Blogs
Resources
Holy Week Social Media Resources: Free for You to Share
4/11/2022
Holy Week is a sacred time within our church calendar that we observe the events leading up to Christ’s death and resurrection. When it comes to communicating this on social media, we want to connect you with some helpful resources! We hope these resources will help you share God’s love to your community and world. GRAPHICS Stop your audience with eye-catching graphics! Here are resources for free graphics, with the opportunity to subscribe if you’d like. Church Motion Graphics Canva Igniter ...
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Lenten Spiritual Practices and Resource Recommendations
3/1/2022
Wednesday starts the beginning of Lent, a season of introspection and self-reflection. If you are new to church or grew up in a church that did not follow the liturgical calendar, this season might sound unfamiliar. Lent is a time of preparation and is intended to help us prepare our hearts for Easter. As a way of preparing, people tend to adopt a spiritual practice for the 40 days of Lent, which excludes Sundays due to the practice of celebration on these “mini-Easters.” Spiritual practices, ...
The Gnawing Stress of Hunger in Georgia
11/10/2014
By Rev. John R. Moeller, Jr. Guest Blogger As a parent, it hurts my heart to think that many of the 28 percent (more than 1 out of every 4!) of Georgia's children who are food insecure can't focus in school because they are worried about their next meal. You and I both know that a child's brain needs a consistent, nutritious diet to fully develop. I’m distressed by the fact that far too many Georgians can't focus on finding or maintaining a good job because they’re worried about how they will...
1st Impression Survey from the Church We Visited Sunday
7/8/2013
It was really good to have you at Harvest this week. I hope you enjoyed the service. I don't know if you're looking for answers, a church home, or just passing through. Whatever the case, I'm glad you chose to check us out. We think church should be a fun practical place to get the answers we need for life and help us grow in a relationship with God. Helping people connect with God is what Harvest is all about. By the way, as a first-time guest, you have a special point of view that we are ...
Two Books Worth Reading
12/11/2012
Check out the reviews from UMcom.org (United Methodist Communications' website) of two books worth reading, "Blest Be The Tie That Binds," from Richard Wilke and "Living Grace" by Bishop Walter Klaiber and Dr. Manfred Marquardt. The Tie That Binds “Blest be the tie that binds . . .” Whether or not the words of this hymn are familiar to you, the notion behind them—and this book—is one of connectedness and community. Twenty years after his best-selling And Are We Yet Alive? Richard Wilke observes ...
Bullying: Resources for the church
9/12/2012
Back to school means another chance to take a look at what churches can do to help prevent or respond to bullying. I came across these resources for a pastor last year and they are still worth looking into now: General Board of Church and Society has a printable flyer on bullying as part of its domestic abuse material. Domestic Violence Brochures United Methodist News Service did a three-part series on bullying in 2010. You can find the stories here: Child ends life because of bullying Bullied...
Tools of the Trade
9/6/2012
I have heard rave reviews of several online tools lately that help church members do some good old fashioned United Methodist ministry. Here are a few worth looking in to: www.instantchurchdirectory.com/ Instant Church Directory (and other programs like it) allows you to upload digital photos of your members any time so that you always have a current online member directory. It can be printable or just housed online. www.mealtrain.com/ Meal Train is a free online tool to help you schedule ...
Meeting Scheduling Made Eas(ier)!
11/26/2011
How many emails and phone calls does it take to schedule a meeting? If your experience has been like mine over the last few weeks, the answer is: way too many! Everyone is so busy that it's almost impossible to find a time that works for everyone. Why not cut down on some of the back and forth by using one of the online scheduling services to help you find the perfect time to have your meeting? Here are two great (and free) websites that can help: Doodle: http://doodle.com When2Meet: http://...
Great Ideas
3/23/2011
I presented a power point to the Athens District yesterday full of great ideas I've seen around the conference. Feel free to check it out. Click Here to View as a pdf
Advent Card
11/8/2010
Anne Rex of Field's Chapel in Canton shared this "Master" Card that her church gives out before the Christmas shopping season. It is intended to be tucked in your purse or wallet in front of credit cards and it asks five questions to consider with every purchase. Do I need this item? Can I afford it? Under what conditions was the product made? Where will the product end up? Is there a significant gift for the Birthday Boy, Jesus?