What does art have to do with church planting? In Chicago, Epic Church has created a unique community outreach ministry called Art Space. Find out how they use art as a means to connect with their secular community and connect their community with their church. This story will inspire you to think outside the box in your ministry context.
eHuddle – February 13-15, 2023
Pastors, Volunteer Lay Pastors, and Elders Invited to Participate in ehuddle via Livestream:
Are you and your church looking for best practices stories on how to love and serve your community,
how to facilitate the decisions of people to be baptize and equip them as disciples of Jesus, how to
plant new and thriving congregations, and how to revitalize churches that are plateauing or declining?
Look no further! The 2023 ehuddle is here, filled with stories and presentations that will inspire, equip,
and bless your ministry, and the ministry of your local church, as we try to fulfill our mission together.
Tune in the North American Division Facebook Page and YouTube channel to participate virtually of
this gathering. Feel free to invite other pastors, volunteer lay pastors, church elders, and members of
your church to watch and participate online.
ehuddle 2023 Livestream Hours
Monday, February 13
8:30 AM PT - 12:30 PM PT / 11:30 AM ET - 3:30 PM ET
2:00 PM PT - 5:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET - 8:00 PM ET
Tuesday, February 14
8:30 AM PT - 12:30 PM PT / 11:30 AM ET - 3:30 PM ET
2:00 PM PT - 5:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET - 8:00 PM ET
Tuesday, February 15
8:30 AM PT - 11:30 AM PT / 11:30 AM ET - 2:30 PM ET
For more information and to watch previous ehuddles go to: ehuddle
Reaching Your Community through Acts of Compassion by David Jamieson, Paulo Macena and David Franklin
Traditional evangelism for the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been revelation seminars. However, currently, revelation seminars are not what the community is responding to anymore. Communities are responding to acts of kindness, support, and love. During Jesus' ministry, He and his disciples focused on helping the communities just as much as they focused on teaching them. Watch this video to see how you can follow Jesus' example and help your church truly help your community.
David Jamieson is the President of the Upper Columbia Conference
Paulo Macena is the Leadership Director for the North American Division
David Franklin is the Senior Pastor of Miracle Temple SDA Church
October 31st - Keep Your Lights on For Halloween
Several years ago, on a Saturday right before Halloween, the newly planted church members that I pastored decided to do some outreach in our community. I wrote a pamphlet on the history of Halloween, its origin, and its practices. I ended with a stern appeal, telling people they should not celebrate Satan's holiday, that kids should not dress up, and all the same things you have probably heard for years.
We printed the pamphlet, and that Saturday afternoon, we went through the community of our newly planted church distributing the pamphlets. We were making sure we put Halloween to rest in our new area, where we wanted to show people who Jesus was. Sunday morning, as I checked the church's voicemail, there were many messages from angry community neighbors saying, "Is that what you came to this community for? To spoil Halloween for our kids?" On Tuesday, I received some mail from our neighbors, those we intended to reach, who seemed really upset. "Why did you leave these pamphlets under our doors? Is that what you are all about?"
As I shared the messages and "love notes" from the community with my wife, Joanne, she made me think as she often does. She said, "Halloween is the only time of the year when hundreds of our neighbors come to our home and knock on our door, and we have never opened that door for them." As we spoke, I realized how true her statement was. Our practice at home had always been to turn off the light, go upstairs, and hear our bell ring over 100 times that night, without answering.
Finally, as we thought long and hard about what to do, we came to a conclusion, which has become a family tradition. I will share it with you. You don't have to do it but, this is just what we do. Days before Halloween, we purchase a few bags of the healthier candy and order a whole bunch of little Christian bags, toys, mini-Bibles for kids, Bible puzzles, bouncy balls, tiny airplanes, and a whole lot of other small toys. These bags and toys have beautiful Christian messages of hope for kids, written all over them: "Jesus loves You," "God made you special," "Jesus forgives You," "Obey your Father and Your Mother," and "Smile: God loves You."
We stuff the bags with some candy and two or three little toys, and a mini-Bible per bag on Halloween morning. We separate the bags for older kids and younger ones with appropriate content for each. As the trick or treat time approaches, we turn on the lights inside and outside the house, and we wait for our neighbors to come and knock. As they knock, we open the door with our best smiles (Joanne has an awesome smile, and so do Jose III and Joel), and we compliment them on some of their costumes and give out our bags filled with messages of hope and love. We tell them, "God loves you," "God has great plans for your life," and most reply with a "thanks" or "thank you." They look inside their bags with excitement and run to tell their friends, "They are giving awesome goody bags in that house…toys, stickers, books, and everything." Each time we do this, our home becomes the most visited spot in the neighborhood for the night. Little kids and teens love it, and so do their parents.
"You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16/
The Message, Paraphrase Bible).
God did not put you in your neighborhood to fight Halloween and its evil practices. You can take time to do that if you like but, perhaps you will have better results than we did with our church years ago. Generally, people already know most arguments against Halloween, but, God placed you in your community to share His love, compassion, and hope, and the day of Halloween is not an exception.
You don't have to hang skeletons on your front tree and porch or decorate your front yard with fake tombs. We don't celebrate death; we celebrate life. You don't have to light up carved pumpkins through your windows or dress like Dracula. You don't even have to take your kids trick or treating if you find this tradition offensive. You don't have to participate in any Satanic practices on this day; you know those are not good, so please don't do it by God's grace. But one thing I would like to suggest, keep your light on, open your house, and send your neighborhood kids and their parents whom you hardly see and speak to back to their homes with a big smile, some love, compassion, lots of hope! Oh, and maybe,
if you are able to, throw in something sweet! Dark chocolate is actually healthy!
Perhaps, this is the day God will use you to help you begin a new friendship with someone who needs Jesus and you!
Pastor Jose Cortes Jr., is an Associate Director of the Ministerial Association and leads Evangelism, Church Planting, and Adventist/Global Mission for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
Stemming the Exodus of Young Adults by Allan Parker
In this video, Alan Parker shares the result of a survey that he conducted among former young adult Adventists. He talks about how many young adults ask themselves: Why do I believe what I believe? Is this even relevant to my life? Is this a faith community that I want to be part of? And alarmingly, seventy percent decide they no longer wish to be part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Parker says: "This is not a lost sheep. This is a lost flock!" Watch the video and learn more about why young adults leave the church.
Allan Parker is Professor of Religion at Southern Adventist University
What Do They Think About Us? by Kyoshin Ahn
The North American Division asked Gallup to conduct a major national survey on how Americans see Adventist Church in terms of brand awareness, religion, interest, and values. More than four thousand adults participated in the survey. In this video from the eHuddle 2022, Kyoshin Ahn shares some fascinating findings on what people think about us.
Kyoshin Ahn is the Executive Secretary of the North American Division.
Six Actions of Evangelism by Jose Cortes Jr.
In this video from the eHuddle 2022, Jose Cortes Jr. presents the North American Division's definition of evangelism: Reach, Reclaim, and Retain the people of North America with Jesus' Mission and Message of Compassion, Hope, and Wholeness. He also talks about the Six Actions of Evangelism for the Adventist Church in North America - love, serve, baptize, equip, plant, and revitalize. The Definition and Six Actions of Evangelism were created by the North American Division Ministerial Association in collaboration with thousands of pastors, members, and church leaders across North America. Watch the video here.
Assessing Community's Need for Church Growth and Evangelism by Austin Humphreys
This presentation from the Pastor Evangelists Boot Camp is to the pastors wondering, "Is my church going to grow?". Austin Humphreys presents a staggering stat that 92% of pastors don't know their community. Most pastors think to themselves, "I can't wait to evangelize this city. I can't wait to blow this up, do this and do that." But they don't realize that God is calling them to change their local community right where they are. Pastors need to learn to change the block before they can handle the city. They must first assess their community's need to grow and move toward greater with their church and evangelism. Watch this video here.
Austin Humphreys is the Senior Pastor of Murphysboro in North Carolina.
New Methods of Evangelism by Arnaldo Cruz
In this video from the Pastor Evangelists Bootcamp series, Arnaldo Cruz presents one of the problems many pastors have faced at their local churches regarding evangelism. How can they utilize the church's resources to evangelize more effectively? How can they solve the dilemma of putting their energy on the person doing evangelism and spending all their budget on flyers versus using new methods that have proved to be successful? Watch the video here.
Pastor Arnaldo Cruz is the new Communications/Technology/Media Evangelism Director in the
Southeastern Conference.
Family Evangelism by Alonzo Smith
In this video, Alonzo Smith shares his unique evangelism approach using family themes to baptize thousands of souls for Jesus. For the most part, evangelistic outreach focuses on Revelation seminars, Bible prophecies, health series, and evangelistic preaching. However, people who are not interested in religion will be more inclined to show interest in family themes. This distinctive approach is called Family Evangelism.
Alonza Smith is the Executive Secretary of the Greater New York Conference.
Mingling Among People by Lucious Hall
In this video, Pastor Lucious Hall talks about personal evangelism and the importance of mingling among people. Ellen G. White said that the Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. We must do the same. There can be no success in public evangelism if there is no personal evangelism. The more straightforward way to personal evangelism is to mingle with people from our neighborhood, community, work, or school because mingling helps us build bridges of friendship and meet needs. Watch the video here.
Lucious Hall is the Senior Pastor of Poinciana Seventh Day Church.
May 8, 2022 - Mother's Day
In May, we celebrate Mother's Day, and here are a few ideas on how to celebrate this day with the amazing moms of your church.
Make a video - Record a video with a Mother's Day message and send it to all mothers in your church through Facebook, Instagram, or an email blast (Constant Contact or Mail Chimp).
Create a digital card - Send a digital card to the mothers reminding them how important they are to their children. A simple "Thank you for all you do" will bring a smile to their faces and encourage their hearts.
Get the dads or any other adult in the home to film the kids saying a few words to their mothers and send it to you. Put them together in a single video to be posted on social media on Mother's Day.
Have a special Mother's Day Sabbath! Preach a message of love and encouragement to the mothers of your congregation, offer a special prayer, and have a special song. Show them that they are loved and that the church hasn't forgotten them on their day.
Coordinate with the Children's Ministries Director and practice a song with the children to be presented in church. They can also help the children make a card and offer it to their moms on Mother's Day.
April 17 – Easter
Easter is a big celebration for churches, here are some ideas you can use in your church:
Leading up to Easter, create a devotional or week of prayer beginning on Monday that discusses the meaning of Easter for adults, teens, and children.
Post pictures and videos to the church's Facebook and Instagram page about Easter.
Produce a video or social post explaining the significance of Easter in the context of our Christian faith, and how to recognize and celebrate Easter at home.
Post a recipe for unleavened bread that families can make together at home.
Have a virtual communion service. Create an online, live foot washing service. Have the pastor talk about the significance of foot washing, while people watch and wash each other’s feet at home.
Email a devotional, craft idea, activity pages to your congregation and invite them to share these with friends and neighbors.
Create a reflective service by hosting service with songs and reading devotionals on the bible verses of Jesus on the cross.
Ask people to film themselves explaining how Jesus changed their life in 1 minute, then create a testimony video using the clips.
Adapted from: https://www.la-umc.org/easter2020
Holiday Ministry Opportunity: International Women's Day
March 8 – International Women’s Day
1. Adopt a Single Mother - Invite a group of ladies from your church to adopt a single mother of the church or from the community. Pray for her, find out her needs, and make her life easier by providing with material resources and with emotional and spiritual care during these difficult times of Covid-19.
2. Get Involved with Good Causes – Have the ladies of your church be actively involved with organizations that advocate for a social cause. Research some organizations in your neighborhood that need help and contact them offering assistance. Walk together for different, good causes such as 'End It Now' or participate of 5K runs.
3. Healthy Women Emphasis Meeting - Invite a nurse, a nutritionist, or a doctor to a Zoom meeting for a talk on women’s health. Promote the event to the community and encourage the women of your church to invite their friends to participate.
4. Women’s Tea Party – Promote a Women’s Tea Party. This is a great opportunity to invite friends to get to know you and your church. Have a beautiful devotional, music, videos, prizes, some games, all accompanied by a warm cup of tea.
5. Adopt a Women’s Shelter – Find out about shelters or organizations for women rescued from human trafficking. They are always in need of things like toiletries, personal hygiene products, and clothing. With March being Women’s Month, have your church involved in collecting items to give to them. Women in your church could reach out to their friends and coworkers to donate and get involved as well.
Nike is right. Just do it!
I like the Nike slogan—"Just do it." Simple, relevant, yet challenging. The "Just do it" statement is bold enough to challenge you for one thing only: action. Not words, not good intentions, not planning, but simple and raw action. If you are sitting for too long, stand up and move. If you are in bed waiting for something to happen, get up and start doing what you know is the right thing to do. It is simple like that—just do it.
Jesus didn't stay in heaven contemplating human beings' need of salvation and talking to the Father about it. He decided to just do it. He came to earth, and He showed compassion toward us. He spoke to people. He healed them. He spread love. He served till the end. His love was active, not passive.
Our love towards humanity also must be active. Our compassion cannot be passive. If we know what we must do, let's do it! This is not a new idea or a new commandment. Jesus said that we must love others, and He left the example of how to love them—through acts of service. Pay attention to this Bible verse: "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for you came to church and sang songs from the hymn book, you read from the King James Version, you gave your tithes and offerings, you put out so many fires between the members of your church, you built a nice church building, you kept a vegetarian diet, you wore a suit and tie to look important, you worked for the church, you became a pastor, and once in a while you served someone…now enter to the kingdom of God" (Matt. 25:34-36).
Wait a minute! That's not what the Bible verse says! However, that is precisely how we are living. We think the way we are living our pastoral lives is all that there is, that we are already fulfilling Jesus' great commission. However, Jesus has different things in mind. Here is what He really said: "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me'" (Matthew 25:35-36).
Do you see the difference? These things are simple acts of compassion that anyone can do! You do not have to be the pastor or even to receive approval from the church board to visit the sick or feed the hungry. We don't need a budget to visit someone in prison. We don't have to have an extra income to offer a sandwich and a bottle of water to the homeless. What is required? Nothing. Just our willingness to do it. We just need somebody to start, and that little spark will become a fire that will spread to your church members.
I have been involved with Compassion Ministry for the last couple of years, and I have had the privileged to mobilize thousands of young people and church members to go out and serve the community with acts of compassion. How did it happen? I just did it, and they followed! Here are some ideas to move in that direction:
Google local shelters, nursing homes, community centers in your area, and get the addresses and telephone numbers.
Invite 1-2 church members to visit those places with you. Introduce yourself (your name, not your position). Nobody cares about your church position; they want to know if you are willing to help.
Tell them the days you are available to help. Most of the time, they will have an opening for you to serve. Check their full schedule so that you can invite other church members to start serving at different hours of the week.
When you are scheduled to volunteer, be there 15 minutes before you start your work.
Share with the church members what you are doing and motivate others to follow your initiative. Take pictures, promote them through Social Media.
I have been pastoring a new church for the last three years, and I have followed these steps in my church. I invited Thomas Francis, a retired church member, to join me, and in just a few hours, we personally contacted more than eight organizations. All, without exception, gladly accepted our volunteer time to serve the community with them.
We decided to join one of the organizations which daily feed the homeless called Manna House INC. in Baltimore, MD. We serve there once a week, and we help to feed more than two hundred people. Other church members have been joining Tom and me, and in the next few weeks, we will connect the Pathfinder and Adventurer Clubs with that organization as well. The fire is beginning to spread.
