Reporter: CONTEMPORARY

CHURCHES GO TO GREAT LENGTHS

TO CREATE A MEANINGFUL

WORSHIP EXPERIENCE.

SENIOR PASTOR DALE HARPER

SAYS IT CAN BE MUCH MORE.

THIS SETTING IS LIKE MANY

MODERN DAY CHURCHES.

WE'VE GOT DRUMS, KEYBOARDS,

THE LIGHTS ARE ON THE

STAGE.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT THE

MODERN CHURCH DOES TO CREATE

THAT WORSHIP EXPERIENCE.

WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?

PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR THE

PRESENCE OF GOD.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY

CAN'T GET FROM ENTERTAINMENT

OR ANYWHERE ELSE.

Reporter: BUT YOU WOULD

SAY THAT THEY'RE MISSING

PART OF THE EQUATION?

GOD HAS ALWAYS MEANT FOR

WORSHIP TO BE THE COMPLETE

EXPERIENCE.

I CALL THIS WORSHIPFUL

COMPASSION, WHICH IS LOVING

PEOPLE AS AN ACT OF

WORSHIP.

NOT JUST GOING INTO GOD'S

PRESENCE IN A WORSHIP

SERVICE, BUT BEING THE

PRESENCE OF JESUS, THE HANDS

AND FEET OF JESUS, TO

OTHERS, AND LETTING THEM

EXPERIENCE THIS SUPER

NATURAL TOUCH OF GOD THROUGH

US.

Reporter: IN HIS BOOK

"KISSING THE FACE OF GOD,

WORSHIP THAT CHANGES THE

WORLD," DALE SAYS THAT MANY

CHRISTIANS DON'T UNDERSTAND

THAT WORSHIP AND COMPASSION

GO HAND-IN-HAND.

WORSHIP WITHOUT

COMPASSION CAN BECOME EMPTY

RITUALISM.

ON THE OTHER HAND,

COMPASSION WITHOUT WORSHIP

CAN BECOME BURN OUT.

SO THE IDEA IS ONE WITHOUT

THE OTHER LOSES ITS

LIFE-GIVING ESSENCE.

Reporter: DALE ADMITS

IN HIS EARLY DAYS AS A

PASTOR, HE DIDN'T GET THE

CONNECTION EITHER.

THEN HE WENT TO THE

PHILIPPINES, WHERE HE MET A

2-YEAR-OLD FATHERLESS GIRL

WHO LIVED IN A CEMETERY.

AND SO I PICKED HER UP

AND HUGGED HER AND SAID, OH,

BABY, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL.

I STARTED TO TRY TO PUT HER

DOWN, AND SHE JUST, LIKE,

DUG HER NAILS INTO MY NECK.

AND JUST HAD THAT SENSE OF

WHAT GOD IS SAYING TO ME.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ONE OF

YOUR DAUGHTERS LIVED THEIR

WHOLE LIFE IN A CEMETERY.

AND I REMEMBER SAYING I

WOULD DO ANYTHING.

AND THAT'S WHEN THE LORD

SAID, THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I

FEEL.

AND YOU CAME HERE FOR THAT

PURPOSE, BECAUSE ONE LITTLE

GIRL NEEDED TO FEEL THE

FATHER'S LOVE.

Reporter: SOON AFTER,

DALE'S CHURCH OPENED A

FEEDING CENTER NEAR THE

CEMETERY.

BUT THAT WAS JUST THE START

OF WHAT IS NOW CALLED "HART

FOR THE WORLD MINISTRIES."

THEY HELP THOUSANDS THROUGH

RELIEF EFFORTS AND AID.

BUT DALE SAYS THAT IS NOT

ALWAYS ENOUGH.

WE OFTEN THINK IN THE

CHURCH OF HELPING THE POOR

AS MEETING THEIR PHYSICAL

NEEDS, WHICH, OBVIOUSLY

THOSE NEEDS ARE REAL.

Reporter: BUT YOU SAY

THERE IS A STEP MORE THAT WE

NEED TO TAKE BEYOND JUST

MEETING JUST PHYSICAL NEEDS

FOR THESE PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT

THE IDEA OF BEING FRIENDS

WITH THE POOR IS FAR MORE

IMPORTANT.

BECAUSE WHAT WE FIND IS THAT

THEY HAVE MORE TO GIVE TO US

THAN WE HAVE TO GIVE TO

THEM.

AND SO IT'S THAT SHARING OF

LIFE, AND ESPECIALLY TO

WORSHIP WITH THEM.

Reporter: WHAT CAN WE

EXPECT TO HAPPEN PERSONALLY

IN THE CHURCH AS A WHOLE

WHEN WE EMBRACE THIS IDEA OF

WORSHIP AND COMPASSION?

I REALLY BELIEVE IT

CREATES A REVOLUTION IN

HEARTS.

AND IT CREATES A WHOLE OTHER

KIND OF COMMUNITY.

I REALLY BELIEVE IT IS

TRANSFORMING.

IT GIVES US A TENDERNESS AND

IT GIVES US SOMETHING BIGGER

TO LIVE FOR.