Red Light

I had the privilege of hosting at Willow this weekend, and I’m sitting down between Sunday morning services simply marveling at the wonder of looking into the eyes of a brand new one-minute old Christian.  At the close of his message, Bill Hybels simply showed three lights on a flipchart – green, yellow, and red.  He asked everyone to honestly decide which light represents where they currently are spiritually:

Green:  I’m a member of God’s family, trusting Him to be my

    Leader, Savior, and Friend.

Yellow:  I’m still in a searching place, and haven’t yet decided.

Red:  I am in a place of rebellion, or fighting God…

              Bill invited anyone in the yellow or red categories who would like to come pray with us in Guest Central to show up right after the service.  I have had the astounding privilege of praying with at least 3 people just this morning who said they were ready to move from Yellow to Green!  All three were men, and one was quite elderly.  He cried as he prayed a prayer of repentance and surrender.  What a beautiful moment that will alter his entire eternity.

I am amazed every time God uses Bill or another teacher to communicate simple truths in a fresh way, a way that gives people a language and a handle around which to discuss spiritual matters.  Bill told me that he wrestled for days to find another way to pose the challenge, and the traffic lights came to his mind towards the end of the week.  Now all kinds of folks are going around either celebrating they are “a Green” or admitting to their place in the Yellow or Red zones.  I can hardly wait to head back to Guest Central for our final chance to pray with those who are attending this last service.  There is nothing on this planet that can compare to the joy and deep fulfillment a Christ follower experiences when God uses him or her to help a person cross the line of faith.  As I often say, I can’t believe we get to do this!

Comments

[Matt Lewis]

Nancy,
I've heard the term "host" a few times. Could you help me to better understand the role of hosting a service? Thanks so much.

[Joni Ruhs]

That is awesome to see and experience. And it IS a privilege. I think that all the time--I can't believe I get to do this work. Enjoy seeing more and more!

[Nancy Beach]

Matt,

Yes, I'll take a stab at describing what we call the "Host" role. In advance, for scheduling purposes, we ask one of our teaching pastors or a staff member who communicates well to set aside their time for a given weekend to serve as Host. We may not yet know all that the role will require for that particular week.

As the service begins to take shape, the host then discovers what the specific needs are for that service - it will always include announcements, but it's so much more than that. Sometimes the host does a short welcome near the beginning of the service, or sets the table for what we will be exploring that day. Often the host is asked to follow a specific moment in the service delivered by the arts team - in those situations we give the host EVERYTHING needed to prepare for following that moment including a script of video or CD of a song - and the producer of the service talks it thru with the host in advance so we can be sure not to violate a moment but to continue it with the right tone and response. So a host might lead a prayer, or read some Scripture, or make a few pertinent comments after a moment, and then carefully transition to announcements. So much of it is about tone, and seeing the whole service as a holistic journey rather than a combination of unrelated slots.
As the host last weekend, I followed some congregational singing, invited people to greet one another, set up one video, stayed there to watch it, transitioned to announcements, set up another video, responded to that, and then set up Bill for teaching. I was on stage for about 10 minutes rather than jumping up and down during the videos.

I hope this is helpful...

Nancy Beach

[Matt Lewis]

Nancy,
Thank you so much for your reply. Your description of a host really helped me understand the role better. I also love the word "tone." I love that word. Thanks again for all you do.

-Matt