My name is Daniel Elias and I am the Worship Arts Pastor here at Tulare First Baptist In my ministry position, God has called me to encourage His church in the use of all the arts to bring glory to His name

There are many different ways you can get involved. I encourage you to prayerfully consider the following opportunities in light of your different gifts and/or talents. Listen to the Spirit's prompting and I hope to hear from you soon. If you would like to get more information and see how you can contribute to any of the ministries below, please do not hesitate to contact call me at the church office (559)686-0004 or email me at music@tularefbc.org.

Celebration Choir - Worship Him In Movement
Children's Choir Leaders Needed - Paid Worship Arts Ministry Position - OPEN

Cause He Gave His Everything "That's Why We Praise Him"
Words and Music by Tommy Walker ©Copyright 1998 WeMobile Music/BMI

That's why we praise Him; that's why we sing.
That's why we offer Him our everything.
That's why we bow down and worship this King,
'Cause He gave His everything, 'cause He gave His everything.

Here we approach the Christian celebration of Easter, the highest point in the Church Calendar. Really, it's the most wonderful time of the year as Easter proclaims the power of God in Jesus to conquer even death. And this is Good News to all who believe. As the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit in Romans 10:9, states "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (NIV). Therefore, if you and I have not only recited but experienced this verse, you and I are saved, redeemed children of the King, Hallelujah! That's reason enough to praise Him and in the same way He [Jesus] gave His everything to the point of death, you and I ought to give our all, our very lives. Sure, it might sound inspiring and even extreme to some; however, I really believe Jesus preached that message to His followers and modeled it all the way to the cross. In John 12:23- 25, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Jesus' message to His followers throughout His earthly ministry was consistent, "Take up your cross and follow me," and this message is still the same today. Now, in a consumer-oriented society, this message of selflessness and surrender is not popular. Even in Christian circles, such as churches, this message of sacrifice is eloquently preached yet rarely lived out. It can be seen as admirable and even commendable; yet it applies to others, "not me." Therefore, my challenge to us is to examine our lives and ask, "Have I given my all to God for the sake of His kingdom?" How might that look in each one of our lives? It will be different in every case; nevertheless, the foundational principle will be the same: as Jesus gave His everything, I will sacrificially do the same for His purposes. It might mean a career change or focus, giving up a relationship for His sake or a possible call into a less lucrative style of living, etc. As someone said, praise God Jesus did not say, "I do not do crosses." May we follow His example and give our all 'cause He gave His everything! In the words of the hymn writer, Isaac Watts, "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!

The following lyrics are set to a beautiful song the Celebration Choir and Band will be doing on Easter Sunday. I could not wait to share it with you all. Please take a moment, perhaps as part of your quiet time, to ponder and assimilate the powerful message within these words. Have a blessed Easter!

"The Empty Room" ( Words and Music by Rick Vale)
An angel waits beside the door, His messenger, as times before,
But the news that this day brings makes weeping voices sing,
For this grave is now a garden, nothing more.
They come in silence, come in grief. His death has tortured their belief,
But the angel smiles when they see the stone is rolled away
And He speaks the words that give their souls relief.
Why do you look for life among the dead?
He is not here; He's risen as He said.
And this place you call a tomb now is just an empty room.
Turn around and follow where His life has led.
We take the cup and bread He gave, but do you know His power to save?
That the reason for His pain was to free you from your chains?
So why do you still wait beside the grave?
The Angel's message is for you from God, the Faithful and the True,
That the Flesh who is the Word has now proven what you've heard.
"Behold," He says, "I'm making all things new."
Why do you look for life among the dead?
He is not here; He's risen as He said.
And this place you call a tomb now is just an empty room.
Turn around and follow Him. Turn around and live again.
Turn around and follow where His life has led

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE GOD IN WORSHIPARTS

Celebration Choir - Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 PM in Music Room
Celebration Band - Thursdays 6:00-8:00 PM in Worship Center
Tech Team - Are you interested in running sound, lighting, computer, video camera for our worship services or other outreach events???
Drama - Are you gifted and/or interested in becoming part of a team that regularly meets and performs drama sketches or pieces as part of our Worship Services and/or outreach events.

CHILDREN'S CHOIRS
Wednesdays 5:00-6:30 PM in different rooms. Do you love children? Are you musically inclined to teach children how to sing and discuss other musical concepts? Come be part of our Children's Choirs Leadership Team and invest in the lives of our new generation of worshipers.

HANDBELLS, ANYONE?
Would you like to resurrect the handbells and let them ring, once again, to the glory of God. We need a leader that would step up to the plate and take charge of this ministry. Is God calling you to do so? Take it to the Lord in prayer.

If you are interested in investing your gift(s) in any of the above ministries and opportunities of service, please DO NOT HESITATE to contact Pastor Daniel Elias at 686-0004 or at danielelias@tularefbc.org . I'll be looking forward to hearing from you soon.