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PUZZLER
In the days of Samson riddles or puzzlers were popular. Here's
one for you. A cowboy rode into a town on his horse at 12:00 noon on
Friday. Three days later he rode out of the town on Friday at 12:00
noon. How did he do it? (Answer bottom of this
column)
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
You've been witnessing to a friend and getting no where. Ask
these questions: 1. When life is over, what do I have to lose if I
am wrong? Nothing. 2. But what do you have to lose at the end of
life if you are wrong? Everything! Pursue this with the love of the
Lord. Then give your friend a Gospel of John. Encourage him to read
it through... then have some follow-up.
CONSIDER
...using any of these articles in your church bulletins,
newsletters, and sermons and forwarding the Newsletter to a
friend.
LEARNING TO
LISTEN
"A
wise old owl sat upon an oak, The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren't we like that wise
old bird?"
"NOW I BELIEVE
YOU"
There is a 70-year old retired
pastor in Kansas City who loves the Lord and is serving as vacancy
pastor at a small church. He called recently and said, "Don,
I we have 40 people at worship. I ordered 12 copies of The
Story of Angels for Bible Class. You told me that wouldn't be
enough. Now I need 9 more copies. Of the 40 at worship, 21 now
stay for Bible study. Now I believe you!" Yes!
The story is told that after a convicting sermon
on the subject of gossip, a person in the congregation long known
for causing trouble came up to Evangelist Dwight Moody saying that
she wished to lay her tongue on the altar. Moody supposedly replied,
"Lady, we don't have an altar long enough."
"IF YOU THINK
... that education is expensive, try ignorance." -
Derek Bok
POWERFUL TESTIMONY!
"I have to tell you that Country Bible Church has seen some
incredible things happen in their children's ministry. There is a
new excitement since we have been using your curriculum, Kids
Quest. Our program has grown from 60 children to over 100.
Kids are excited about being there.
We had one kid whose parents wouldn't bring him, so he
just started walking! Our church is 1.5 miles out of town.
Another member saw him walking and gave him a ride, but that is how
much he wanted to be there!
We finished the prayer unit a month ago and to hear these kids
in prayer was just incredible! There is nothing like
listening to these young voices earnestly praying to God. I
do think there has never been anything more moving to me" -
Country Bible Church, Blair, NE
SUGGESTION
When reading your Bible, try reading it aloud. The impact seems
to be significant.
SPIRITUAL FRIENDS
"I'm Irish enough to have inherited a deep appreciation for
dear friends. When I served as pastor of a small church during
college, it was one loving friend that kept me sane. Every Saturday
night, I would iron my dress shirt in Michael's dorm room while I
practiced my sermon on him, and he'd offer his suggestions.
The next morning he'd sit in the front row and nod and smile
like he'd never heard it before. I could go on, but I can't improve
on the observation that 'Spiritual Friends' are truly a gift from
God." - Brandon O'Brien in Christianity Today Leadership
Weekly
FEW CHURCH LEADERS
...deliberately intend to break the law, but literally
thousands of churches infringe upon the law each week in connection
with their church music. Violations of the Federal Copyright Law can
cost a church up to $150,000 per infringement. Christian Copyright
Licensing International (CCLI) can help. Call 800-234-2446 or go to
their website, www.ccli.com
50 YEARS IN MINISTRY
On May 15th & 16th my classmates and I observed our
50th year in the ministry at Concordia Seminary in Ft.
Wayne. When I was a student at the Sem and I saw these "elderly
gentlemen" observe their 50th, I thought, "Man! Those guys are old!
They are really old!" Now I am one of them. Brothers - God-willing
your 50th will be here before you know it.
By the power of the Holy Spirit and by your love for Jesus, try
to make every day count for Him and for people.
I like what Dr. David Bueltmann said in his message
to the 2008 graduating class: "Gentlemen, don't spend a lot of time
in your office and in front of your computer. Ring doorbells every
week. Go out of your way to meet people every day... and talk,
talk about Jesus."
