Music Ministry Handbook

In 1956, Höfner 500/1 violin bass by Walter Höfner, The instrument is often known as the "Beatle Bass",
due to its endorsement by Paul McCartney.

In 1957 Rickenbacker introduced the model 4000 bass.

Standard Tuning.

The tuning of the bass guitar is also the same as the standard tuning on the lower four strings on a six-
string guitar, only an octave lower.

FOUR STRINGS – E, A, D and G in fourths such that the open highest string.

FIVE STRINGS - B, E, A, D and G. in which “B” provides extended lower range.

SIX STRINGS - B, E, A, D, G and C. Like a four-stringed bass with an additional low "B" string and a
high "C" string.

What must I know first before I can play the Bass Guitar?

1. Must know how to play the guitar.
2. Must be familiar with the different notes/chords.
3. Note position on a four-string bass guitar in standard EADG tuning.

Some basics in playing the Bass.

1. Played primarily with the fingers or thumb, by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, thumping,
or picking with a plectrum.

2. Learn proper posture, how to hold the bass while standing and sitting.
a. Adjust the strap so that playing feels comfortable.
b. You may rest the lower arm on the bass. Find a position along the strings where the sound is
full between the fretboard and the other end.

3. Work mostly with the root notes of the chords.
4. Lock in with the drummer’s kick and snare drums.
5. Learn how to mute strings with each of your hands.

a. When learning how to play bass, ideally a string should never vibrate with another.

The Beat

1. In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse of the mensural level (or
beat level). In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo,
meter, rhythm and groove.
a. Time Signature: 4/4 , 2/2 , 2/4 , 3/4 , and 6/8
Example: for 4/4 time – whole note – 4 beats in a bar
Half note – 2 beats each note in a bar
Quarter note – 1 beat each note in a bar
Eight note – ½ beat each note in a bar
Sixteen note – ¼ beat each note in a bar

SCALE

1. Chromatic
2. Diatonic
3. Whole tone
4. Octatonic (8 tones per octave): used in jazz and modern classical music
5. Heptatonic (7 tones per octave): the most common modern Western scale
6. Hexatonic (6 tones per octave): common in Western folk music
7. Pentatonic (5 tones per octave): common in folk music, especially in oriental music; also known

as the "black note" scale
8. Tetratonic (4 tones), tritonic (3 tones), and ditonic (2 tones): generally limited to prehistoric

("primitive") music
9. Monotonic (1 tone): limited use in liturgy, or for effect in modern art music.

(Demonstrate Diatonic scale in Major notes)

FILL-IN – a way to break monotony in a bass part and set yourself apart from whatever the guitarist is
doing. Fills are the little pieces of ear candy that embellish a solid bass line and help propel a song.

In keeping with the “bass-and-drums-as-one” concept, make your fills coincide with a drummer’s so that
they sound like the same person’s idea being expressed.

(Play sample fill)

“Music is God's gift to man, the only art of Heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to Heaven.”
- Walter Savage Landor

SOUND ENGINEERING WORKSHOP

Matthew 5:48, TLB. “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Luke 12:48, NIV. “From anyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from
the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

1 Chronicles 15:22 And Chonenias chief of the Levites, presided over the prophesy, to give out
the tunes; for he was very skillful.

A. Goal.
- To have a better understanding on how to handle sound equipment so that it could
have a positive effect on enhancing the worship experiences of the community.

B. Know what to do and why you do it.
- There are a lot of buttons, faders, sliders and potentiometers to manipulate but if
we do not know their function then they may just be contributing to the already
obnoxious audio output that punishes the ears. Remember that different brands will
mean different sound textures. Different areas, rooms and their corresponding sizes
will also be a great factor to how sound will travel in it.

C. Knowing and understanding your equipment.
- Is it analog or digital?: Analog systems are more susceptible to interference and
sound warmer than digital systems. Digital systems sound crisper but adjustment
parameters are hidden so the technician must know where to go and what buttons
to press to find what.
- How many inputs and outputs?: This will determine how mics and other sound
source will be divided in the mixer.
- What are monitor outs?: It is where the monitor speakers are hooked.
- What are inserts?: It is where virtual connections are inserted (Ex: another mixer)

- What is send/return?: It is where outboard effects are connected.
- What is phantom power?: It ranges from 9 vdc to 48 vdc. Although audio signals are

AC, the power needed to operate the equipment is DC. Phantom power amplifies
the magnetic force on the plates inside the condenser mic to make it more sensitive
than passive dynamic mics.
- What is gain?: It adjusts the input level of the source.
- What is EQ?: It adjusts the tonal quality of the sound.
- What is panning?: It allows you to throw the sound to the left or to the right.
- What is grouping?: It assigns a number of faders to a common fader.
- What is master fader?: It is the over-all level of the mixer.
- What is solo/PFL?: It isolates a fader for solo listening.

