Local Lutheran pastor Dan Bollerud, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, has developed a devotional resource for people on-the-go, shut-in’s, and that endangered 18-29 yr. old group I’ve been blogging about recently. To my knowledge, no other churches in Anchorage have developed or are utilizing this type of innovation.

It’s really quite simple. Pastor Dan creates a 10-minute mini-worship service that begins and ends with a contemporary religious-themed song. These recordings are posted on blog sites 10Worship, and COSLCGRACE, and are for each Sunday in the month. Two recordings are created for each week. They are different services, but maintaining the same worship format. The key difference is that one uses the Revised Common Lectionary while the other uses the Narrative Lectionary.

10W Worship Service Format
Song Beginning
Litany
Prayer of the Day
Gospel Reading
Statement of Faith
Prayers & Personal Prayers
Lord’s Prayer
Blessing
Song Completion

When I visited Christ Our Savior Lutheran on Super Bowl Sunday, Pastor Dan gave me a CD of February’s 10W services. After I actually listened to them, I was blown away! I posed some questions to him and now have a better idea how this works.

CV=Church Visits
PD=Pastor Dan

CV: How long have you been doing this?
PD: I started in Jan. of 2011. I found it took me a while to work through the logistic process of how to put the recordings together and work on sound quality etc. I think I have most of the recording logistics dealt with now and the sound quality is pretty good. In December I started adding the Narrative lectionary in addition to the Revised Common Lectionary. My latest addition is to put in a link for purchase of the CD’s for the music to encourage listeners to expand out their Christian music library. When possible the links take the listener to the artist’s web site for purchase.

CV: What feedback do you get from listeners?
PD: There have been a few in the congregation who have made it a regular part of their day which was the intent. For some of the 20’s (CV: 20 yr. old group), it is their church for the most part. They still might show up half a dozen times a year, but for regular worship, this is it. They listen on the way to the slopes or work etc. I did hear from one USN person stationed on an island in the middle of the Atlantic that this was his church. For those in the congregation who are shut-ins, it is also a way to keep connected to the word and worship. I have also heard from some former members who have moved away (again 20 something’s) that for the most part this is their worship experience.

CV: Does it make a difference in the spiritual life of your members?
PD: For a few it is very important, comments like “I don’t know how I would make it through the day without it”, but for the most part I don’t hear much regarding it.

CV: Why do you distribute discs, when it’s online?
PD: Convenience for the most part. Most people have a CD player in their car and if they can pick up the CDs they will do it. For most people over 40, if they have to go on line and look something up, it ends up being a barrier they won’t get around to. CD’s are also an easy thing to give to visitors such as yourself. (CV: As previously noted Pastor Dan gave me a CD as we spoke after the Super Bowl service.)

They are more likely to listen in their car and then perhaps feel motivated to check it out on-line. I distribute it on line on the 10W blog where they are put up a month at a time. I also put them on my Grace Notes blog where they are put up a week at a time along with the daily meditations, opening litanies and Gospel poems. I also send them out via Constant Contact where they are delivered to computer email or Smartphone. But the CD’s work best for a few in the congregation, like those without computers (yes there are some). And as introductory gifts to visitors.

CV: Any idea of how many listen.
PD: Through constant contact I average 40-45 opens for each 10W sent out. It goes out to 173 at this point. I started by putting members and former members and other ELCA Lutheran churches on the mailing list and then I have had about 20 add themselves to the mailing list through Constant Contact. The statcounter on the 10W blog indicates about 200 hits a week and it is hard to determine through the Grace Notes blog but the statcounter average has gone from about 350 a week to about 500 a week after I started putting the 10W’s on Grace Notes also.

The 10W blog is listed with Textweek, www.lutherans.com and www.livinglutheran.com. I also send out an automatic link to each 10w sent out via Constant Contact that goes to Facebook and Twitter. With all that said, I would say there are about 300-400 per week on-line or email and maybe a dozen CD’s.
I have also included a link for support of the ministry through on-line offering on our web site. So far there have only been 4 gifts totaling less than $100.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this valuable tool Pastor Dan. It’s innovation and creativity such as this, that set significant religious communities apart from the professional, slick, “entertainment as church” crowd. You’ve come a long way, and I’m sure your idea and outreach will spread quickly. I urge readers to listen to what Pastor Dan has made available to the community at large. Just click the hyperlinks in the 2nd paragraph above.

Two weeks ago the Faith Matters page of the Anchorage Daily News announced (see below) a Beast Feast to be held later that day at Baxter Road Bible Church.

Beast Feast: 5 p.m. Saturday, Baxter Road Bible Church, 3600 Baxter Rd. Men, bring your favorite wild game dish. The event is free, Dave Bruss, an Alaska premier outdoorsman will be showing a hunting & fishing slide show. And Dave Lamaire will give his witness about how he survived the murder of his 11 year old daughter. For more information contact pastor John at pastorjohncarpenter@gmail.com.

