our mandate sets the theme for an unprecedented missional learning experience --- co-sponsored by The Renewal Project and Church Without Shoes in 2010. These three gatherings will provide practical insights and stimulate in-depth conversation for the church/ministry leadership teams that will be participating.

Financial Peace University Begins Jan 13

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Financial Peace University | Begins Jan 13, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Financial Peace University | Begins Jan 13, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

OUTFLOW CELEBRATION SERVICE (VIDEO)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Oct 11 is Outflow Sunday at Saint Matthew

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Cherub Choir & Kids Praise Start Today

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Howdy y'all,

Cherub Choir and Kids Praise start today at 4:15pm. We'll be doing lots of music this fall and I'm really looking forward to working with the Kids.

Here's the performance schedule for the Fall:

CHERUB CHOIR
Oct. 4 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 1 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 29 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 24 - 2:00pm (Christmas Eve)

KIDS PRAISE
Oct. 18 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 15 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 13 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 24 - 2:00 & 4:00pm (Christmas Eve)

New Updates on the Saint Matthew Website

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Just trying out a new embedded updating option for the website.

Music Programs Begin Rehearsals

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:33:00 +0000

All of our musical ensembles will begin rehearsing the 2nd week of September and will rehearse weekly throughout the year until the end of May. If you or your children are interested in singing or playing in any of the following groups, please contact the appropriate director.

Saint Matthew Choir starts Sept. 10, meets Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Contact Jason Bendickson

Saint Matthew Worship Team meets Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Contact Jason Bendickson

Saint Matthew Men’s Ensemble meets on Saturdays (as scheduled) from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Contact Jason Bendickson

Bells of Saint Matthew starts Sept. 14, meets Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Music Room. Contact Jason Bendickson

Cherub Choir - Grades K-2 starts Sept. 9, meets Wednesdays from 4:15 to 5:00 p.m. (just before JYC). Contact Laurie Van Buskirk

Kids Praise - Grades 3-5 starts Sept. 9, meets Wednesdays from 4:15 to 5:00 p.m. (just before JYC). Contact Laurie Van Buskirk

http://www.saintmatthew.org

OUTFLOW

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Starting Sept 6th, we'll be doing a six-week congregation wide study called "Outflow".

Everyone will be encouraged to be part of small group for the duration of the study and make a commitment to being in worship each week. There will be new 6pm worship service that will take place in the Teen Center that also starts on Sept 6th.

You can sign up for a small group here

Songs From The Valley - Website

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Check out the Songs From The Valley website. You can learn a bit about the artists who will be sharing their music with us and get a chance to listen to some of the tunes. Enjoy!

Songs From The Valley - Aug 21 at 7pm

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

There's a concert coming up called "Songs From The Valley" featuring Art Heckman, Dave Foster and a group of guys who sing a capella together called "Quint-Essential". The purpose of the concert is to serve as an encouraging time of worship for our community. There is no other agenda other than gathering to spend some time hearing some great music and worshiping through song. If we happen to have a good time and are blessed because of it, then that is the great goodness of spending time together and joining our voices as we worship. Come and sing!

What: Songs From The Valley

When: August 21 at 7:00pm

Where: Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Walnut Creek, CA 94518

Contact: 925-932-1955 x117 or jasonb@saintmatthew.org

- Jason

New Sunday Evening Worship Service

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:48:00 +0000

New Sunday Evening Worship Service

Beginning September 6, we will be offering a Sunday evening worship service at 6:00 p.m. in the Teen Center. With the fall season and the congregation-wide OUTFLOW series approaching, we want to give people many opportunities to participate regularly in worship.

There are many reasons why people can't make it to church on Sunday mornings, they:
- work Sunday mornings
- have kids in competitive sports
- are away for a weekend
- missed Sunday morning worship
- have been encouraged to hear the message by
someone who attended earlier in the morning
- are teens and/or families involved in Promiseland & Impact

If you can identify with any of the above mentioned situations, we'd like you to consider worshipping on Sunday evenings.

The format will be a band-led worship time with more contemplative shades and room for more eclectic style and content. The message will be given by the morning preacher as an overview of the morning message, with a chance for dialogue. And in the spirit of what it means to worship together at Saint Matthew, we will celebrate communion at every service. Also, we will have a shared meal immediately following this service (potluck style).

One of the implications of doing this Sunday evening worship is how it will affect Heritage worship. Our plan is to revise how we are approaching Heritage worship by offering this service less often (we're thinking quarter ly), but with more significant content. We'll offer great music by a variety of organists and other gifted musicians from Saint Matthew and the surrounding areas, a chance to sing some of the best and most beloved hymns of the church, and time of shar ing in communion and hear ing from God's Word.

Please pray for the worship planning team and the worship volunteers who give so willingly to Saint
Matthew. May you be blessed as we worship together this fall!

Jason

woah...technology

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:44:00 +0000

I'm posting from my e-mail w/o having to actually sign into this blogging website. Awesome!
Jason

Why We Worship Together

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:02:00 +0000

Well, school is out and summer is here! As I write this article, I’m reflecting on a presentation I heard at the men’s Crosswalk retreat. The words I heard that weekend are still ringing in my ears: “Don’t try to do this on your own.” The presenter was highlighting a crucial element in the life of the believer who is striving to follow Jesus – community.

When I heard these words, I immediately thought about why it’s important for us to worship together and make the commitment to attend worship regularly. According to scripture, we have been created to thrive in community. God recognized that it was not good for Adam to be alone and created a help-mate, Eve (Gen. 2:18).

The words of scripture also encourage us to “keep meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25) and to encourage one another through “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19) as we are led by the Spirit. In the second chapter of Acts, we read about the early church and how “they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). This is a good model for us in an age where we are so easily enticed to stay disconnected and distracted from the needs and encouragement of our community. When we meet on Sunday mornings the very act of participating together in worship fosters “glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46). This in turn encourages unity and growth in the Body of Christ(Acts 2:47).

I have heard people say that they will “worship on their own” in the car with a worship music CD or participate in a worship service online at home. There is a time and place for worshiping and praying in solitude and it was modeled for us by Jesus (Luke 6:12). Our busy lives can certainly prevent us from making it to church every Sunday morning, and it is good to have alternatives for when we’re out of town or on vacation. But committing to being at church regularly to worship with the community whenever you are in town has a significant spiritual and unifying impact on the Body of Christ!

May you be blessed as you enjoy this summer!
Peace,
Jason

The Edge - Gibson Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Here's a video from the BBC featuring the Edge from U2. Nice series of videos.

Let Our Hearts Be Gladdened

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Bendickson) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:14:00 +0000

I like to cook. It's really quite fun and fulfilling (in the accomplishment and the eating). I often find myself wandering over to the laptop computer that is an ever present companion on our kitchen island to find new and interesting recipes. My wife, Sara, is a huge fan of Simply Recipes and we're more often than not trying out some of the great things we find on this site.

If you happen to be coming over to dinner at our place, chances are we're gonna use you as "new-recipe guinea pigs" for some random meal we've found on this site. Don't worry though--as far as we can tell, we've never found (or made) a bad meal yet. When we share in the goodness of food together (and thanking God for His provision in our lives), I believe we tap into something holy and beautiful. Dig in!