en http://www.symphonicforthecity.com © Copyright 2000 - 2008Church Community Builder. All Rights Reserved. http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=61 Outward Focus In the past few weeks we have been reminded of the fact that God isn't calling us out of the world into the church, but that He calls us into a church to send us out to the world. Pastor Robb announced he will be starting a new church on the Las Vegas strip next summer, Symphonic and several other churches participated in the first ever Serve the City for Norfolk, we donated gear and time to the Park Place Girls Soccer Camp, and got an update from our team engaged in entrepreneurial ministry in China. The usual question that gets asked of Christians is: "Where do you go to church?" In Symphonic we want to always ask the question: "Where is your church going?" If you want to see one of the places we are going, check out this blog from Team China. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:15:31 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=29 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=29&article_id=43 We all have choices. We can either live the life we've always truly wanted, the one born in the dreams of children, or we can slowly settle for the life that has methodically overtaken us. So many people act as though we're just trapped by fate. They think of each moment as a random act of chance, but that's not true. In fact, each moment is the result of someone's decision. So just how do we make the right choices in a culture of fear amidst the broken promises of self-help and/or political jockeying? How do we move from the swallows of fear and doubt into the freedom of courage? These are some of the things we're wrestling with, so join in the conversation this Sunday. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:11:37 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=23 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=23&article_id=60 The Dwelling Place The Dwelling Place is an ecumenical homeless shelter for battered and homeless women and children. Volunteers will be doing a home make over for the shelter's main living room (re-doing the floors, painting the walls and re-decorating with new furniture). They will also be working with women and children. These activities will include: Beauty team (with nails and hair), job interview skills seminar for moms and a resume' writing seminar, basic computer skills class for moms (MS Word and Excel), kids activities for small children and Teen activities. Project leaders: Maria Peek, email - maria@aurorismedia.com, and Tyler Jackson, email - tyjack18@gmail.com Norfolk Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center - Adopt a Grandparent Volunteers will be playing games (bingo, music) with residents of the nursing home, cleaning various areas, painting, planting flowers, and taking residents on a picnic. The goal is for volunteers to adopt one of the residents who has no family and then continue visiting them throughout the year. There are no initiatives ongoing at this facility. Project leader: Niki G, email - nikigiacchina@yahoo.com Inner City basketball tournament Volunteers will be helping conduct a tournament for inner city kids held at a local gym. Areas of help are: refereeing, set up, breaking down goals and giving away prizes. This initiative will support an existing ministry of Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Urban Discovery Ministries in Park Place. Project leader: Pete Johnson, email - pjohnson@tabchurch.org Kamikaze Kindness Volunteers will be doing various acts of kindness throughout the city: handing out water, gift bags, buying lunches, bus passes, giving socks to homeless and other random acts. ON Saturday, volunteers will support a vacation bible club for inner city kids set up by Trinity Presbyterian Church. Project leaders: Rebecca Clark, email - rcgrace84@hotmail.com and Linda Allison, email - lallison@tabchurch.org Sunday Night Celebration At the close of the weekend volunteers and churches are invited to a closing rally to be held in one of the city's parks. Project leader: Stephen Peek, email - stephen@aurorismedia.com Mon, 12 May 2008 11:15:43 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=1 Symphonic is a group of people committed to being a city within our city, an alternate city where our friends and neighbors can see and experience what it's like to live within the kind of kingdom Jesus told people about; a place of good news concerning the primary issues of life... like sex, money, power, and identity. We gather once a week to be reminded and encouraged about our calling to live out the values of the alternate city, then we scatter back into the world to be salt and light in the name of Christ. Our goal is to live authentically as followers of Jesus; our desire is that others will see Him, love Him and decide to follow him with us. Mon, 12 May 2008 10:15:17 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=14 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=14&article_id=4 The church is something you are, not where you go. Gathering the church together is important to do in a large group setting as well as in small groups. Because of that, homes work...but so do cafes, parks, the beach, or virtually anywhere else. We gather in homes and other everyday places...not to be anti-establishment, but because it allows us a simple structure that all Christ-followers and the spiritually curious can participate in cultivating friendship together. It allows us to think of church as more than Sunday morning and moves each of us from being consumers of church to being more like Christ. When it comes to how we function, each of our micros will look unique. Each will be formed in a way that makes sense for its context. We encourage each community to be passionate about being the church, innovative in developing their practices, authentic to who they are and simple enough in all of this so that it can be easily reproduced. Sound too good to be true? Well check it out! If you have an interest in becoming a part of a micro, email info@symphonicforthecity.com. