PURPOSE
POWERHOUSE, by God's direction is connecting youth and families together in innovative praise and celebration directed to an AUDIENCE of ONE (The “ONE” being the Triune God).
SOME PERSPECTIVE
In the Old Testament, King David, in spite of his failures grew to be a great man, a man after God's own heart. His driving passion was to praise God. David praised God when he faced danger and hardship (even of his own design); he praised God when he enjoyed safety and prosperity. Whether in despair or reveling in joy, whether he could recognize God working, or if He felt abandoned to the depths - David offered up praise. He recognized that God is God. He understood God's divine sovereignty, grace, wrath, and love.
Many of the Psalms describe worship in the congregation of the saints. Such praise involved singing, dancing, shouting, drums, horns, cymbals and harps. (Psalm 150, 108, 57, etc.) Many of the most vivid Psalms sing of David's praise to God in a very personal way. "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I will praise His Word, In God I have put my trust..." (Psalm 56:3-4) Praise was important for David. No matter what the setting, when he was in his room alone or dancing for all he was worth, David praised God. Whether deeply contrite, reverent, even subdued, or loud, vociferous and musical, David's praise directed to an AUDIENCE OF ONE. Not for his own fun, or purpose, or relevance, or contemporary motivation, or traditional connection, but because God is God and as such demands the fear of those who worship Him.
The AUDIENCE of ONE is what POWERHOUSE is all about. In POWERHOUSE we teach and respond to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.
Each POWERHOUSE is based on a biblical theme and contains four different forms of praise: celebration, reflection, symbolic action, and declaration. CELEBRATION usually involves music and focuses on joyful expressions of praise. REFLECTION focuses on the inner experience of contemplation and consideration of one's daily life and choices when confronted by the Word. Reflection involves silence, readings, dramas, videos, and other thought provoking experiences. SYMBOLIC ACTION involves rituals that focus on symbols of Christian faith. It might include reenacting biblical events or creating symbols that remind participants of the Word and Sacraments, the promises and commandments of God. DECLARATION focuses on making bold statements of faith or committing to obey God's Word in daily life, and praying for direction in sanctified living.
Even though each POWERHOUSE service contains all these elements, they do not all look alike. Some services have several activities, while others have only a few. Sometimes the four worship forms are addressed separately other times they are combined in creative ways. The result? Each POWERHOUSE service is unique, providing all ages a powerful opportunity to worship God in creative and meaningful ways.
CURRENT STRUCTURE
POWERHOUSE is held on the first Sunday of each month at 10:45AM in the Fellowship Hall and involves over twenty young people and adults in different leadership roles. Each POWERHOUSE service requires 20-30 hours of preparation, planning, and implementation.
The participants and leaders involved in POWERHOUSE have one focus- PRAISING an AUDIENCE of ONE.
And God has blessed it. When POWERHOUSE was first created it was designed specifically for teenagers. God had bigger plans. God has transformed POWERHOUSE to be an intergenerational ministry. The worship community at a POWERHOUSE service is more than simply teenagers- it is parents, grandparents, friends, and children. As such it is a shared experience that further engages Immanuel's people in using their gifts and talents in serving the whole of the congregation. POWERHOUSE, by God's direction is connecting youth and families together in innovative praise and celebration directed at an AUDIENCE of ONE.