I attended and was treated to a variety of game dishes, including moose stew, and many types of smoked salmon. The meal was hearty, the male companionship great, and the speakers were interesting.

After our bountiful meal, Dave Bruss, a rugged outdoorsman, trapper, and fishing charter operator gave an excellent presentation of his life in interior Alaska. Illustrated by excellent photos it gave me an exposure to a side of Alaska I had only heard about, but never seen.[img_assist|nid=160238|title=Dave Bruss: Trapper, Outdoorsman, & Fishing Charterer|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=350|height=263]

He was followed by Dave Lamaire, also from the Glenallen area, whose 11 year-old daughter had been kidnapped and murdered. Dave gave a stirring account of this tragedy and how his faith in God sustained and directed him. Beginning with “I called this my worst day, the day my humanity collided with my faith”, he articulated key imperatives about a man’s Christian life.
1. God has a plan for your life.
2. Stand up and be counted.
3. Rise above mediocrity.

He closed with a challenge to “Walk out of here changed because of our faith in Jesus Christ.” Dave now operates church-directed fishing float trips on the Gulkana and other rivers.[img_assist|nid=160239|title=Dave Lamaire Telling His Tragic Story|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=350|height=232]

I don’t often attend church social events but this event impressed me with it’s “men only” approach using themes calculated to appeal to men. I’m sure other churches must host these types of events, but this was my first.

Baxter Road Bible Church is a consistent and solidly growing church. Associate Pastor John Carpenter put much work into organizing this event. I’m glad I attended. More churches should do “men only” programs like this to counter the aversion many men have about going into churches.[img_assist|nid=160240|title=John Carpenter Seeking Advice From Dave Bruss|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=350|height=263]

A Play With a Purpose: The Gospel According to John Mark was presented on February 11 at the Wendy Williamson Theater at UAA. I was concerned few would attend as, from personal observation, Anchorage churches do not tend to support entertainment coming from outside a specific church or denomination. The Anchorage church community often demonstrates a ‘not invented here’ mentality, failing to support some great opportunities for Christian learning.

Entering the theater, I was warmly greeted by blue-shirted HOPE:worldwide – Alaska chapter supporters throughout the theater. I had a pleasant conversation with one of them. The theater was quite full. For this performance, the venue was divided in half by a horizontal curtain. [img_assist|nid=160005|title=John Mark – Portrayed by Steve Johnson|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=334|height=490]

The format was a single-act monologue, portraying real Biblical character John Mark’s first-person accounts of the events of Jesus life, and also of his connections with Paul’s. The actor, Steve Johnson of Portland, OR, dressed in incredibly ragged prophet’s garb, gave a masterful account of his journeys with Jesus and Paul. There were many stories told, but one of my favorites was that of the woman caught in adultery who was taken to Jesus. Clearly this was a fascinating look into the story of Jesus, explained in first-century life and customs terminology. I found every moment to be most enjoyable, breathing new life into the Biblical accounts.

After the play Steve Johnson came back out to explain why he did these plays. He told us his wife Lisa developed a rare form of cancer. One of the only treatment options available was not covered by their health insurance. So, he developed the idea of doing this play to earn money to pay for her treatment. So far, he’s presented it on every continent except Antarctica. I hope the frozen wastes of Alaska will suffice as it was certainly a worthwhile experience for those of us here. Steve also commented upon the quietness of the many children that were present. I noticed it too, and I’m certain it was due to the excellence of the presentation and their familiarity with the Gospel Story.

I asked several attendees to offer their perspectives on the play.

Overall I thought it was an excellent and educational presentation. From my readings of the Gospels over the years I could tell it was factual. I could also tell there was a good deal of research done to accurately portray many of the other characters and historical events in Jesus’ time. This caused the story to flow smoothly and accurately. The amount of effort in memorizing this one man presentation had to be substantial, and the amount of time in rehearsal must have been great as well. I think it was probably made somewhat easier by the fact that he is a believer. He could literally put himself into the character and “live the story”. The audience could tell he put his heart into his presentation. The only drawback I felt was his occasional tendency to get overly dramatic. However, I believe he did that to keep the audience stimulated and also to keep the numerous kids attention. Overall, I would highly recommend seeing this play. It brings to life just who Jesus is (not was) and how much love he has for us fallen souls. In this day and age when the God of Abraham has been pushed out of public life by selfish materialism and secular values, it is important to remember just what Jesus did for us, and the fact that He will be coming back for His church soon.
Dave Fox, Commercial Pilot – Anchorage

In the one-person play, John Mark, I really enjoyed this portrayal of an important Biblical witness. It was such an inspiring play. My daughter invited me to the play. It was so beautifully done. I would highly recommend it to anyone. What a blessing performance.
Penny Seliger, Elementary Teacher – Anchorage