First REFRESH of the year -- September 18!

The first REFRESH of the year will be on September 18th!

We're looking forward to this coming year!

TIME: 7:00 to 8:30 (cafe starts at 6:30)

PLACE: CMIS Auditorium

Here's our poster. Please pass it on, or print it out in color to share with folks!

REFRESH "Roadies" Wanted!!

Setting up REFRESH takes a lot of work and time -- and we could use some help.

For the event to start at 6:30 (when the cafe opens) and worship starting at 7:00, we usually get to the auditorium around 1:00 or 2:00. If CMIS has stuff up on stage (like the drum set and keyboard in this photo) we need to write down where everything is (so we can put it back), and then pull it off the stage to get ready to set up.

Next, the chairs need to be set out, the band's equipment put up on stage (keyboard, guitars, bass, drums, mics, music stands, etc.), and all the sound and video cables run, checked, and mixed. The artwork gets set up, the dancer runs through the dance a few times, and the band does a last sound check. We also now have acoustic music before and after, and that needs to be set up and sound checked.

Then, we run the lyrics and video off the computer, run sound, lights, and make sure there is enough seating and coordinate with SoJo's running the cafe.

Once we're done, we break it all down.

A few times last year we've had some great folks help us with the set-up and tear down, and most people who come lend a hand. Thanks! That was such a blessing, as our "roadies" have often been the family members of the band! (Although it is surprising how much an 8 year old can carry...)

For this year, we thought we'd ask the community and see if folks might be interested in helping out with set-up / tear down. If you're interested in learning how this works (from sound to multimedia), or have some time to help with blessing the community through helping set up for worship, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at refresh.chiangmai@gmail.com.

Thanks!

(p.s. If you help out more than once, we're going to get some t-shirts made!)

Dates for the coming year!

Here are our TENTATIVE dates for the coming year:

• September 18 (Saturday)

• October 8 (Friday)

• November 6 (Saturday)

• December 4 (Saturday)

• January 15 (Saturday)

• February 19 (Saturday)

• March 19 (Saturday)

• April 30 (Saturday)

• May 21 (Saturday)

We're planning on doing one Friday in October. If you think Fridays are better, let us know and we can see about doing them more often.

We'll announce the specific date before each event so people know when it is going to be, but we wanted to let you know about when we expect to have each REFRESH.

REFRESH banner

Here is the banner for your blog or emails. Enjoy!

Looking back, looking forward

This last year of REFRESH had been a blessing -- both for the worshippers participating and for the artists, dancers and musicians.

Starting a new ministry is always interesting and challenging -- listening to God, praying, and then stepping out on faith that it is what we are supposed to do. So we stepped out.

The first REFRESH was at First Thai Church, and then due to their renovations we moved to the auditorium of Chiang Mai International School. It turned out to be a great move -- initially challenging in terms of logistics, but a much better place for REFRESH -- room for the art, the cafe (thanks to SoJo's!) and a good stage. The remainder of the REFRESH evenings were at CMIS, with a variety of art, dance and worship.

We received a lot of encouragement from people who attended and participated, urging us to continue, and are now planning for and looking forward to a new year of REFRESH.

So here is some of what we are looking forward to:

• A lot will stay the same -- we'll be at CMIS, and will feature art -- both visual arts, dance, poetry, and other ways to celebrate and worship God.
• We will be doing REFRESH more often -- we are planning now on doing it monthly, making it easier for people to attend, and allowing REFRESH to serve more people in the wider community.
• We are hoping to continue the cafe before and after -- it was very popular and a nice way to spend time talking with people (and coffee on-hand for the crew setting up was great!).
• There will be some changes with the band -- Brad (guitar and vocals) is on home assignment until January, and Andy (drums) and his wife are expecting a baby in September and going on home assignment in November -- so he's not going to be able to play drums for the next few months. Gloria (vocals) has felt called to focus on her other ministries (W3, etc.) and won't be singing with the band. We're happy that Andrew Conner, a gifted multi-instrumentalist will be joining us -- he plays guitar, bass and drums (among other things), but he can only play one thing at a time! So we're praying for a drummer (or drummers) to help lead month-to-month or more often. So please pray with us for that.
• We're hoping to expand the reach of REFRESH into other communities of English speakers in Chiang Mai, including Thai Christians and others. We saw that beginning last year, and it was great to see such a diverse group of people worshipping together.
• We also need help with set-up and break-down, so prayers for volunteers who can help with that would be appreciated!

So we are excited looking forward to a new year, and to seeing what God will do!

May 1 Nooma -- Breathe

The May 1st Nooma by Rob Bell was #14 Breathe.

DESCRIPTION

With everything that we've got going on every day, how many of us ever think about our breathing, about the meaning of breathing? Yet, for thousands of years, people have understood that our physical breath is a picture of a deeper spiritual reality. In the Bible, the word for "breath" is the same as the word for "spirit." There's an inherent dilemma at the core of what makes us human. We've all been created in the image of God and possess immense power and strength. And at the same time, our lives are incredibly vulnerable and fragile. Maybe if we had more insight into the meaning of breathing, we would better understand how God created us as human beings.

Head on over to nooma.com to purchase this and others in the Nooma series.

May 1st REFRESH

Here are a few quick photos taken with an iPhone before REFRESH while the band was rehearsing, as well as a couple during REFRESH itself. Enjoy!