Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at ROCK Church? Every week the ROCK Church campus is teaming with volunteers who keep things cranking around here. Check back here for pictures, videos, stories and more about what’s happening at ROCK Church. Enjoy!

Actually it’s a boat and Kid’s ROCK staff! Our Elementary classes are doing a series called Super-U, where they are learning to be World Changers! Yesterday they learned about Noah and how he trusted God even when God’s directions seemed a little odd.

To keep it fun and exciting, each team was given 25 Popsicle sticks. On the sticks each child wrote a sentence or word about a time when it is hard for them to trust God. After they wrote about their struggles, they took their struggles (popsicle sticks) and built a boat. They competition was crazy. All the kids made amazing boats that floated and even stayed above water when pennies were added to sink them.

Who knew being World Changers and trusting God could be so much fun! You don’t want to miss Kid’s ROCK. If you have a child in Club ROCK or Remix, join in the fun by helping them come dress as superheros for God next Sunday!

Lost jobs, low incomes, foreclosures… there is no question there are many families in our community finding themselves unwittingly caught in the undertow of a shaky economy. In these uncertain times, we have an opportunity to reach out to our community and be a blessing to hurting people in their time of need.

Each Thursday afternoon from 3:30-5:00, Mrs. Barbara Miller, a volunteer and long time member at ROCK Church, reports to the church campus at 5301 Sidbury Road to open the doors of the food pantry. Each month, she assists anywhere between 75 & 100 people with food and water to help them get through tough times.

As I talked with Mrs. Barbara, she shared recent story of a young family of four that came in for help. “It was a father who came in with his wife and two boys,” she began, “as they walked in, the man said to me, Ma’am, I know you are only supposed to help us once every two months, but I’ve never had to do this before. I’ve never had to ask for help to feed my family. But neither one of us have a job anymore and we can’t feed our boys or ourselves without help. Is there any way you could help us again?’ “ She said, the humility the father had, and the fact that he had come there with his whole family to ask for help let her know that this was a family in genuine need of a little extra support to get through their time of trouble. The tears welling up in her eyes spoke volumes about how Mrs. Barbara hates to turn anyone away who has a genuine need. And as she was sharing with me, her heart’s desire to be able to expand the reach of this vital ministry was so very evident.

God is using the Food Distribution Team to fill a very great need in our community. You may wonder how you can be a part of helping even more families in need. Here are few practical ways that anyone can help right now:

• Go through your own food supply and fill a bag or two of canned goods, or any non-perishable items you could spare.
• Each time you go to the grocery store for your own family, make it a habit to pick up a few extra items to donate.
• Donate cash. There is a fund set up for this ministry. Anyone at anytime can donate cash or checks made out to ROCK Church and designate it “Food Benevolence”. It will go right into that fund to buy more supplies.

Here’s a list of the kind of items most needed at all times:

• ANY non-perishable food items
• Water
• Baby items
• Toiletries

Items can be dropped off at the Outreach Center on Sunday mornings, at the Church office Tuesday – Thursday from 9am-5pm during the week, or Thursday from 3-5:30 when the Food Distribution Outreach is open.

Matthew 25: 34-40 ~ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

For more information call the church office at 602-5300.

Want to work with one of the most amazing worship and creative arts departments anywhere? You’re in luck! ROCK Church is hiring!

We are dedicated to the creative arts utilizing music, video, dance and visual arts during worship. We are also committed to training the next generation of artists through Glory Academy of Fine Arts (gloryfinearts.com). You can find photos of our weekend worship experiences HERE.

We are looking for a worship and creative arts leader to develop multiple teams, train worshipers and lead in a wide range of styles from Israel Houghton and Tye Tribbett to David Crowder and Chris Tomlin. If you are crazy on fire for Jesus, this may be the job for you. But, you must be an incredible musician, worshiper and leader. It’s not enough just to worship. We’re looking for someone with the heart, skill and desire to train the next generation of worshipers.

As a true multi-racial church in the Deep South, we have a strong desire for this position to add to the diversity of our ministry team.