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:47:14 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=27 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=27&article_id=41 Interested in hearing more of the Symphonic conversation? Here are links to two weblogs (which of course have links to more weblogs, etc. etc.) where you can read and add your thoughts. Shaula Overholt - Coloring Ron Jones - Alt *City The Married Group - (open only to members of the current group) Book Discussion - The Reason for God Fri, 7 Mar 2008 08:37:21 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=26 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=26&article_id=40 Join us Sunday at The Warehouse for our weekly worship gathering in West Ghent. The Warehouse is located at 1229 W. Olney Rd. Our mornings begin with breakfast together at 10am and end around 12 noon. in between stuff (10-12) Children - all kids meet with us during breakfast time. Infants and toddlers stay in The Warehouse. K-5 and up gather with their class leaders at the end of breakfast and walk to the Symphonic building at the corner of Redgate and Orapax Streets. Breakfast - ranges from fruit and cereal to eggs and bacon. It isn't about the food; it's about sitting down together for a family meal. Don't eat breakfast? Have a cup of coffee and find someone to get to know. Music - the sound of live music (about 1030-1045) usually signifies the beginning of our meetings. We enjoy as many kinds of music as there are people in our group. You never know what may happen week to week. It's like hitting 'shuffle' on your iPod. Sharing - we believe God has a lot to say to and through all of us, therefore we like to hear from many people in our meetings. We take time to ask the question "Where did you meet Jesus this week?" and then listen to the corporate answer from the church. Speaking - Symphonic has two pastors who share responsibility for teaching and leading the church. They may speak together, separately, one after the other or not at all depending upon the needs of the church week to week. Normally they will speak for about 35-45 minutes (combined). Questions? We expect you probably found Symphonic through a friend. If they can't answer your questions or if they have more questions than you do, let us know. We want to hear what you are thinking. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:03:00 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=21 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=21&article_id=47 Are you looking for a way to make a difference in someone's life? Check out Kiva! Thu, 6 Sep 2007 09:53:14 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=29 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=29&article_id=45 Subscribe to Symphonic's podcast iTunes without iTunes Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:22:49 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=7 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=7&article_id=22 Beliefs... we all have them and they are essential to how we live and the choices that we make. Here are our basics... The Bible The Bible is God's completely true Story about who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. It was given by God to human writers and so reflects their backgrounds, styles, and use of language. The Bible is the final authority on all matters to which it speaks. About God There is one God, who exists as three persons living in perfect community—Father, Son, and Spirit. God created everything and sustains everything by His life. He is holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, unchanging, and full of mercy and grace. Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, God's Son, became fully human when He was born to the Virgin Mary. He was fully human and fully God. He lived a perfect life in place of our imperfection. He voluntarily died on a cross to pay the price for our sins and then rose again thereby allowing us the possibility of a renewed relationship with God. He offers us full life by the promise of his own resurrection. He then ascended into heaven and today is our representative, intercessor, and advocate with God the Father. Holy Spirit We experience the full life and presence of God in our relationship with God the Spirit, who reveals sin, points us to Christ, and applies Christ's work to our lives, compelling us to be more like Him. The Spirit gives gifts and power to the church and is the one who creates biblical community within the church, revealing truth and guiding our lives... individually and together. True Life We are connected to God in only one way—by choosing to accept the offer of forgiveness and reconciliation God offers to us by Christ's life, death, and resurrection. If we ask Him to, God treats us as if we were Christ, because of what Christ sacrificed for us. God's gift of grace makes us His adopted sons and daughters. There is nothing we can do to deserve this life—it is all a gift of God, and our job is simply to receive it. When we do, God begins the process of changing our hearts and minds from the inside out and making our characters more and more like Jesus'. As we have been reconciled to God, we also have hope for being more fully reconciled to other people. The Church If we are in relationship with Christ, we are part of the church. It is not somewhere you go, rather something that you are. The church is universal, but it is always expressed locally. The church is the visible and local demonstration of the new community Christ came to create. The Spirit leads our community life as we are devoted to worshiping God, understanding and applying the Bible to our lives, offering connection to others, living life together, serving our community, and using our Spirit-given gifts to serve Christ and others. The church celebrates the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion), which are gifts given by Christ and are experiences of his promise and his presence with us. The church is made up of imperfect people who are responding day by day in all their relationships to God's stunning grace. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:42:13 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3&article_id=3 We see a journey before us; to grow a church that is not bound by religious order. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but we could be accused of trying to put a new tire on it. Of course, even that doesn't seem to fit. You see, we are not trying to move the Church forward so much as set it back; set it back about 2000 years to be exact. It is our belief that Jesus Christ revolutionized the world through something that we very often take for granted. In a word, RELATIONSHIPS...with God and with each other. One of our main efforts is to focus on building natural relationships, rather than forced friendships. By doing this, we immerse ourselves in true community...with God and with each other. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:36:03 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=2 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=2&article_id=2 We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. We long to be a church for our city and we believe our city should be a better place because we are here. Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:45:56 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=21 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=21&article_id=32 Participation is the pervasive word that would describe our philosophy of missions.  Besides giving money to missionaries and relief organizations, we are challenged to contribute our bodies and time, being the hands and feet of Christ, both abroad and in our own backyard.  Not either, or... but both.  In all such cases, these are not issues of charity... But, rather, they are issues of justice.  Because "God did not send his son to condemn the world, but to save it." (John 3:17).    Mon, 2 Apr 2007 08:28:17 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=12 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=12&article_id=35 FIND AUDIO FROM RECENT GATHERINGS HERE.. Sat, 21 Oct 2006 08:30:51 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=39 Image: "Girl Before a Mirror" by Pablo Picasso When I think of all the things that have been distorted in this world, I think of the distorted You. As you bled and walked and died, we distorted You. As you were beaten, we distorted You. Your physical body, distorted. As You taught, we distorted your words; as You listened, we distorted your presence; as You endured, we distorted your purpose for the world. The cross distorted You. Our sin distorted You. You show me through your life and my own that I distort your love. When I distort your love, I distort others. Correct me so I can love purely. Correct me so others may know You. Read John 4:4-42 this week... the Samaritan woman had a distorted view of herself. The disciples had a distorted view of the woman. The Samaritans had a distorted view of Jesus. Jesus was at the center and through His actions and words, everyone saw clearly, loved deeply and came to know Him as Truth.Monday Contemplate: How do I see myself? Make a list of adjectives, positive and negative. Finish this sentence: I think the world is telling me I am... By serving Jesus, the Samaritan woman no longer saw herself as less, but through His actions, His words and His truth, she began to know herself as much, much more. Pray: Help me know myself not by the world's definitions or my own. Show me where to serve. Define me. Tell: Send us artwork or a writing that illustrates how Jesus defines you.Tuesday Contemplate: What does it mean to serve? How did the woman serve Jesus? When she did, what was revealed? If you could see yourself serving, what scene would you paint in your heart and mind? When you serve, Jesus reveals the truth about your belief and your belief will never be the same again. Pray: When I serve, reveal to me the person that I really am, a person that wants to love. Tell: Through art or words, describe your character when you are serving.Wednesday Contemplate: Who did the disciples distort? What was their need and how did they try and meet it? When we are serving ourselves only, we distort others and our own needs. Pray: Help me do something today that serves others and not myself. Help me love what I think is unloveable. Tell: What was once unloveable to you but is now loveable?Thursday Contemplate: How were the people of the village led to Jesus? How were they drawn to Him? We are first drawn to Jesus through someone else's experience of Him. Pray: Draw me towards you. Tell: What in the world and who in the world draws you to Jesus?Friday Contemplate: Are you willing to spend two days with Jesus after you hear someone else's experience of Him? If so, take this weekend to be with Jesus. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, "They are told they ought to love God. They cannot find any such feeling in themselves. What are they to do? The answer is the same as before. Act as if you did. Do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself, 'If I were sure that I loved God, what would I do?' When you have found the answer, go and do it... Pray: I want the real you. I believe. Thank you for connecting me to those who show me You. Tell: How will/did you apply the C.S. Lewis quote? Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:45:09 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=38 These weekly Illuminations are designed to help us re-connect throughout the week, with God and with each other. Sort of, "until we meet again." Each day we will be encouraged to do 3 simple things... Contemplate. Pray. Tell. You can correspond with us via info@epiccitychurch.com. We would love to use your reflections for possible Solitude during our worship gatherings, potential song lyrics for Worship Songs, as inspirations for future series themes and or / Epic Artwork, etc. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:58:00 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=15 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=15&article_id=6 When it comes to considering where to have your church gather for weekly services, there is one real estate lesson to keep in mind... location, location, location. So we searched for the perfect building with the perfect ambience in the perfect part of town...you get the idea... we found the Regal Columbus 12 movie theaters. No building is truly perfect, but Regal is close. Located in the heart of the thriving and still up-and-coming Virginia Beach Town Center, this is a facility that meets all our needs. Because of its central location and quick access to interstate 264, Epic's weekend home is just plain easy to get to from all areas of Hampton Roads. With an already great canvas to work with each week, Regal is given an EPIC makeover every Sunday. Our crack staff volunteer crew (of which you can always be a part) arrives at about 8:15am and the magic ensues. It is truly amazing to see the environment changed over and back by 11:45am. That's just 3 1/2 hours! The worship gatherings themselves have taken on their own identity. With an industrial meets the arts flair, life at Epic is both raw and reverent. The EpiCafe opens at 9:50, EpicKids kicks off at 10:00, and Service starts promptly at 10:10am. We can't wait to see YOU this week at the movies. Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:54:24 MST http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16 http://www.symphonicforthecity.com/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16&article_id=7 Each week, we offer an amazing experience for your EpicKids. We use relevant curriculum for school-aged children that is also edgy and participatory. With a Nickelodeon-style twist, KidMo is an exciting package of multi-sensory teaching geared towards a generation using multi-senses. It's a big hit!We also provide a safe, loving, and nurturing environment for our nursery and pre-schoolers. Crafts, songs, games, and big-time bible stories are just a part of the fun. We encourage everyone to get involved in the K'Motion. Thu, 3 Nov 2005 20:16:06 MST