David Miller

I’m super excited for my first Easter with Parkcrest. If you’re in the area you should come out and join in the celebration! #EasterAtParkcrest

Why aren’t my dreams like this?

DUBSTEP has become the soundtrack of Parkcrest HSM thaks to the DJ skills of @thatswattsup (Andrew Watts).

Civil Parish is a solid worship band out of Orlando Florida. I had the pleasure of partnering in ministry with these guys for a season and I can tell you that they’re the real deal.

Check out their video for “Wicked Wounds” below.

Pick up their EP for FREE on Noise Trade. Do it!

We threw the band on the roof, set up prayer stations across the parking lot, and invited families to worship together.

The makings of a powerful night!

A night of worship, prayer, and teaching under the stars of Long Beach.

Simple words of wisdom from Youth Specialties to keep in mind durring that first encounter with a student.

It doesn’t matter if you are a youth pastor, small group leader, sunday school teacher, or you work in the snack bar, first encounters with students can be difficult. Here are 10 tips to make it easier:

1. Say hello!
Don’t be shy! Take the initiative to introduce yourself. Although their body language may be showing otherwise, students want a warm welcome!

2. Understand the context
Let your surroundings and circumstances dictate how to begin the conversation. For instance, if you’re meeting at a food place, talk about what’s good to eat, at a movie theater, what movie to see, etc.

3. Pay attention
You’ll learn a lot about people from their body language and the words and phrases they use. Listen and watch carefully.

4. Pay attention, part 2
Your own body language will determine how willing and interested you are to actually have a conversation. Be authentic. Students know whether you are genuinely interested or not.

5. Let’em shine!
Encourage students to talk about themselves by asking about their interests, tattoos, jewelry, bad breath, etc.

6. Be careful
Trust takes time. And while you want to get the person talking, be careful not to get too personal too fast. Be patient.

- Chris Davis

Continue reading HERE

Just another reminder why I LOVE working with students.

Join them HERE

Romans 8:31-39

Great article about Parkcrest Free Wedding Weekend from the LA Times.

The final road to the altar for the four couples celebrating a group wedding in Long Beach on Sunday was a bit unconventional.

Most of the newlyweds, like high school sweethearts Angel Lewis and Christopher Woodbridge, had lived together for years and were raising families.

But the couple’s plans to marry kept getting stalled, partly because saving money has been a struggle while raising five children. And last year, wedding bands they had purchased were stolen from their home.

So it was a godsend for them when the pastor at Parkcrest Christian Church, Mike Goldsworthy, announced during his sermon two weeks ago that the church would throw a free wedding and reception for any unmarried couples in the congregation who were living together.

“If your only barrier is the cost of a wedding, we will remove that,” he said.

Lewis’ mother, attending the service with Angel that day, nudged her daughter and laughed. “This is what you’ve been waiting for,” she said. Lewis agreed, went home and proposed. “I told Chris about it, and I asked him, ‘Would you marry me?’” she said. “He thought I was kidding at first.”

Also in church that day was James Delgadillo, a part-time teacher and L.A. County sheriff’s deputy. His fiancee, Graciela Chica, was next to him. On a church pamphlet where he usually jots down notes from the sermon, he wrote to Chica: “I want to do this.”

On Sunday, the four grooms lined up at the front of the Parkcrest chapel’s pews, grinning broadly as their brides marched down the aisle. Some were handed off by their children to their husbands-to-be.

“Gentlemen, go forward and receive your bride,” Goldsworthy said. In a brief address, he said the weddings were “more than a mere formality.” They marked an important commitment to God, Goldsworthy said, and a public announcement of the couples’ relationships.

The vows were exchanged individually, with three pastors taking turns officiating. Friends and family cheered and applauded when the couples kissed for the first time as husbands and wives.

Read the rest of the article HERE

By Ricardo Lopez, Los Angeles Times