D. Types of microphones.
1. Liquid microphone – metal cup filled with water and sulfuric acid. A needle is placed
on a diaphragm which floats on the liquid and on the receiving side is another
diaphragm that measures the change of electrical signal from the movement of the
needle.
2. Carbon microphone – carbon dust is compressed by two diaphragms which changes
resistance.
3. Fiber optic microphone – uses fiber optics and no metals. Can be very small and very
much interference-free.
4. Dynamic microphone – takes advantage of electromagnetic signals which is
generated by the movement of a coil.
5. Electret microphones – widely used in cellphones and computers. It is a type
of condenser microphone, which eliminates the need for a polarizing power supply
by using a permanently charged material.
6. Ribbon microphones – uses aluminum or nanofilm ribbons that moves when
soundwaves hit them. It is bidirectional.
7. Laser microphone – uses laser beams that capture vibrations off of a plane and
transmit it back to a photocell. The spies use this very much.
8. Condenser microphone – uses capacitors that change capacitance when they
vibrate. A battery or external power source is needed to charge the capacitors.
9. Cardioid microphone – it is best for recording because it is designed to capture
sounds from the front and sides but not the back.
10. Crystal microphone - Certain crystals change their electrical properties as they
change shape. This type of microphone attaches crystals to a diaphragm that moves
when soundwaves hit it.

E. What are effects?
1. Reverb – reverberation or reverb are multiple reflections of sounds produced, like
when it hits walls. There are many types of reverbs like room, hall, arena, plate etc.
What is best for what?
2. Delay – also called echo. The sound is repeatedly produced in a certain period of
time and intervals. What is synchronized delay?

3. Chorus – is produced when sounds of roughly the same timbre and nearly but not
exactly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one. Too much chorus will
tend to detune the sound.

4. Gate – is the exact time of ending the effect.
5. Compressor – is used to limit the threshold of the signal meaning it brings the

distance of the lowest sound level and the peak level closer and limits both their
bottom and peak to a certain amount.
F. What is grouping?
- It is assigning many faders to another individual fader so that it can be commonly
manipulated.

G. What are reference monitors?
- They are speaker systems that deliver flat response. They produce minimal emphasis
or de-emphasis of sound frequencies so that the sound we hear is exactly the same
as the source.

H. Where to place speakers/mixing console.
- They should be placed exactly where the throw of the sound to the technician is at
the meeting point (tangent). The sound is never the same in different parts of the
room/area.

I. Moving around/sound check.
- The sound should be checked from different angles so that necessary adjustments
can be made until the sound is clear from any position.

J. Band Instrument set-up.
- The visual line path is also the audio line path. Remember that view can be reflected
by mirrors as much as audio can be bounced by solid objects. But reflected view can
be misleading and confusing as much as audio can be puzzling when they are not
directly delivered to us. So visual positioning is also important when setting up the
band instruments. It is also important to know that to perfectly achieve fidelity of
sound from amplifiers the mic should be placed with its diaphragm facing the
loudspeaker and not as of the common mistake of hanging it at the front of the
amplifier cabinet facing the floor.
- Boom stands should be gravitationally balanced to avoid tipping over.

K. Drum set up.
- We take special attention on drum micing. Not many technicians know that an eight-
piece drum set (having a bass drum, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, hi hat,
crash and ride) needs ten microphones.
- The bass drum will have one mic inside and another at half-way through the front
hole. (explain why half-way through)
- The snare will have one mic on top and another at the bottom. Remember that the
top of the snare is not where the snare is.
- The three toms will have one each at the top rim.

