Aim Lower

That Girl Can Teach and Preach!

Have you heard of CJ Rapp?

No it is not a rap group.

She is a gifted teacher, communicator, evangelist and San Diego charger fan. With a touch of southern charm in her voice and a passion to go beyond the surfacey readings of scripture, CJ brings it! If you are looking for a guest speaker to teach the bible specifically to women (she has a burden to teach women), have a love for expository preaching and practical application with her firey personality, CJ, is the WOMAN for you.

Check out her website: http://www.unfadingbeautyministries.org/index.html

Snippet - When People Say All Religions The Same

"The soul of religions is one, but it is encased in a multitude of forms... Truth is the exclusive property of no single scripture... I cannot ascribe exclusive divinity to Jesus. He is as divine as Krishna or Rama or Zoroaster." - Mohandas Gandi, Hindu Leader

Question: That is an interesting claim. On what evidence, should I believe you? In other words, what supports that conclusion?

I Got My first HOA Warning - SWEET!

Never has Jesus' words 'Love your neighbor' meant more to me than ever before. My wife and I are officially new home owners - coupled with the fact that it is in Orange County and on a pastor's salary, its a miracle in itself. At least until the next mortgage payment, we are here for God to use us. We want to be faithful and 'love our neighbors'.



Well - but how? and what if they don't want to be "loved on"?


What if they look at me as the annoying bubbly Christian guy, perfectly caricatured in "The Simpsons" - another Ned Flanders?


For some reason, I am more passionate about figuring this out than ever before because everything is so new. We live in a new community. There are no old guards of the neighborhood. We're all 'rookies' and most of us seem to be young couples and families.



So here are some things my wife and I are trying to do to LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS:

1. I got a map of the community with all of the homes from the sales office. Every time we meet someone, we write it on the map.



2. Prayer walks - My wife and I are starting to walk around the neighborhood a few nights a week and pray for God's blessing to be on our neighbors. Open up hearts to build relationships with us and others.



3. We bought patio furiture to hang out outside drinking coffee or reading so we can say hi to people walking by.



4. As we meet people, we ask them the basics... how do you like it here so far? Where are you from? Married, kids? Work? What made you buy here? Have you ever heard of the four spiritual laws ( just kidding - not yet! we'll get there!)



5. I created a flyer with a brief description of my wife and I and our home number - I know its either great or the dorkiest thing ever - look I am trying OK? (see photo)



6. I just met 'Ron' as he was walking by and before he took off, I had a flyer available to give him - he loved it surprsingly. He may need help moving in a King size bed.



7. We are looking to find out who the christians are in the neighborhood and invite them all over sometime for some coffee and dessert to pray for our neighborhood and cast a vision to bless our neighbors in practical ways showing God's goodness.



8. I bought a case of bibles from www.allbibles.com for .90 a piece for 50 NLT New Testaments that we will eventually give out to those who are interested after we build relationships.



9. I am going to try to get a regular half court basketball game going as well - the court is just waiting to be used...



10. That's it... Jesus says to Love our neighbors and Love God... this is the Greatest Commandment... we are trying to figure out how to do that where we live... how about you?

*The HOA warning explained - we only have one car in our two car garage (junk and stuff takes up the area where our second car should go) so we have parked ONE of our cars in our little pseudo driveway (4' x 8' of concrete, in which, if carefully parked upon, will only have the back right side of the car jutting into the street) - apparently causing dissension and uprisings from the HOA board. No worries.

Outreach Events

10 things to consider when planning an evangelistic event by Kerry Mackey & Erin Kerr

We hate events ... so why are we writing an article about them?

As sterile, programmed, churchy, and administratively taxing events can sometimes be, there is tremendous value when they are done well. They are "excuses" to build relationships, expose non-believing friends to the people of God, and they even lead to life change. With this in mind, here are some tips for how to build bridge events that can have a spiritual impact.

Build a bridge on a foundation

There are two biblical principles that are foundational to putting on bridge events – common ground and spiritual journey.

As far as common ground is concerned, Paul was scandalous in his approach to his outreach. He actually tried to fit in with Jews and Gentiles alike. The Corinthian church was confused by his methods. What is he doing hanging out with those people? Is he aligning himself with their agenda or lifestyle?

Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that in his desire to "fit in" (common ground) with Jews and Gentiles, his purpose was to "bring them to Christ" (1 Cor. 9:22-23). How? Be where they would feel comfortable, have relationship, and gain credibility so at the right time he could share his hope. Both Paul and Jesus clearly had strategies and vision to reach people.