To find out more, download our INFO PACKET.

To apply, please submit a resume with mp3 and video examples of worship via email HERE.

I love it when it is my turn to serve in the tech booth for Club ROCK. As the media director at ROCK Church it gives me a chance to observe the technical areas of these ministries and make suggestions to help them keep things moving smoothly. As a mom, I get to appreciate the quality teaching my son gets each and every week while I am taking care of things in “Big Church”. And, as an overgrown kid, I enjoy the awesome teaching and practical illustrations the Kid’s ROCK staff uses to teach our kids each week.

So… do you ever wonder what goes on after the kids are dropped off and you, the parent, are settled comfortably in your seat for church? Check it out…

Tons of Fun, Fun, Fun

There’s no such thing as “down time” at Kid’s ROCK. From the moment the kids arrive they are immediately engaged in organized, fun activities. The staff spreads out across the Kid’s ROCK Theater to interact with the children. No one’s left out… no, one’s bored. It’s all about the kids from the very moment they step into the room.

Rules Review and Staff Intros

Order is key when dealing with so many little ones. And constant interaction between the staff and the kids goes a long way towards making the day go productively. Ask any young person who has been coming to Club ROCK for a while. They can tell you the rules and the names of the Kid’s ROCK Staff. Why? Because the kids go over them each and every week. In fact, they are given a ticket for telling a rule or introducing a member of the Kid’s ROCK staff. Somehow, the rules never get old. They excited to go over them every single week.

Worship

It’s as dynamic as “Big Church”. Really. The lights go on, the lyrics go up on the screen with great interactive graphics (um, dare I say better than “Big Church”). All the kids come down front and sing and learn the movements to great worship tunes. Worship is a participatory time with some of the kids pitching in to lead everyone in the movements. They love it. They are learning each week to actively engage and worship God with all their hearts.

Offering Time

Giving is an important part of every Sunday morning in Club ROCK. It’s never too young to teach the priceless discipline of being obedient with the tithe and generous with offerings. More tickets can be earned by remembering to bring their tithes. And, every week the kids pray over and take up the offering.

The Main Lesson

The lessons are all staff lead and multi-media driven. High impact, pre-recorded video teaching skits are used to bring the lesson for the day. They are really fun and engaging.

Small Groups

When it comes to kids you gotta keep it movin’. Several times during the day the kids break down into small groups for a reinforcing illustration led by the staff but carried out by the kids. This week they built robots on an assembly line to illustrate the importance of everyone’s roll in the process. When the person responsible for putting the legs on wasn’t manning his post… they ended up with legless robots. They also assembled chairs as individuals and then again as a group. Guess who got done faster? And, of course, there was the sand… all that sand, which they all learned very quickly was far easier to move and clean up when all participated.

Recap

Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. It’s time for the lesson recap. The kid’s are asked a series of questions about the day’s lesson. Bet you can’t guess what a correct answer earns…. yep, you guessed it – more tickets.

The Robot Race

Ok, it’s not always a robot race. But for this series it is. It’s something you really have to experience to appreciate. It involves a video of two robot teams. The room is divided in half. Each half is responsible for cheering their robot team on to victory. It’s one of the loudest things I think I’ve ever heard. It’s a beautiful sound. They absolutely LOVE IT!

Pick Up

At the end of the day you are likely to come pick your children up to find them still engrossed in some lesson or recap. The staff keeps them fully engaged right on through the pick up process, leaving no room for idle time. Security is key, and all staff members are highly engaged all during the day. That is especially important at pick up. Each parent is greeted and must present the proper credentials to pick up their children. The kids redeem their tickets at the exit door while the parents receive a sheet giving them the low down on what’s going on in Club ROCK.

My son is 9. He has been in club rock for 4 years now. Saturday evening he is excited to go to bed so that he can wake up and go to Club ROCK. I may be on staff at ROCK Church but I have to say…. as a mom, that is something I can’t really put a price on. Thank you Kid’s ROCK staff. Thank you for pouring into and loving on our kids – our most priceless possessions. Y’all truly ROCK!