- There will be one on top of the hi hat,
- There are two mics (condensers) for overhead or ambience capture.
- The best position to put a mic on a drum piece is at tangent inside the rim because

as we go inner the drum diameter, the more the skin vibrates and distortion is more
and more created and the difference between the hit and the overtone is quite
large. So what we do is get the finer sound wave and then amplify it.
L. Acoustic Guitar micing.
- Don’t place the mic too close to the guitar. Usually, it is about 1 ½ feet away from
the guitar. It is always good to find the best angle and distance depending on the
room or area. In recording studios, multiple-micing is utilized. (discuss further)

M. Cables.
- Not all cables can deliver the satisfaction that we all want to achieve. Of course the
better-performing cables will demand higher prices but the output and durability
will compensate for the expense. Some of the better ones are Mogami, Canare,
Klotz etc.

N. Pre-amplifiers.
- A pre-amp is a device that prepares a signal for further amplification. This filters the
signal so that signal-to-noise ratio or the amount of desired signal against the
background signal is improved.

O. Input or output distortion.
- Signals can be distorted because the sound source had gone way above the input
level of the receiver. The connection may be a synthesizer to the mixer, the amplifier
to the mixer, the mixer to the amplifier or the amplifier to the speakers and etc.
- Mic levels usually range from +10 to +50 dbu.
- Line levels are usually in the range of -10 to -20 dbu.
- Louder volumes are more sensitive to mid-range frequencies.
- Softer volumes are less sensitive to bass.
- The safe level of monitoring for fidelity is 70 to 80 db.

P. Balancing and mixing.
- There is no such a thing a standard set-up. Like we have discussed earlier, different
brand names and different rooms and areas will require different set-up.
- Different sound sources will also require different settings as in the case of the
human voice.
- Do not do a permanent EQ. just do a starting reference little by little.
- Do not maximize your setting at once because as more and more faders go up, the
setting will require you to adjust anew.
- Do not push one fader to its maximum (meaning the common mistake of until you
slightly hear that feedback). The best distance is 50%.
- The Master Fader should be set to “0”.
- Inspect the venue. What does it need or what doesn’t it need like reverb EQ and
etc?

Drums Workshop

Objectives:
To realize and understand clearly our calling in the music ministry through the talents that the
Lord gave us.
To play skillfully, to inspire, to encourage and to draw people closer to God as we hit the drums.
To bring back all the glory and honor to God with all humility

Psalm 150:1-6
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for
His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet
sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with
strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! ...
Driven by passion
a.) First and foremost we need to have passion in playing the drums.
b.) To be an effective Christian musician (drummer) we must have the passion to serve
God.
Rhythm / rejoice

a.) In every beat and rhythm that we play is an offering of our worship to God. That
everytime we hit the drums we strongly draw the community to worship God.
Psalm 150:4-6

Praise God with drum and dance!
Praise God with strings and pipe! Praise God with loud cymbals!
Praise God with clashing cymbals! Let every living thing praise the Lord!

b.) Rejoice in the goodness of God. Allow our hearts, hands, feet and body to be filled of joy
worshipping God through our instruments (drums)
Unity
a.) We need to be united with God.
b.) We need to be united with the music ministry (band) especially with bass player.
c.) We need to be united to our community.

Phillipians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider others better than

yourselves.
Ministry

We are a Christian ministry. Our calling is to serve God and to serve our brethren in His
name.
Matthew 20:28

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”

Servants
We are here to serve not to be served.
Humility is the key to be an effective servant of God and community.

Joshua 1:2
One who is distinguished as obedient and faithful to God or to Christ

Time, Talent, Treasure

Time - punctuality and availability
Talent - in singing and playing instrument which is very important in the music ministry
Treasure - sharing of our resources and investing in the instruments that we need.

Intimacy

Intimate understanding of our service in the music ministry and our community.
Initmate relationship with God, our prayer life as we play / learn the right rhythm for

worship.

Commitment

To learn drum / song arrangement
To attend practice, service, household and other assemblies.
To serve not only in the music ministry but as well as other areas that we are called to
serve.
To obey our leaders (pastoral heads and music ministry leaders)
Knowledge
Of God

Christian worship, our culture and CFC music
Knowledge of the drums

Drumming is rooted in our earliest biblical worship traditions. The frame drum (Hebrew TOF )
means drum, timbrel and tambourines that was used in the old testament

Exodus 15:20-21
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the
women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Drumming connects us with Christians around the world
Drumming is an accessible way for congregations to participate more fully in worship
Let us go drumming to the heartbeat of God
Conclusion;

Think of God as a Drummer and we are the drumstick, we maybe the best and most
expensive drumstick but without God we are nothing and useless. Let us play skillfully for God’s
glory.
Psalm 33:3

Sing unto Him a new song, play skillfully with a loud noise

ANNEX - A

THE PRAISEFEST

What is a Praisefest?

