In this February 2004 Issue
1. LHM Presentations in Local Congregations
The past three weeks have been a fairly busy period for LHM-SA. On Sunday 18th January we visited the English Lutheran Fellowship in Ferndale Randburg, the following Sunday (24th January) we travelled to the ELCSA congregation in Wattville and more recently (01 February) we worshipped the Lord with fellow Lutherans in Reiger Park.
These visits have been marked with a wonderful enthusiasm and encouraging responses from congregations. The purpose of these visits are to build stronger relationships with local congregations and to explore ways in which we can partner the church in reaching out to those who do not know Christ. Change…
What soon became clear to us is that many congregations are confronted with the slow and often painful transition, from being a church focused inward to a church seeking to impact and influence the community. All too often we forget that the mission of the church is not only to strengthen the faith of our members but also to send them into the world that they (the world) may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16).
So how do we equip people for service and how do we get to live the mission? These are tough questions which the church is grappling. Serving the community and sharing the gospel is no easy thing. Once you get beyond the fear of wondering What will people think of me? The next question often is How do I raise the issue? What should be my/our approach? What do I say?
Reputation of the Church in the Community…
I asked one church member what reputation she thought the church has in the community. She struggled to answer the question because she felt that much of what we do in church happens behind closed doors and the only time the "non-churched" community gets to church is when there are funerals or weddings. What was somewhat disturbing for me was to hear her say that the church was not really interested to hear what the community thought of it.
Our prayer at LHM-SA is that God will help us to regain the influence that the church had and should have in the broader community…perhaps then we will have a reputation in our respective communities of being both "proclamational" and "incarnational."
Please Help…
If you have any ideas/thoughts about what we should or could be doing to help congregations make the transition from being a church focused inward to a church seeking to impact and influence the community; we would appreciate hearing from you.
Breakout SaturdaysWe are also keen to hear from those of you who have the skills and the willingness to assist us with facilitating mini-workshops (3-4 hours) in the Johannesburg area. These mini-workshops are called Breakout Saturdays. Not familiar with Breakout?...
Someone has defined a disciple as a person who wants to become more like Jesus and arranges his or her life accordingly. Think of a Break/Out as a mini retreat or conference - a chance to break out of your routine and arrange your schedule to invest in your spiritual growth. Breakout Saturdays also offers you an opportunity to invite your friends or neighbours who have an interest in the mini-workshops on offer.
Breakout Saturdays could cover a range of topics e.g. Financial Life Skills, Planning for Spiritual Growth, Developing your Leadership Skills, Starting to read the Bible for yourself; Christian Parenting in the New Millennium; Conversing with Teenagers; Planning and Goal-Setting.
Whether you're just beginning on your spiritual journey or you're a seasoned traveller, it would be great hearing from you if you are interested in attending any of these workshops. Have skills that you would be willing to share with others? We would appreciate hearing from you.
For more information please call Alroy at 011- 792 8552, or send an e-mail to lhmaudience@icon.co.za.
2. Living the Mission
PLEASE NOTE that the date of the workshop has changed to 20-21 February. We have received registrations already and are looking forward to this great event. Herewith the full programme:
Friday Night
6:30- 7:00 pm - Registration, fill out name tags, greetings from the United States
7:00- 7:30 pm - Introductions, Opening Devotion "Vision and Strategy",
7:30- 9:00 pm - Catching the Vision I
Saturday
9:00- 10:15 am - Living the Mission II; Share witness bracelets and wooden cross
10:15- 10:30 am - Practice Sharing in Pairs
10:30- 10:45 am - Break
10:45- 12:00 am - Living the Mission in My Life III
12:00- 1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00- 2:15 pm - Living the Mission In My Congregation IV
2:15- 3:15 pm – The South African Perspective
3:15- 3:30 pm - Wrap up and closing devotion
If you’d like to be equipped to tell others about Jesus – in a way that will not tie you up in knots, this is the workshop for you. To register, call Christel at 011-792 8440. Registration fee is R50. Limited overnight accommodation can be arranged.
3. Spotlight on SPOTLIGHT
Tune in to Radio Pulpit at 9am on the first and third Wednesdays of each month and you can order the LHM-SA material offered! On the 4th February we gave away over 100 Little Shepherd storybooks, and 10 Little Shepherd DVDs.
On Wednesday, the 18th February we offer the booklet Why Do Bad Things Happen? So often bad things happen to us and we wonder why God allows these awful things in our lives, or in the lives of our loved ones? If you’ve wondered about this, get your own copy to find out!
Doc Fick produces the weekly edition of SPOTLIGHT in our fully equipped LHM-SA recording studio and has entered into a partnership with LHM-SA to offer topical booklets and other material on air.
This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to family and friends who don’t have a real relationship with Jesus and might not be going to church at all. Encourage them to listen to Radio Pulpit on Wednesday mornings at 9am and tell them about the special offers of LHM-SA booklets at the price of a telephone call.
4. LHM-SA Workshops
6+7 March Youth Leaders Development (1). Are you leading any youth group or do you want to start one?
1-3 April Drama Workshop. Learn how to use Drama to entertain a crowd, but also to bring them the Good News in an inspiring way.
16-18 April Leadership Development. How to serve more effectively as an Elder, on the Parish Council, as Leader in your congregation.
15-16 May Equipping for Outreach. Learn about the prayer-care-share lifestyle as an effective witness to others. NO confrontations, handing out pamphlets or knocking on doors!
5. E-mails from Pakistan
Did you know that LHM-SA gets e-mails responses from all over the world? We especially value the responses from Muslim countries, and have made contact with a number of people in this way. This is the result of our website www.lutheran.co.za!
Razia Boota from Pakistan wrote to us and requested a copy of all our booklets, as well as the Bible Study. Pakistan is a Muslim country and the Christians are not allowed to have public meetings. Razia lives in Faisalabad and would appreciateyour prayers. Please write an encouraging letter to her. Contact Christel for Razia’s postal address.
We are so fortunate in South Africa to have religious freedom!
6. Gift in Memory of Randal Bergt
In January LHM-SA received a donation from Willis and Lorna Hollman (Wisner, USA) in memory of Randal Bergt. We gratefully acknowledge this contribution towards our ongoing ministry.