We are all on a spiritual journey but God is ultimately responsible for the spiritual growth. We just play a part in "planting, watering and harvesting" (1 Cor 3:6-9). Think of your event in these terms. A "harvest" event may be a great idea after several weeks of "planting and watering" events. This strategy can help people take steps in their journey from apathy, to awareness, and finally to be active in seeking God's truth.

What is the purpose and desired next step?

The church is about challenging people – non-believer and believer alike – to take their next step towards deeper devotion to Christ. In an event format, define the purpose and the clear next step for the non-believers attending. Is the goal to simply get people on the church campus and feel comfortable coming back? Maybe the goal is to connect them with church opportunities (i.e. Celebrate Recovery, a parenting class, men's camping retreat, etc.) Is this an "altar call" event where the Gospel is preached and a call is given to respond?

Your next steps need to be compelling. You can't assume people will come back, sign up, or inquire more about your ministry or church. Ideally, every next step decision would be encouraged through relationships with church members. Other ideas to link persons back to the church would be for a relevant teaching series, a ministry highlighted at the event, or even a raffle prize pick up. Come up with an action plan for those who choose Christ, persons looking for a church home, and questions related to church services or programs. Be ready with a seven to 21 day follow-up strategy to leverage those who attended. A bridge event without a follow-up strategy is wasteful.

Why will people come?

What is the common ground? Investigate your community's needs, hobbies, sports, festivals, and be strategic with holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Cinco de Mayo, or other cultural celebrations. What are their ways of having fun, connecting with one another, and their concerns about the community they live in? What isn't going on in your community that could set you apart? Will the church campus be a hindrance, be neutral, or be an advantage?

Define success

Define success in measurable terms.

Quantitative – How many do you hope to have attend? What percentage will be non-believers? To track this will require feedback after the event. How many new believer Bibles/kits were given out to people? Was there an increase in attendance at church the following week resulting from the event?

Qualitative – Has the event unified your congregation to serve the community? Is there a sense of anticipation in the community? Are other churches coming to learn from you? How will your church members want to live differently after serving?

Cost

Don't go into an event like this without a financial plan. But don't be misguided that you have to cover the entire cost. Consider partnering with other churches, have vendors come on consignment, or look for donors. Stick to your plan as a good steward with God's resources. Identify what team member will handle the accountability with revenue and expenditures.

Stall zones

These are areas or activities that keep people lingering, strategically encouraging people to stay longer and hang with people from the church – zones such as food areas, entertainment, sporting activities, live music, people to talk with, and free materials that are relevant and up-to-date.

Safe zones and safe people

A pastor once said the church should be a "safe place to make dangerous decisions." Where do you have places for people who want to know more? Do you have leaders who "get" what the event is for and are trained to help people take steps toward Christ? Do they have a grace-filled pre-evangelistic mindset? Are they winsome and open-armed regardless of who shows up – pierced, tattooed, multicultural, homeless, and whoever else shows up.

Training for volunteers

It's very important that your volunteers (ministry partners) are in step with your vision, value, voice, and vehicle of the event. Make sure they are informed on the purpose of the event and what makes it successful – as well as, how to share their faith and what the next steps will be once the event is over.

Prayer

We've learned that for most of us prayer is an afterthought to planning. Don't let that be the case here. Make it a priority. Pray to the Lord of the harvest, pray for his plan, his people to serve, his people to come, and his people to choose him over all else.

Logistics

Here are a few things to consider:

• Time and duration: What day of the week and for how long during the day would it be most productive for having touch points with the most people?
• Parking: Where will those who attend park? Do we have enough parking on campus? Will we need additional parking across the street? Will we need to rent shuttles to move persons back and forth? OR would it be best to have the event somewhere to better accommodate those who will attend?
• Volunteer participation: This should be the heart and soul of your leadership team. Recent research shows church has become a "negotiable obligation." People are actually telling the church that they long for Monday to regain their weekday routine. Take this in to consideration when planning the event. Look at community and school calendars and find a time where the most people can be involved with the least inconvenience.
• Marketing and communication: A good friend of ours, Rex Miller with Millennium Matrix, brings to light the need to understand communication cultures of oral, print, broadcast, and digital media. A closer look into how we communicate with our community and congregation will be a significant factor in who attends, what happens while they are there, and what they take from the experience. What are your community's and congregation's preferred methods of communication?

Events are not the end all, but they are great excuses to build relationships with people in the community and help them take steps towards Christ. Hopefully, from these 10 things to consider you'll be able to foster a healthy bridge experience for your congregation and community.

This article is from Pastors.com

Copyright Kerry Mackey & Erin Kerr