Information Leaflet

These information leaflets were distributed at Presbytery on Friday night past. They outline the Plan of Action for our Outreach Endeavour in September/October.

Information Pack For Churches

An 'Information Pack' about our Campaign was distributed to our various churches at our Presbytery meeting on Friday, 1 May 2009.

The pack contains:

(1) INFORMATION LEAFLETS

Entitled 'Doing Something More For God,' this is a tri-fold leaflet that outlines the details of our Campaign. The aim is to get one of these into the hand of every one who attends our churches in Northern Ireland. 12,000 have been printed – and there are very few left!

(2) INFORMATION DVD

(This is the first Video in a line of three that can be viewed on the top left of this Blog). After I showed a Powerpoint Presentation on the Campaign at a previous Presbytery Meeting, several ministers asked me if I would come to their churches and show this presentation. Unfortunately, time does not permit me to do this - spare time is currently being used in organising the many elements of the Campaign.

However, I have run off this short DVD (16 minutes approx.) that explains the Campaign and will - hopefully - encourage our people to contribute to the costs of staging such an outreach. This DVD may be shown to your congregation at a midweek meeting.

I am reliably informed (!) that the 100+ young people who attended the recent Truth for Youth weekend at Castlewellan Castle were 'treated' to a showing of this DVD ... thanks to Rev. David Smith, a member of our Campaign Team!

(3) ‘OUR CHALLENGE’ DVD

This DVD is a copy of a message I preached from John 21:15-17 in Londonderry, designed to encourage our people to commit themselves to this Campaign. I am certainly not suggesting that this message is excellent, but if your church has a facility for copying DVDs, copies of this message can be distributed in a further effort to encourage all our people to become involved.

(4) ORDER FORM FOR CHURCH BANNER / GOSPEL TRACTS

We are offering professionally printed banners to our churches in a choice of three sizes. These will present the gospel, advertise our campaign, and help publicise any local endeavour your church may have planned for the autumn.

Interview on 'The Heart Of The Matter'

Interview about our 'Consider Christ' Evangelistic Outreach on 'The Heart of the Matter' – a programme hosted by Pastor Ralph Ovadal of Pilgrim's Covenant Church, Wisconsin. We are extremely grateful to our brother for his enthusiastic support of this campaign.



The interview begins at 28:20 on this programme.

(Direct web link: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=51091730103)

Our Twin Themes

This graphic is a combination of the 'twin themes' of our Gospel Advertising Campaign:

• From our church perspective: we are wanting to 'Do Something More For God';

• As far as 'the man in the street' is concerned, the message is:

"CONSIDER CHRIST:

In a world without Direction, He is The Way;

In a world without Certainty, He is The Truth;

In a world without Hope, He is The Life."

(John 14:6)

Daily Devotional About Our Key Text - John 14:6

Each day I receive the devotional comment 'Days Of Praise' in my emails. Yesterday's was especially interesting, given the fact that it deals with the text that is the mainstay of our 'Consider Christ' Campaign – John 14:6.

The comment read:

Life's Uncertainties
April 29, 2009

"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5)

Many times along life's way we fact uncertainties, opposition, and even doubt; when we do, it is helpful to recognize that those who lived with Christ when He was here on earth faced the same perplexities. His answers and assurances to them in John 14 are meant for us as well.

"Let not your heart be troubled," He said (John 14:1) – an emphatic command which could be rendered: "Don't continue to be troubled."

The solution: "Ye believe in God, believe also in me."

We believe God can supply all the answers to our troubles. But Christ is God! He is the solution. He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6), and is the only solution, for "no man cometh unto the Father, but by |him|."

He is the Way: "In my Father's house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. And . . . I will come again, and receive you unto myself" (14:2-3). Whatever else may befall us, our destiny is sure. His reputation is at stake, for He has promised a place in the Father's house.

He is the Truth: Peter had just been informed of his coming denial (13:38), that he would openly assert a lie. Jesus said He is "the truth." "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but of the Father that dwelleth in me" (14:10). Words and thoughts not in accordance with His are not "truth," we can be sure of that.

He is the Life: Speaking of His imminent death, Christ said, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards" (13:36), indicating their own eventual persecution and martyrdom. Yet their ultimate victory, as well as comfort (14:16-18), were assured.

How can those things be? "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name," Christ said, "that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (14:13).

JDM

A Sneak Peak

The graphics for our Gospel Campaign will be based on the design above. The Campaign is set to begin on Monday, 7 September 2009.....and with it scheduled to run into October, the 'autumnal' colours should suit extremely well. Another reason why this design was favoured was the warmth of the colours. We reckoned this was suitable to convey our message. Comments are welcome!

Big Graphics Design Weekend

From the earliest days of planning this campaign, we have been aware of the need to find a design that will express the message of our main theme (John 14:6). This basic design will appear on each piece of our advertising literature – church banners, billboards, shoplites, buses, gospel tracts, website, etc – and will be instantly recognisable wherever it is used.

Due to the fact that an Information Leaflet is due to be printed this week and released at our next Presbytery meeting (Friday, 1 May 2009), our basic design must be finalised this weekend. Two graphics teams are hard at work on this project ... as I write!