On of the blessings in our community is the gift of worship. In our households, when we pray-
over during assemblies, we have been taught that our first response to all situations is to praise
God. It is, therefore, no surprise how the Praisefest came to evolve.

The Praisefest is an extended worship in celebration of our life and mission in music. As such it
is often used to cap or end anniversaries, conferences and large gatherings. Since it is a
celebration, it is a special form of worship that should not take the place of our “Assembly or
Household type of worship”.

Unlike most we have in Couples for Christ, the Praisefest is more structured. Although it is still
“Spirit led”, the Praisefest is a prepared worship – meaning the band or music ministry knows
more or less what and how the songs are to be played. In other words, there is a “flow” or
“story line” in the way the songs are arranged and rendered.

The Structure of a Praisefest

The common structure of a Praisefest can be divided into 5 main parts.

The “call to worship” or “exhortation song”. This song helps bring people into the mood or
mindset of worship. This maybe joyful-exuberant song that makes people want to dance for the
Lord, or a song that brings people to a solemn stance before the greatness of the God.

The second portion is the “praise and worship”. It follows the format of the usual CFC worship
of a few fast praise songs and one or two slow worship songs that lead into “singing in
tongues/the Spirit”.

Once the congregation has been led into the singing of the Spirit, they are more aware of the
presence of the Lord and are more likely to hear His word in their hearts and through the
Praisefest leader.

The third portion is the “reflection”. Here the prayer leader may speak a bit more to guide the
people in listening to the Lord. He may ask them to sit or kneel, pray alone in silence or for each
other while the reflection song is being sung.

The fourth part is the “build-up” where one or two semi-fast songs are used as transition for
the last most jubilant part of the worship.

The last portion or “jubilant end” ends the Praisefest in a victorious celebration of God’s
healing and goodness. Two to four fast, jubilant worship songs are used in order to achieve this.

The Mini-Praisefest

The Mini-Praisefest is used to cap a major talk during conferences, anniversaries and special
gatherings. Like the normal Praisefest, it is a celebration of God’s goodness and healing, but is
more of a response to the message of the talk. As such, it does not include the first two parts of
the normal Praisefest and picks up from the reflection song of the talk into the “build-up” and
“jubilant ending”.

A normal Praisefest would therefore run for about 45 minutes to an hour, while a Mini-
Praisefest would be 15-30 minutes. At the next page are examples of what a Praisefest line-up
may look like.

PART EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 MINI-PRAISEFEST

1 Fix My Eyes on Jesus God Alone -

The Voice of One Oh Hallelujah -
Calling

Sure Foundation Let The Saints Be Joyful -

2 Lord I Lift Your Name Sure Foundation -
on High

All My Days Let Us Exalt His Name -
Together

Abide Oh Lord Spirit Of The Living God -

Be Messiah Strong Arm Amazing Grace
3 Spirit of The Living God

4 God Is The Strength Of Open The Eyes of My God Is The Strength of
My Heart
My Heart Heart

My Life Is In You Lord You Have Broken The You Have Broken The
Chains Chains

5 Sure Foundation God Is Good (G. Sure Foundation
(Reprise) Kendrick)

Shine Jesus Shine We Will Fight We Will Fight

How To Prepare for A Praisefest

1. Determine what kind of Praisefest you are to do and the circumstance surrounding it (Will it
cap a talk? Is it an anniversary or conference?)

2. Pray. What songs will speak of God’s message (e.g. “The Voice”, “Sure Foundation”’ and
“Lord I Lift” will remind those participating that we are God’s people. “All My Days” and
“Abide” will reaffirm that especially as they sing in the Spirit. “Be Messiah” will impress their
need for God as His people. Hopefully, this will lead them to listen to God’s worth for them.
The rest of the songs will just make everyone even more thankful and victorious).

3. Use the songs in your prayer time. See how they affect you. Most probably, they will have
similar effect on the community. Note: Make sure that your “singing in the Spirit” chords are
easy enough to follow. This is very important, since it is easier to lead people in the Lord’s
presence and listening to His word after they have “sung in the Spirit”. This, in the end,
touches and blesses people more than the more than the words of a prayer leader ever can.
Two regular-metered chords )e.g. “D-G”, “C-F”, etc.) are the easiest and surest way to lead
people into “singing in the Spirit”.

