Matthew Starner

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged – too long actually – so I thought I’d take a minute and catch you up on the happenings around here. I haven’t been on vacation or anything like that – quite the opposite. Things are already moving at break-neck speed and we’re not even to the busiest time of the year: Christmas!

So here’s the run-down of the last few weeks:

• Journey’s Christmas program is starting to pick up steam. We’re still putting finishing touches on the script, but we’ll probably do that until just after the final performance. It’s coming together nicely and I’m really excited about the whole thing coming together! We debated about several different ideas for the program but ended up settling on one that I’m pumped about. We’re basing our program on The Office. (I know – how cool is that!) I can’t tell you much about it but know that there will be lots of office style humor and crazy antics. Watch for pictures from rehearsals and film shoots in the upcoming weeks!
• Merge has been fantastic this season. We’re seeing bigger crowds and a lot more interest this time around. There are two more weeks before we take a break for the holidays. It will pick back up in January with a new slate of topics. My two favorite topics so far: The discussion we had on Prop 2 (legalizing stem cell collection from human embryos in Michigan) and our “Angels, Demons, and Things that Go Bump in the Night” presentation. Both had lots of participation and great discussions!
• We’re adding to the worship team – German (pronounced Herman) will be joining the crew on electric guitar. He’s an awesome player and a great guy. If you see him around Journey, make sure you say “Hey!”
• This weekend is our annual volunteer appreciation night and we’re pulling out all the stops. It’s one of the reasons that I’m so behind on the blog because we’re putting a lot of planning into the evening. I’m responsible for the decorations and the atmosphere and it will be great! Our theme this year is “An Evening with the Stars” and we’re rolling out the red carpet for our stars! Because several of our volunteers read this, I can’t go into details about it, but it will be another fun night as we celebrate those who make things happen here at Journey. It’s one of my favorite things we do here and I love that we set aside time to recognize those who are such a big part of Journey. Our volunteers are the best!

Yeah, it’s been crazy busy around Journey lately, but I’m really excited about all that we’re doing. This Christmas season is going to rock out loud and I can’t wait to see everything come together.