Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Tammy and I much enjoyed visiting our Newark, New Jersey, congregation last weekend where I was privileged to perform the wedding of Pastor John Adams and Edna Olen. Please join me in extending hearty congratulations to the happy couple!
Sermon power
The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing of January 29, 2010 reported that nearly one hundred percent of churchgoers look forward to sermons, but only 17 percent think preaching changes the way they live, according to a study from the CODEC Research Center at St. Johns College in Durham, U.K. titled “The View from the Pew.” The report is based on interviews with 193 Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and Baptists from 16 churches. Many Anglicans want the sermon to last less than 10 minutes, but up to 20 minutes. Baptists are happy with a 75-minute sermon, while Catholics want it completed within 10 minutes. Sermons are seen as good at teaching about God, the Bible, and being comforting, but need to do more to motivate and challenge people to look at the world differently. Sermons seem to encourage Christian reflection but not Christian action.
Germany – Togo partnership
Our members in Germany have partnered with our congregation in Lomé, Togo, for the building of a WCG medical and social center there. Paving stones on the first level were laid March 3.
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According to Barna
Many Americans appear to be significantly cutting back on charitable giving in order to adjust to the downturn, according to Barna Group research. Forty-eight percent of U.S. adults have reduced their giving to nonprofit organizations (excluding churches and houses of worship) in the last three months. Churches were slightly less likely to be affected but were certainly not immune to cutbacks: 29 percent of Americans have dropped their level of support to churches and congregations in recent months.
When compared to a similar Barna study conducted at the start of the economic meltdown in late ’08, there has been a 58 percent increase in the percentage of Americans who have curtailed giving to nonprofits and a 45 percent increase in the proportion that have reduced their church donations. The segment of donors who have dramatically decreased their contributions to churches has more than doubled in the last 14 months.
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe the economy will take two or more years to recover, and 42% expect it to take more than 3. Two recent surveys report the recession is having a serious impact on church budgets and contributions. A November LifeWay Research study revealed 28 percent of churches surveyed raised less money in ’09 than in ’08. Fifty-seven percent said the poor economy was hurting their church. Seventy percent reported increased requests from people outside their congregation for financial help. Three percent were considering closing down their churches. A Barna Group study found budgets were down seven percent across all Protestant churches.
Please join us in praying for Gary and Karl Moore’s mother, who suffered a major heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure last Friday night. She is improving, but the stroke has affected her left side. At the beginning of the week she had no movement at all on her left, but since then she has begun to have movement in her leg. The Moores send their thanks for the many prayers and encouragement.
Cards may be sent to:
Mrs. Ina Moore
c/o Alvaro and Laura Palacio
32 Tangle Briarway
North York, ON M2J 2M4
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach
