Monday, March 14, 2005
E-News For March 05
Stewardship E-Newsletter
March 2005
Bob Tallent, rgtallent@Comcast.net, 856-778-6117
www.bobbybaptist.blogspot.com
I am sure that you, like me, are tired of Winter and all of the snow! Have faith—Spring is coming!
I promised to tell you about more exciting tools we have for you at the State Office. Well, as the famous radio commentator, Gabriel Heater used to say during WW II, “There’s good news tonight!” We have obtained a supply of church-challenging materials called “Miracle of Expansion.” These materials were developed by the Florida Baptist Convention and were so successful in Florida that churches all over America have been asking to share them. And Florida has graciously granted us the right to use them.
The Miracle of Expansion is designed to demonstrate what God can do in your church in just one Sunday through prayer and commitment. The plan involves two Sundays of preparation with ready to use art in posters, bulletin inserts, well-conceived Sunday School (or small group) lessons, dramas and excellent sermon outlines.
This campaign operates on the assumption that God is still in the miracle business! It can be used to raise funds on a one-time basis for any project the church may need special funds for. Most of the churches I know always have a particular need that they just don’t know how they can afford.
But a by-product of the Miracle of Expansion is that it teaches your people to have faith in God to practice biblical stewardship on an on-going basis. This helps your church in the “out years’ (as they say). But the benefit goes far beyond just financial to the very tenor of spiritual life in the church.
Supplies are limited so contact Stan Smith or Bonnie Bosley at the state office (1-800-451-6599 or bonnie@bcpsj.org) for more info or you supplies right away.
# # #
Easter offers very special opportunity to focus on the Gospel. Use the season to the fullest. Don’t miss the opportunity! What you can and should do depends on your church and its gifts. Cantatas, concerts, Good Friday services, sunrise services, Easter breakfasts, Maundy Thursday services, Easter Egg hunts, community services—don’t limit your possibilities! Or take some of your people to a re-release of The Passion.
But the season also puts pressure on the Pastor to find fresh material. How do you help your people to sense the reality of the Cross and the Resurrection? Let me suggest that you splurge and buy a new book by an author you appreciate. Last year, I bought Cries from the Cross by Erwin Lutzer, Pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago. It is on the Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross and I found some useful materials in it. Rick Warren (Saddleback) recommends: Bread And Wine: Readings For Lent And Easter (Orbis Books, 2005) Writings on Lent and Easter by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Philip Yancey, Madeline L'Engle, Henri Nouwen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Donne, Thomas Merton, St. Augustine, Mother Teresa, John Updike, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and many others. Available from Amazon for $12.24.
Coming: If you have never attended a New Worker’s Orientation (no matter how long you have been in your position), you should contact your Associational Missionary or the State Office about attending the seminar on April 7 & 8 in Harrisburg.
At all costs, you don’t want to miss the Ministers Retreat, May 23-25! This is always the spiritual high of the year. This year we will feature many of our very own people who will share their journey with us. Come apart for a time of inspiration, challenge, reflection and fellowship. Watch the Penn-Jersey Baptist and mailing for details.
Remember: You can download Stewardship Sunday School lessons at www.Lifeway.com. (Search for “stewardship” and click on Stewardship Solutions.)
He Is Risen!
March 2005
Bob Tallent, rgtallent@Comcast.net, 856-778-6117
www.bobbybaptist.blogspot.com
I am sure that you, like me, are tired of Winter and all of the snow! Have faith—Spring is coming!
I promised to tell you about more exciting tools we have for you at the State Office. Well, as the famous radio commentator, Gabriel Heater used to say during WW II, “There’s good news tonight!” We have obtained a supply of church-challenging materials called “Miracle of Expansion.” These materials were developed by the Florida Baptist Convention and were so successful in Florida that churches all over America have been asking to share them. And Florida has graciously granted us the right to use them.
The Miracle of Expansion is designed to demonstrate what God can do in your church in just one Sunday through prayer and commitment. The plan involves two Sundays of preparation with ready to use art in posters, bulletin inserts, well-conceived Sunday School (or small group) lessons, dramas and excellent sermon outlines.
This campaign operates on the assumption that God is still in the miracle business! It can be used to raise funds on a one-time basis for any project the church may need special funds for. Most of the churches I know always have a particular need that they just don’t know how they can afford.
But a by-product of the Miracle of Expansion is that it teaches your people to have faith in God to practice biblical stewardship on an on-going basis. This helps your church in the “out years’ (as they say). But the benefit goes far beyond just financial to the very tenor of spiritual life in the church.
Supplies are limited so contact Stan Smith or Bonnie Bosley at the state office (1-800-451-6599 or bonnie@bcpsj.org) for more info or you supplies right away.
# # #
Easter offers very special opportunity to focus on the Gospel. Use the season to the fullest. Don’t miss the opportunity! What you can and should do depends on your church and its gifts. Cantatas, concerts, Good Friday services, sunrise services, Easter breakfasts, Maundy Thursday services, Easter Egg hunts, community services—don’t limit your possibilities! Or take some of your people to a re-release of The Passion.
But the season also puts pressure on the Pastor to find fresh material. How do you help your people to sense the reality of the Cross and the Resurrection? Let me suggest that you splurge and buy a new book by an author you appreciate. Last year, I bought Cries from the Cross by Erwin Lutzer, Pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago. It is on the Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross and I found some useful materials in it. Rick Warren (Saddleback) recommends: Bread And Wine: Readings For Lent And Easter (Orbis Books, 2005) Writings on Lent and Easter by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Philip Yancey, Madeline L'Engle, Henri Nouwen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Donne, Thomas Merton, St. Augustine, Mother Teresa, John Updike, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and many others. Available from Amazon for $12.24.
Coming: If you have never attended a New Worker’s Orientation (no matter how long you have been in your position), you should contact your Associational Missionary or the State Office about attending the seminar on April 7 & 8 in Harrisburg.
At all costs, you don’t want to miss the Ministers Retreat, May 23-25! This is always the spiritual high of the year. This year we will feature many of our very own people who will share their journey with us. Come apart for a time of inspiration, challenge, reflection and fellowship. Watch the Penn-Jersey Baptist and mailing for details.
Remember: You can download Stewardship Sunday School lessons at www.Lifeway.com. (Search for “stewardship” and click on Stewardship Solutions.)
He Is Risen!
