Leaders Huddle - 03-12-2026

 Meeting summary

Quick recap

The meeting focused on planning the 2026 Youth Project, with Pastor Bong leading a discussion about music, logistics, and preparation with team members. The team reviewed the theme "Precious as Diamonds" for choir and "I Thank God" for praise music, discussing specific songs including "Goodbye Yesterday" and the need for melody lines for various instruments. Key topics covered included instrument assignments, the importance of teaching harmony rather than just melody, plans for an IEM (in-ear monitor) system, and the need for adult volunteers to assist with kitchen duties and administration. The team also discussed registration processes, t-shirt sizes, and the goal of engaging both high school and college-age participants in worship and ministry activities.

Next steps

• All music team members: Listen to the assigned song ("Goodbye yesterday" and others as appropriate), create a melody line for your instrument (keyboard: Jesse; drums: Micah; acoustic: Zach; bass: Philip; VIN: Brian; vocals: Ten and Jireme), and prepare to teach it to students, including advanced players where applicable.
• Ten and Jireme: Focus on teaching vocals, especially training students in harmony, and coordinate with Hannah (if available) for additional harmony support.
• Micah: Review the song list on the blogspot and suggest any missing songs, especially hip-hop/contemporary options (e.g., Forrest Frank), and make comments or text suggestions to Pastor Bong.
• Pastor Bong: Print and distribute devotionals/curriculum to the team via the blogspot link by tonight.
• Pastor Bong: Audit available instruments at the church and inform the team by tomorrow how many are available.
• Brian: Check with Leighton about the technical details of the ear monitor (IEM) system and report back to Pastor Bong.
• Jesse: Bring up the offer to Andy (media volunteer) about supporting the Youth Project, especially regarding media/cameras, and update Pastor Bong.
• All team members: Go to OahuBaptist.net to ensure your t-shirt size is submitted.
• Ten: Ask his older group if they can assist with admin/registration on Day 1; if not, Zach to provide older group members for admin help.
• All church leaders: Review the assigned food/kitchen schedule on the blogspot, prepare to bring additional food as assigned, and provide volunteers for kitchen support.
• Pastor Bong: Include Brian in the text group for ongoing updates.
• Pastor Bong: Set up a technology team to run the board, streaming, and possibly use ProPresenter or similar software, and coordinate with Pastor Paige for streaming/OBS class support.
• All team members: Connect with other churches (e.g., Zach to contact Olivet/iDisciple youth) to invite and register participants, and communicate flexibility on registration fees to interested parties.
• Jireme: Check with his parents about permission to help with the Youth Project and update Pastor Bong.
• Philip: Arrange for a ride to the Youth Project and update as needed.

Summary

Youth Project Blog Discussion

Pastor Bong and Zachary discussed a blogspot page (yp2026.blogspot.com) containing songs, which Zachary confirmed he could see after the link was fixed. The meeting began with participants joining while dealing with rainy weather conditions affecting the island, with some schools closing for the next day due to finals. The meeting started with a prayer led by Pastor Bong, who thanked God for keeping everyone safe during the storm and requested wisdom and guidance for the upcoming Youth Project next week.

5-Day Event Planning Overview

Pastor outlined the format for an upcoming 5-day event, which will include an opening choir, rehearsal, breakout sessions, dinner, and worship rally. He presented two sections of music: one for choir with the theme "Precious as Diamonds" and another for praise music with the theme "I Thank God." The key verse was mentioned as Zechariah chapter 9, which talks about how God transforms people from ashes into precious stones. Pastor also noted that the choir music is already split track, requiring participants to toggle between left and right channels to hear the voices properly.

Choir Performance Planning Meeting

Pastor shared audio of a song through Zoom and discussed plans for the choir to perform multiple songs, including "Making Diamonds" and "I Thank God" by Elevation. The group then shifted focus to "Goodbye Yesterday," with Pastor explaining the need to create melody lines for different instruments to help teach the songs to children.

Musical Analysis and Composition Discussion

Pastor Bong led a musical discussion, playing and analyzing various audio tracks that included electric guitar, piano, and vocal harmonies. He specifically highlighted the need for Wilder to assist with creating melody lines for electric guitar and emphasized the importance of understanding the harmony parts driven by female vocals. The session involved screen sharing and audio playback, though some technical difficulties with screen sharing were noted during the meeting.

Youth Instrumental Showcase Planning Meeting

The meeting focused on planning an instrumental showcase and teaching session for youth. Pastor assigned specific instruments to team members: Jesse for keyboard, Micah for an unspecified instrument, Zach for acoustic, Brian for VIN instrument, Philip for bass, and Ten for drums. The Pastor emphasized the importance of teaching harmony rather than just melody lines, noting that while many in the group know how to harmonize, they don't typically apply it in their playing. The discussion included details about the song's chord structure (GCGC for verse, GDG for chorus, CDE minor) and the expected number of students per instrument, with Pastor indicating they plan to offer 8-9 different instruments to approximately 6-8 students each.

Youth Worship Planning Meeting

The Pastor assigned Ten and Jireme to teach vocals, specifically focusing on helping youth learn to harmonize. Micah expressed concerns about the complexity of one of the songs, noting its call and response elements and multiple lead singers. The Pastor clarified that Micah would focus on teaching drums for the camp's worship sessions, which will include 30-45 minute worship times Monday to Friday. The team discussed potential worship songs, with the Pastor asking Micah to review the current list and suggest additions, ensuring the songs are theologically sound and substantial.

Bass Player Development Strategy

Pastor discussed the development of bass players, noting that most are young and currently play in a pattern-based style. He advised Philip and Micah to focus on helping advanced players develop more artistic playing rather than just following patterns. Pastor also emphasized the importance of maintaining a flow in music performances by having the next piece ready to prevent silence between songs, and mentioned his intention to teach the team how to use ear monitors.

Ear Monitor System Implementation Discussion

The team discussed challenges with their current ear monitor system, where only 2-3 devices can connect at a time, requiring them to continue using regular monitors. Pastor suggested implementing ear monitors to allow musicians to hear coaching from the director, particularly for the upcoming youth project where harmony will be a key focus. Jearim was tasked with working on vocals and harmony with Tan, potentially involving Hannah from the worship team. The group also discussed the need for more instruments, particularly wind instruments like saxophones, with Pastor promising to audit available instruments at the church by the next day.

Music Equipment and Arrangements Discussion

The group discussed music arrangements and equipment needs. Pastor confirmed that Brian would handle purchasing a reed for a ring and provided details about choir music sheets, including parts for soprano, alto, and baritone voices. Jesse inquired about investing in an IEM system for Oahua, and Pastor expressed interest in pursuing this technology upgrade, though there were questions about the system's capacity limitations.

Church Technology and Streaming Plans

Pastor discussed plans for technology and streaming, including setting up a technology team and creating a class on streaming using OBS. He encouraged Zachary to connect with other churches and mentioned flexibility with registration fees, particularly for families with multiple children. The group discussed using the same classrooms as before and the importance of ensuring all musicians play the same arrangement and chords, with consideration for different vocal ranges. Pastor mentioned he would provide devotionals and registration information through designated websites.

Youth Project Planning Meeting

The meeting focused on planning for an upcoming youth project, with discussions about volunteer coordination and logistics. Pastor expressed concern about the lack of college and career aged volunteers and requested help managing registration, particularly for day one. The group discussed prayer requests including weather for the event, health concerns, and the need for volunteers, with Jesse sharing news about a donor who provided video cameras for the project. The conversation ended with prayer led by Micah and Zachary, followed by reminders about t-shirt sizes and kitchen volunteer assignments for different churches.