4. Musically arrange the songs according to the character you need for that particular portion
of the Praisefest. (e.g. If “God Alone” should be solemn, then have it played at first just in
“strings” or “solo piano”).

5. Practice the songs. (Leave enough room and flexibility; however, in the arrangements of the
songs and in the number of times you repeat a song for God’s Spirit to work during the
actual Praisefest.)

Qualifications for a Praisefest Leader:

1. Prayerful – More than anything, he or she must be prayerful, since it is the prayer leader
who listens to the Lord where to bring the people. He/She articulates God’s word and
should, in a sense, get into the Lord’s presence before anything else.

2. Has an understanding of music – to be able to interpret the Lord’s leading into music/song.

3. Understands the life and mission of our community in such a way that he can reaffirm this
as he/she leads the Praisefest.

Source:
CFC Red Glory Songbook.

ANNEX - B
CORPORATE WORSHIP (PRAYER ASSEMBLY)

As part of our regular life in CFC, the members come together once a month for a chapter
prayer assembly. This activity is in lieu of household meetings. Attendance at these prayer
assemblies is required for all members.
Purpose
The prayer assembly is important for the life of CFC for the following reasons:

1. The larger body (the chapter or cluster) has an opportunity to worship the Lord
together, thus affirming that we are His people and we are one.

2. This is a time to allow the Lord to speak to us as a body, through prophecies, inspired
Scripture readings, exhortations and personal sharings. Through these words from the Lord, we
receive guidance, encouragement and strength as a body.

3. This is an opportunity to fellowship and meet our brethren from other households and
units, and thus to develop and strengthen relationships.

4. It affords an opportunity for united and thus more effective action in the areas of
intercession and spiritual warfare.

5. It helps us be attuned to and appreciate what God is doing in and through CFC, thus
sharpening our vision and our sense of mission.
Ingredients
The typical prayer assembly would have the following components:

1. Arrival, registration, fellowship.
2. Gathering song(s).

3. Call to order.
4. Introductory exhortation.
5. Worship.
6. Personal sharings.
7. Closing summary and exhortation.
8. Intercessory prayers.
9. Announcements.
10. Closing song.
The prayer assembly would be for the duration of from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Leadership
The chapter prayer assembly is usually led by the Chapter Head. The Chapter Head may also
ask another CFC elder to lead or assign a senior Unit Head to lead. The latter would normally
be a potential Chapter Head and his leading the prayer assembly would be a part of his training
and exposure.
The prayer assembly leader normally handles the following:

* Introductory exhortation.
* Worship.
* Closing summary and exhortation.
* Intercessory prayers.
It is possible to assign a different person as worship leader and another person for the
intercessory prayers. However, it is preferable to have the same person handle all the
elements stated above.
Resource persons needed
Conducting a chapter prayer assembly would require the following support personnel:
1. Service team.

* Setting up the chairs.
* Setting up the sound system.
* Registration table, including tithe collector.
* Novelties table.
* Ushers to guide people if needed.
* Snacks, if any.
* Clean-up after the meeting.

2. Music ministry.

* While the music ministry could consist of one person playing guitar or keyboard, it is
recommended that the chapter develop a fullblown music ministry, with various
instruments and a number of singers.

* The music ministry leader should be a gifted person who can choose the right songs
as the prayer assembly progresses. The music ministry leader chooses the songs,
unless the prayer assembly leader dictates his own choices.

* The songs to be sung should be the officially-approved songs in CFC.

Physical arrangement

The arrangement of those participating in the prayer assembly is important and should be
conducive to an atmosphere of intimacy and oneness.

1. The basic arrangement is to have people seated in somewhat circular or square rows
radiating from the middle of the assembly.

* The middle (which is off center) should be an open space in the form of a square,
roughly 3m x 3m.

* A first row of 3 or 4 chairs should be on each of the 4 sides of the square (thus
totalling 12 to 16 chairs in the front rows). There should be an aisle or adequate
space for people to pass emanating from the 4 corners of the square and outward.

* The prayer assembly leader positions himself at the front, at one of the sides of the
middle square.

