Behind the Cameras

What’s it like to sit behind the cameras and computers each Sunday? This Volunteer Appreciation Month, we asked Stephanie, Dan and Dao about their volunteer experience with the media crew.

Stephanie

Our family of five first started attending Woodland Hills in 2021, when we were looking for a church that went deeper into the word. Friends recommended Woodland and we immediately felt at home after the first weekend attending.

Woodland has shaped my faith in the most freeing way. The teaching team has allowed themselves to be vulnerable in front of us showing us all their doubts and imperfections while keeping our eyes focused on Jesus and learning to love together.

After a couple years, I started volunteering, both on the media team and at the Corner Shelf. On the media team I am a camera woman and a switcher, the person switching between camera angles and slides for the screen. As a photographer I have a keen sense of visual awareness which made it an easy role to step into. The switcher role also taps into my creative side but is a little more pressure than the camera! Still it’s incredibly fun and the team of volunteers and staff are all amazing and supportive.

At the Corner Shelf I spend Tuesdays bagging up produce and Wednesdays distributing that produce. That is also incredibly fun. It’s always exciting getting fruits and veggies that we don’t often see, like pineapple or bananas. I love to fill clients’ carts full of quality goodness and feel proud that our church provides for so many families in need. I’ve enjoyed creating friendships with the volunteers and seeing them on the weekends in church. We always talk about gardening, birding, environmental and social issues, and more. Three hours goes very quickly when you’re having great conversations!

Dan

I never expected to become the person I am today by my own doing. The short story is that my wretched existence crashed when I was in my thirties. I felt I needed help, and picked a therapist out of the phone book who happened to be involved with Woodland Hills along with her husband, and as they say, the rest is history—good history for me.

I first attended Woodland on the Sunday after Easter 1994. The come-as-you-are atmosphere was helpful for me to grow at my own pace. I began volunteering in 1995, when services were held at Harding High School, joining a team of people in setting up and taking down equipment before and after the services. It meant a lot to me to get involved with the church—me who knew next to nothing about God! Around early 1997, I was asked to run the slide projectors that were used for the worship portion of the service. I loved it!

Fast forward to today, I’m still part of our media team and I enjoy running the slides and the casual atmosphere that still exists within the team!  It goes without saying that everything’s changed over and over again through the years, and I give credit to all who have helped me with the mysteries of the electronic realm.

Dao

Before coming to Woodland Hills, my wife, Mai, and I were deeply involved in a small church where we wore many hats, and led multiple ministries. While leading our small groups through The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel I came across Greg Boyd. What stuck with me was his emphasis that Christians should share their faith with humility and love, not arrogance or superiority.

We held Saturday services, which gave us the chance to find another church to get spiritually fed on Sundays. When we first visited Woodland Hills, we were intrigued by how the message always pointed back to the cross—especially when it came to how we view others and approach things like politics. Over the years, we continued to be spiritually fed by Woodland Hills while still serving at our home church.

After our son passed away, Mai and I stepped back from ministry entirely. We needed a place to heal, and that’s when we began attending Woodland Hills regularly. We joined the Healing Hearts class, which was led with such care and compassion and helped me when I needed it most. God showed up in ways I didn’t think were possible, and I’m still walking that journey every day.

After some time of healing, I knew I wanted to serve again, but not in a role where I was leading people or groups. I wanted something behind the scenes and low-key. I connected with Jon Ruday (Media and Technology Director), and he placed me on camera duty. I was nervous at first because I didn’t want to mess up, but the team was incredibly welcoming. They showed so much patience and grace to us newbies. Jon also made it clear early on that mistakes would happen, and that it was okay. That kind of support made a huge difference.

After about a year, there was a need for switchers. I definitely didn’t want to do it at first—it felt like running a live TV show. But I remembered how much grace the team had shown me, and I remembered I had told Jon I was willing to help wherever needed. That gave me the push to step into the role. Now I rotate between switching and cameras.

I really enjoy being part of the media team. There’s a strong sense of teamwork, grace and purpose that makes volunteering feel fun and meaningful.

Thank you Stephanie, Dan and Dao for the time and energy you give to keep our services running smoothly! And to all our volunteers, thank you: we couldn’t do this without you!