Better Together
Kence Anderson and Joe Valasquez on the saxaphones
Derek Clark on the keys during "I Know"
Tim Williams "Working on a Dream"
Adelaide Cheng on the violin for "The Climb"
They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
Acts 2:46-47a
A line from the Bruce Springsteen song that inspired our theme, “Working on a Dream”, aptly describes our band members at the end of the shoreline service: “My hands are rough from working on a dream.” All the performers and entertainers put in a tremendous amount of work, effort and sacrifice to make the Shoreline service a success. Months of preparation and hours of practice time working together, both young and “mature”, produced an atmosphere of a family celebration. Thanks to Darryl Howell, Aaron Brown, Tenea Manuel, Deltrina Johnson, Tim Williams, Mike Querry, Courtney Peterson, Del Johnson, Tajmah Martin, and Jeff Cohen (our production staff) and their spouses and families for working together to make our time at Shoreline a phenomenal experience.
It is amazing to see how God has been moving over the years to raise up a new generation. Our Y-Choir inspired us all with their young voices; many were not even born when we first met at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in 1994. It was also inspiring to see Brogan O’Hara, a junior at Menlo-Atherton High School and one of the teen disciples in the San Mateo Y-ministry playing guitar on stage in front of thousands, exemplifying the future of talent in our church.
The environment at the Shoreline service is what makes it an awesome experience. The atmosphere is fun, exciting and powerful due to such a diverse congregation. Everyone in attendance was surrounded by people of different ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. We saw friends from all over the Bay Area, and made new friends too. Friends from the church in Fresno came as well. They were happy to make the trip as their faith was encouraged and strengthened. It truly was a victory to see such a diverse crowd come together for the sole purpose of worshiping God and building his kingdom.
The church was filled with energy from the entertainment, vulnerable sharing from people’s lives and an inspiring lesson that centered everyone’s heart and mind on God. In addition, the church added to their number Steve Cadena, a young professional, who was baptized! His friends from Contra Costa County shared how excited they were to see Steve start his new life with God - another young person working on the dream that God has for all of us, a great relationship with him!
The Shoreline service is made remarkable every year because of the hearts of everyone working together as a team. There is a definite feeling of family whenever one attends this event because so many people contribute to making it great. Many serve in the children’s ministry to take care of the kids so others may enjoy the service, a team of organizers and coordinators keep the event running smoothly and efficiently and a group for security worked hard to ensure safety to all. The sacrifices of each individual make the Shoreline service impacting and fun. The success of this great event year after year is a testimony of what God can do when we all come together as one. As Santa Clara County’s summer theme so eloquently puts it, we are all "better together!"