* Behind the front row where the prayer assembly leader sits, there should be a few
more rows, say 3 to 5 rows.

* The rest of the chairs are to be positioned in rows behind the other 3 front rows in
the middle. Since the square gets bigger, each row would progressively have more
seats. Additional aisles for people to pass can be provided towards the rear rows of
chairs.

2. The music ministry should be situated in a place where eye contact can be made
between the prayer assembly leader and the music ministry leader. The music ministry takes
its cue as to when to play from the prayer assembly leader.

3. Aside from the front row on one side of the middle square where the prayer assembly
leader sits, there is no particular seating arrangement to be followed. The front places are not
reserved only for leaders. Members may sit anywhere.

FORMAT

For good order in the prayer assembly, the following format should be followed:

1. The start of the prayer assembly is signaled by a gathering song. At the end of this song,
all should be seated and no longer engaged in any conversation.

2. New songs may or may not be taught. If new songs are taught, this should not take
more than 10 minutes or so.

3. Introductory exhortation.

* The purpose of this is to prepare the assembly to worship the Lord. It is not simply
making opening remarks, but rather an attempt to focus and attune the assembly to
coming before the Lord in vibrant praise and worship.

* This may be in the form of an inspired Scripture reading, a sharing, expounding on a
theme, and the like, all followed by an exhortation to worship.

* This may be as brief as less than a minute or as long as 10 minutes or so.

* During this time, the assembly remains seated. After the exhortation, the leader
asks all to stand.

4. Worship.

* Music.

- The music ministry usually starts off with a rousing song, one which naturally
propels the assembly to loud and vibrant praise.

- The music ministry continues to make a joyful noise with its instruments during
the times of verbal praising.

- As the praising is toning down, another praise song is sung. The continuity
should not be broken by allowing the praising to stop before starting the second
song. Also, the momentum should not be inhibited by pausing to make an
announcement as to what song is to be sung.

- If the praising is still very vibrant, the music ministry leader (or upon signal from
the prayer meeting leader) may decide to have still a third fast song.

- As the praising tones down, a slow worship song is played.

- The worship song leads automatically to singing in tongues.

* Words from the Lord.

- One might be inspired to have a prophecy in song, which can blend into the
singing in tongues.

- When the singing in tongues has stopped, there is a time of silence. This is a

time of waiting on the Lord to speak. This can last from just a few seconds to a
minute or so.

- During this time, those with prophecies, visions and inspired Scripture readings
can come forward and present themselves to the prayer assembly leader, who
decides on who will be allowed to speak out.

- It is possible but not necessary to have discerners who will "clear" what words
are to be spoken to the body.

- The leader may allow a few to speak. Normally it should not number more than
5 persons or so, unless in his discernment the leader believes that the Lord
would want to speak through more people.

* Prayers by the leader.

- The prayer assembly leader may respond to any specific words from the Lord.
For example, a call to repent; or a call to pray for one another; or a time for
those present to go to others to be reconciled.

- Normally, the leader would just say a prayer on behalf of the assembly, which
prayer would close the time of worship.

- There are to be no individual prayers of thanksgiving and petition (as is done in a
household meeting).

- After his prayers, the leader asks everyone to sit down.

- If there were others who wanted to speak a word from the Lord but were not
afforded the opportunity during the time of worship, the leader can still call on
them at this time.

* The time of worship would normally be from 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Personal sharings.

* This is a time for calling upon individuals to come to the front and share about
something significant in their life in the Lord.

* It is suggested that those who want to share either inform the prayer assembly
leader before the meeting, or if led to share as the prayer assembly is in progress,
may pass on to the leader slips of paper with their name and a one-sentence
description of the content of their sharing.

* The leader decides on whom he will call upon to share.

* The leader may insert a song after every few sharings.

* The total duration of this portion of personal sharings can be from 30 minutes to
one hour.

6. Closing remarks.

* Up to this time, the prayer assembly leader tries to discern what is God's overall
message for the assembly, from his own spiritual preparation before the prayer
assembly, to the time of worship, to the words from the Lord, and through the
personal sharings. He then puts everything together and gives a closing exhortation.

* This is not just a summary of what has already transpired, but a weaving together of
the various elements into a clear overall word of the Lord for the body.

* This may take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 or more minutes.

* After giving the message, the leader asks everyone to stand.