God give to us a fervent love for the many people in our
communities still without a Savior. "Brothers, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved"
(Romans 10:1).
Be blessed! And be a blessing! - Don Ginkel
YOUR NEWSLETTER
If you email your church newsletter to your people, please
include us: info@churchpress.com.
Thanks!
ANSWER
His horse's name was Friday!
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 Mission Trip... Who????...
Me???
by J. Nadine
Ginkel
The notice in the Sunday
bulletin began...
WANTED!
LIBRARIAN WITH A TASTE FOR
ADVENTURE!
If you have a heart for missions and are the
adventurous type
who would like to travel to Northeast
India...
Although I wouldn't really describe myself as an
adventurous type, as a Library Administrator for Denver
Seminary, I felt a need to check this out. I contacted
the organizer the next day, just to get some detailed
information. I learned that the church we attend had collected
over 12,000 books the previous year and shipped them to a
Christian School in extreme Northeast India (an area between
Bangladesh & Myanmar.) The books had arrived at the
school and needed to be sorted, organized and cataloged to
place in a new library being built at the
school.
Before I knew it, I
was planning to go to India with 3 other
women. Now, I should explain that I have never
been on a mission trip before. I had never felt called to
build houses in Mexico or teach English in
Romania. However, I definitely felt called this
time. It seemed that my normally not-so-exiting
"librarianish" skills could be used in a new (at least
for me) and God pleasing way. How exciting!!! [Complete Article]
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 The Death of the Voter's
Meeting
At
the end of worship, the pastor gave the benediction and
encouraged everyone to go serve the Lord. But truthfully, at
the end of the annual meeting, most everyone wants to go take
an aspirin and a nap. Welcome to the lowest spiritual level
confessed by most Christians of most churches: local church
government.
Consider
this: (1) Most Christians report that a congregational meeting
and/or a Board on which they sit represents the lowest point
of their spiritual experience. (2) Most pastors - truth be
known - hate to go to meetings. (3) When asked to reflect upon
a previous ministry, and to identify what elements were most
and least useful for the Kingdom, most pastors and church
leaders identify decision-making meetings as the least
beneficial to God's work. (4) The attendance at most church
meetings is pitiful. In truth, most intelligent and sane
people are smart enough to avoid that torture!
Focus
on these issues: [Complete
Article]
Dr.
Kent Hunter (LCMS) is nationally known as the Church Doctor.
You can contact him at (800) 626-8515, or visit his website at
www.churchdoctor.org.
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Stack of
Stuff
Something everyone loves
Have a men's chorus sing once every quarter -
something most all churches can do. The men love it -
worshipers really love it. It's easy to do. Invite all
men to meet two hours before the first service for one
rehearsal. Plan to sing a minimum of two hymns -
consider "Rise Up, O Men of God" for the first hymn.
Make a note right now to put someone in charge of this
and run with it. Did you make a note yet? Go ahead. Do
it.
Give God's Word to
people
The International Bible Society has a huge array of
Bibles for you to give to friends, neighbors, and guests
at church. There are inexpensive NIV Outreach Bibles by
the case for as low as $1.89. The Gospel of John is a
must to give to one without Jesus. Go to their website:
IBSDirect.com. Call
them at 800-524-1588 for their 2008 Spring Church
Resource Catalog. A pastor's
note
"Don
- I would like to take advantage of the special for
May, A Time to Laugh... or Cry. After
much discussion, my DCE and I have concluded that our
congregation has all but lost its understanding of how
to live lives as Christians. Perhaps this study will
give us a jumping off point to correct this. Will you
please send us a set, including the leader's guide.
Thanks for your help. P.S. Our adults loved The Many
Wonders of Heaven. Lots of good discussion." Pastor
Mark Hanson (LCMS).
A minute for your thoughts
-
1.
What do you like most about this monthly Newsletter? 2.
What do you like least? We would like to know. Email us
please. Thank you!
Three important
lists for every church
1. Names and other
pertinent information on all active
members.
