What drives me crazy is when there are two UMCs a block apart from one another and BOTH of them are dying.

Haha. I think that’s funny. Dude, don’t worry about the fight wit the sole, i’ll help you, but you still gotta go down to him… but don’t worry man, it’s not your fight, you won’t have to fight, but go and stand up to the guy. hahaha, that’s psycho… but it’s a huge test of faith.

In regards to the post, i think this is what we’re suppose to do. For me, my worry is not knowing what to do, but that SHOULDN’T stop us because “if any of you lack wisdom, he should as God who gives generously to all without finding fault.” It’s just a matter of prayer and faith to step out. “I don’t know what to do with the homeless..” Pray and ask for wisdom and start thinking about them. “I don’t have a job and i don’t know what to do.” Pray for a job and start looking for one…

I see where you got that example from, thanks.

He made payment for sin on our behalf, dying for us while we were yet sinners.

For faith in Him we are credited with righteousness, being the spiritual offspring of Abraham.

He will never leave us nor forsake us.

He is our high priest, the one who continually makes interssion to Father on our behalf.

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, neither anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

And, He’s coming back to get us and take us to the Father’s house -

“According to the Lord’s own word , we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Be like the owner of the house who, if he had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

Be excited and anticipate His coming!

Do you want people to know about the services/ministries that your church provides? That is marketing!

Want people to talk about what a great speaker and message your minister delivers regularly? That is marketing!

When you want to hand out literature that tells about your church or denomination? That too is marketing!

By and large, marketing costs some sort of out of pocket fees. Whether it is a weekly ad in the paper listing your church/services in the church directory or perhaps doing something more involved.

At the end of the day, there are alot of churches who are trying their best to highlight the services/ministries they provide. If you are not able to market in some shape or form, how are you going to seperate your church from the others?

Let me ask you, does it make a difference to you what church someone attends? Or do you want them to attend yours? Because if they do attend yours, your budget to meet the needs or your community and elsewhere will probably enlarge.

How will someone find out what a great chldrens program, outreach, or myriad of other services that churches provide in general and your church in particular?

The approach might not have resonated and may have been delivered more with a glove than a hammer, but it should be received in the same manner as some Sunday messages from your minister are. You don’t always agree with them, but in the end, you know they will make you (or your church) better.

Thanks for listening!

John Panico
twitter.com/johnpanico