If you don't want to join an organization but instead would like to do something different, check the website: www.compassionmovement.com, where you can find ideas and projects to implement in your local church creatively. Just do it!
By Pastor Paulo Macena, Lead Pastor of Ellicott City SDA Church in the Chesapeake Conference.
A Conspiracy in North America Part 2
I envision the day when our church will be known for our Compassion and Love for humanity rather than for the things we oppose. The day when this happens, we will be in great historic company, we’ll be in the company of Jesus. Jesus was known for loving people of all walks of life and backgrounds, as He walked this earth. Once, while talking to His disciples Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). This is not just a call for church unity among believers, this pronouncement extends His love way beyond that, and explains why people felt drawn to Him. People gravitated towards Jesus because they felt safe and loved in His presence.
I have a deep conviction that a Conspiracy of Compassion is perhaps one of the biggest needs of the Adventist Church in North America.
For the conspiracy to become a reality, it takes all of us, collaborating together, in all of our churches, institutions, and organizations, consistently, as if we had all planned to do it together, all at the same time. Can you imagine what would happen if Adventism in North America became a synonym of Compassion? What if, as people walked and drove by our churches they would see open doors and our beautiful visible signs outlining our services to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the community? What if people could see us, Adventists, outside of our church buildings on a regular basis doing good, like Jesus did?
There are a few concepts to keep in mind as your church becomes the Eyes, Heart, Hands, and Feet of Jesus in your community. Take a look:
Relevance: After last month’s blog “Conspiracy in North America” someone asked, what is your definition of Relevance? Relevance is being there when you are needed. A church that is there for its members and its community when they are in need is a relevant church.
· When there is a storm in your area, how can your church be relevant?
· When a house burns down on your street, how can your church be relevant?
· When there is a death in a community family (see Obituary Section in Newspaper), how can your church be relevant?
· When there is hunger in your community, how can your church be relevant?
· When civil unrest is taking place in your town, how can your church be relevant?
· When obesity is prevalent in the neighborhood, how can your church be relevant?
· When there is a Marathon, a Street Market, a Parade happening in your city, how can your church be relevant?
· When there are thousands playing basketball, soccer, and softball across city parks and playgrounds, how can your church be relevant?
· When there is a need for new leadership in your city or state, how can your church be relevant? Could a church member run for office and help make a change?
· When thousands of people walk right pass your church building on a regular basis, how can your church be relevant to them?
· Consistency: Blessing the community with acts of love and compassion once in a while is not enough. Just last Saturday, as I was talking to John, a homeless man, in downtown Troy, New York, he told me: “People don’t trust some churches because they come out and help us and then disappear and we don’t hear from them again…” Does this sound familiar? A one time Compassion event although it may help, is not enough. People will not trust someone they only see once in a while. Churches that care keep coming back, they stick with it, they just don’t come once a year right before the public evangelistic meetings begin, people see right through that. It is time that our Adventist Churches become a permanent and active fixture in the public spaces of our communities, where they are needed. Compassion was not an event in the life of Jesus, it was a lifestyle. The same applies to His church.
Identity: It is vital that people know who we are, as we minister to them in our communities. If they don’t know who we are, how will they ever come back to us when they have a need? How will they contact us when they need a prayer or feel the Holy Spirit leading them to worship, or to inquire more about spiritual things? When ministering, keep in mind to have a card, which includes your Church name, address, telephone #, and e-mail, this way people know whom to contact when they have a physical or spiritual need in the future.
Objective: People will ask why are you doing this? Many will be suspicious that you are doing this because there is an ulterior motive. It must be clear that our ultimate desire is the salvation of every individual that we come in contact with and making them disciples so they can join us in sharing God’s love in this dying world. However, we must learn from Jesus who on a regular basis showed His love in practical ways with no strings attached. Jesus did not enlist everyone He fed, healed, and blessed, as a disciple or a member of his early church plant, but He fed, healed, and blessed them anyway. When people ask why are you doing this? We must be able to tell them “We are showing God’s love in practical ways…” and be willing to continue to be Jesus to them. Just like Jesus, we will not baptize all, but at least we will take their hunger away and give them hope.