2. Names and information on
inactive members.
3. Names and information on
prospective members.
We have a 5" x 7" card for
all prospective and inactive members. Hopefully active
members have come to saving faith in Christ; however,
many inactive and prospective members have never clearly
heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ even once. Email us
and ask for a free sample card, #210S.
Planning worship services
Are you always doing it "the same old way"?
Thoughtful change is good for traditional, blended and
contemporary services. Have a layperson open the
service with prayer. Invite all who can kneel for
this. Have the offering received at different
places in the service. Sing the Lord's Prayer. For
traditional services have a least one contemporary song.
For contemporary services sing at least one traditional
hymn. "Dead spots" in the service often encourage the
mind to drift. Be upbeat! Be alive!
Prioritizing one-on-one
evangelism
To grow the membership of a small church, you need
to spend most of your time making new connections -
meeting people, knocking on doors, doing whatever is
necessary to come into contact with people who don't go
to church or who are not Christians. Even if your
worship service isn't the best, if you lead people to
Christ, they'll worship with you no matter what. - Bill
Easum, May-June 2008 Rev!
As your hymn of the month
consider
"Speak, O Lord" by Keith Getty & Stuart
Townsend - a very stirring melody and words of
petition. Verse 1 -
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness.
That the light of Christ might be seen
today
In our acts of love and our deeds of
faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your
glory.
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Kingdom Quest 
"We began using Kingdom
Quest from Kid's Kount Publishing during our Sunday
morning education hour last fall. It has been a huge blessing
to our children, families, and volunteer ministry partners! We
have found Kingdom Quest to be very Christ-centered,
relational, creative, user friendly and well organized. Our
volunteer shepherds and leaders value how thorough, yet
simple, the materials are to prepare. And our children
are responding with high interest and enthusiasm as they
experience, learn and grow in Christ." DCE Gary Bach (LCMS),
New York Mills, MN.
Kingdom
Quest focuses on high-impact
discipleship while giving kids a great time experiencing
Jesus. It develops relationships in small groups while
applying the lessons to their lives. The large group
presentation uses interactive teaching methods: drama,
puppets, game shows, videos and much more. Best of all,
lessons come as a download or on CD so you can easily adapt,
reproduce, and recycle them. Kingdom Quest is available for
four age groups: Ages 2 & 3, Ages 4-5-K, Grades 1-4 and
Grades 5 & 6.
To receive a complimentary set of
lessons, email or call
Church Press toll free, 888-772-8878.
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Kid's
Church
An age-appropriate word and worship, can be used on
Sunday mornings independently, alongside Kingdom Quest or as a
midweek program. The interactive large group format requires
fewer volunteers. Children gather for worship, active Bible
discovery, learning games and prayer. Lessons come as a
download or CD so you can easily adapt, reproduce, and recycle
them. It is available for two age groups: Ages 4-5-K and
Grades 1-4.
Both Kingdom Quest and Kid's Church
offer 58 lessons per curriculum year and provide flexibility
and enough lessons to recycle the curriculum year after year.
The curriculum for the first year is available now. The second, third and fourth year curriculum
will be available through Church Press in the following
years. Discounts are available based on church size -
phone orders only. Call 1-888-772-8878. Ask how you can
receive a Sample Lesson CD and Information
DVD.
Go to our website for additional
information.
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Hosts (Greeters) After the Worship
Service
The most common reason newcomers return to a church is,
"the friendliness of the people." Interviews with visitors
indicate there is a 10-minute window in their visit when
newcomers are most (or least) impressed with the church's
"friendliness." That moment is the 10 minutes immediately
following the conclusion of the service. During this
relatively brief moment, more than any other, newcomers are
assessing whether the people at this church are genuinely
friendly, or if it is just an act. Up until the service
concludes it is easy for newcomers to follow the "rules" and
get lost in the crowd. But once the final prayer is said, all
rules are off.