7. Intercessory prayers.

* These are prayers of petition and intercession made by the prayer assembly leader
(or the one assigned) on behalf of the whole assembly.

* This portion normally would be about 5 minutes.

* It can be ended by reciting or singing the Lord's prayer.

* The leader then asks everyone to sit down for the announcements.

8. Announcements.

* These can be about coming schedules, reports on activities, birthday and

anniversary celebrants, and the like. There should not be too many announcements
since this portion should not take too much time.

* These are usually done by the chapter servant or other person(s) designated by the
Chapter Head.

* After the announcements, the leader asks everyone to stand for the closing song.
This song must be vibrant and joyful.

Individual involvement

Every member should participate wholeheartedly and actively in the prayer assembly. More
specifically, all should:

1. Prepare themselves spiritually prior to the start of the assembly.

2. Bring their Bible, songbooks and paper for notes.

3. Come early and take time to fellowship.

4. Come to order quickly at the end of the gathering song, and follow the directions of the
prayer assembly leader.

5. Participate actively in praise and worship.

* Singing with gusto.

* Raising hands, clapping, dancing.
* Loud vocal prayers of praise.
* Singing in tongues.

6. Be sensitive to the Spirit. If led to speak a word from the Lord or to give a personal
testimony, they should boldly present themselves to the leader.

7. Enter into the prayers being made by the leader or other persons and make these
prayers their own.

8. Actively listen to the personal sharings and the exhortations.

Other important considerations

1. The prayer assembly may be held on any day of the month, to be decided by the
Chapter Head.

2. The chapter cluster may have a joint prayer meeting on occasion, as decided by the
Cluster Head.

3. It is not necessary to have a Mass prior to the prayer assembly, especially if this will
result in the prayer assembly ending very late. If the members become tired and hungry, it may
not be too conducive to having a vibrant prayer assembly.

4. This is not normally the time for a teaching, although a mini-teaching may be an
element during the prayer assembly. If the Chapter Head wants to have a regular teaching, he
should schedule a teaching night on another occasion.

5. Punctuality.

* The prayer assembly should start promptly at the appointed time. If at all, the only
permissible delay would be for not more than 10 minutes or so.

* Obviously, the physical arrangements and the service and music teams should be in
place much earlier than the starting time.

6. Members are not allowed to smoke or eat during the entire length of the assembly.
7. Members are not allowed to sell items or solicit business for their personal accounts,
unless specifically authorized by the Chapter Head.
8. Members should not leave until the prayer assembly is over, i.e., after the closing song.
If anyone has to leave earlier, he/she must seek permission from the Chapter Head or Unit
Head beforehand and sit at the rear in order to be able to leave quietly.
9. The men should help in putting away the chairs and in the clean-up of the place, if this is
requested by the leader or by the service team.
10. Guests may be invited to the prayer assembly.

Pastoral comments
1. It is important for us in CFC to have a similar or uniform way of conducting our monthly

chapter prayer assembly.
* It is a tangible evidence of our unity and our being a part of the one CFC which is a
worldwide family.
* It is a reflection of our unique culture in CFC.
* It enables any CFC member to attend a CFC prayer assembly anywhere in the world
and just easily enter into the proceedings.

* It makes CFC distinguishable anywhere. If Chapter Heads simply conducted the

prayer assembly in any way or manner they deemed desirable, we would very

quickly witness so many variations and possibly cause confusion and division

within the larger CFC.

* The "structure" of the prayer assembly is intended not to restrict the Spirit, but in
fact to have good order, which should enhance the workings of the Spirit.

2. Even given the above, however, it certainly is possible that the prayer assembly leader
would be led to deviate from the "structure" at a particular prayer assembly or portion of a
prayer assembly. We do have this flexibility to adjust to a genuine leading of the Spirit.

3. All CFC members ought to see the chapter prayer assembly as a gift to us from the Lord,
intended to build up the body.

* We do not focus merely on the abilities of the leader or how interesting the sharings
are. We are not there to be entertained.

* We focus rather on the message of the Lord to us personally and to all of us
corporately.

* We need to realize that it is the Lord himself who is present and is ministering to
each and every one, and that the Lord gives himself fully to the person who would
accept him without preconditions.

***

"Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and inspired songs.
Sings praise to the Lord with all your hearts. Give thanks to God the Father always and for
everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

(Eph 5: 18-20)

ANNEX - C