If people in the church seem friendly and caring in this
after-service moment, research tells us that it makes a
significant impression on newcomers, particularly if they have
come alone. Therefore... consider deploying after-service
hosts. These people look for newcomers and engage them in
conversation right after the service. Other
churches station after-service hosts near the pastor as
he is shaking hands with worshipers on the way out. When the
pastor encounters a newcomer, the after-service hosts are
introduced to the newcomers and take over from there. -
Dr. Charles Arn, Church Growth, Inc.
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"Oh God, Please Try
Again!"
by Bob Tasler
Robert Merrill, opera singer and actor, worked in summer
stock in the role of Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof." One
night, according to the script, he was imploring God to give
him a replacement for his horse which was old and had lost its
shoe. At that very moment a stray dog wandered onto the stage.
The audience held its breath, wondering how the actor would
handle the interruption. Merrill didn't even miss a beat. He
looked up to heaven and said fervently, "Oh God, please try
again!"
The situation was hilarious, but it's not too funny when
we do that in real life. We ask God for something we want: a
new job, a change of attitude in our spouse, a better
relationship with someone, or an end to money problems. The
list is as long as our imagination. [Complete Article]
Rev. Bob Tasler (LCMS) lives in Castle Rock, CO.
He writes a weekly message like the one above and emails it to
hundreds of people around the country free. You may subscribe
by emailing
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Understanding How People
Change
by Craig Loving
He settled into the sofa, crossed his
arms tightly, and lowered his chin to look at you over the top
of his glasses. "Reverend," he drawled, "I'm not sure why I
need to be here; I'm not the one with the problem." With that,
he rolled his eyes toward his wife who, while on the same
sofa, sat as far away as she could. "Isn't that interesting,"
she replied icily. "I was just thinking the same thing."
Something told you this was not going to be easy.
Counseling in situations like this requires an understanding
of how people change. Through their research, Prochaska and
DeClemente identified five stages that people go through when
making intentional changes in their lives. The stages are
listed below. Each stage has different characteristics and
statements that are typical of people at that point in their
change process.
Precontemplation
Characteristics: This person is unaware that they have a
problem. If they are aware, they may be unwilling (or too
discouraged by previous failed attempts) to
change.
Statements: "I am not aware that
I have a problem that needs to be changed," or "People tell me
I have a problem, but I think they're the one with the
problem," or "I've tried changing before, but have always
failed. Why should I try again, and only feel worse when I
fail again?"
Characteristics: This person is
ambivalent about change. They vacillate between wanting and
not wanting to change. This stage can last for
years!
Statements: "I think I might have some
problems, but I'm not sure whether I want to change or not,"
or "When I think about changing, I also think about reasons
not to change." [Complete Article]
Dr. Craig Loving is a pastor
as well as a therapist in private practice in the Denver area.
You can reach him at 303-349-7398 or by visiting his website.
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Good
First Impressions
A familiar phrase says, "You don't get a
second chance at a first impression." Here are a
few subjects that can make for good first
impressions.
- CLEANLINESS.
Are the rooms of my church clean - the nursery, the
rest rooms, the classrooms?
- LIGHTING.
It has a direct affect on our emotions. Good lighting
with bright-colored wall hangings and green plants add
to the brightness of a church.
- SEATING.
Many churches are increasingly turning to seating
which reflects what is found in movie theaters and
concert halls - individual, padded seats positioned in
a curve or U.
- PARKING.
Churches that care reserve the best parking for guests
and a sign that indicates this.
- QUALITY.
Growing churches are committed to quality in the
worship service. Think of this: unchurched people go
to a restaurant and determine future visits according
to the level of service and quality of food. Virtually
every aspect of the life of the modern person is
marked by choice, and that choice is often on the
basis of quality. Many churches videotape each worship
service to be reviewed later. These churches have neat
bulletins and are aesthetically pleasing with no
typos. All aspects of the service - music, Scripture
reading, message, and testimonies are bound together
in a single theme.
- ATMOSPHERE.
It is best described as celebrative, relaxed,
positive, and
expectant.
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