Partnership: As a Church, we must remember that we are not an island. There are governmental, private, and faith based organizations and institutions which are already making a difference in the community. They have access to plenty of resources and at times are lacking the most important resource, which is not funding, but people. Partnering with the entities can be a blessing for the community, for the organization, and for our church. Do not be afraid to partner, you do not have to reinvent the wheel, our Church loses nothing when we partner with others to help. There are also wealthy individuals and families who are looking for people to partner with, they may not want to come to your church, but they want to invest some of their money benefitting people and communities. The “poverty” of the wealthy is the need to use their expertise and finances in the improving of lives and communities. They may be willing to partner with your church in an after school mentoring program, food distribution, health clinics, counseling clinics, single mothers outreach, community fitness programs, home makeovers, and others. And this may be the only way for them to ever get to know Jesus and our church.
Let’s join together in the Conspiracy of Compassion across North America!
Pastor Jose Cortes Jr., is an Associate Ministerial Director and Leads Evangelism for the Adventist Church in North America.
A Conspiracy in North America
What if our Adventist Churches across North America began a conspiracy? What if we decided in harmony with all the other churches across Bermuda, Canada, United States and the islands of Guam and Micronesia that we are going to love our cities like Jesus did? What do you think would happen if we ventured outside the walls of our churches, asked people about their needs, and did something transformational for individuals and communities?
What if our local churches conspired together to do the following?
· Respond to disasters in the community (fires, earthquakes, storms, tornados).
· Feed the hungry.
· Clothe the naked.
· Mentor children after school.
· Minister to prisoners, and also minister to their families.
· Visit and pray for the sick in the community regularly.
· Offer FREE Marital Counseling (married couples) and FREE Pre-Marital Counseling (engaged couples).
· Offer FREE Parenting Classes for parents.
· Donate space, FREE of charge, for community weddings and funerals.
· Advertise the Services of the local Adventist Pastor to conduct Weddings, Dedications of Babies, and Funerals, FREE of charge for the church’s community.
· Provide manicures and pedicures for battered women
· Celebrate communion with the homeless and bring them in when it is cold.
· Lead Toy Drives during Christmas.
· Stand against modern Slavery and the abuse of women, children and the elderly (not a silent church).
· Teach FREE Financial Management Classes (How to budget? How to buy a house? How to become debt-free? Financial Freedom, Income Taxes)
· Hold FREE Fitness classes.
· Connect with governmental leaders and work with them to support good causes regardless of their party affiliation.
· Hold a reception for community business owners and pray for their success.
· Promote and facilitate the adoption of children.
· Co-sponsor and organize concerts with well known musicians in some of our very beautiful, historic, landmark buildings, rather than having these buildings closed to the public most of the time.
· Organize and sponsor celebrations during special days and recognized holidays such as: New Year’s, Superbowl, Valentine’s, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and others.
· Partner with the city and other organizations to serve as volunteers in events such as: marathons, fairs, festivals, and others.
· What would happen with our churches if we would venture to open our doors more often, rather than just Saturdays, for a few hours, and Wednesdays for an hour? After all some other churches who don’t have the beautiful and powerful message we have, keep their doors open all the time. What if we dared to distribute flyers in our communities, not with beasts on the cover, but offering the few services mentioned above and many others? What if we did this, not just for a day, or for a season right before the evangelistic meetings, but on a regular basis as a lifestyle? What do you think would happen?
1. A Relevant Church is never empty. Jesus was surrounded by people constantly, He did not preach to empty pews, there is a reason why He always had a crowd.
2. A Relevant Church reaches and reclaims its community. Jesus did that on a regular basis. He went to the synagogue, sat and read, and then went out to reach and reclaim His community.
3. A Relevant Church retains its members. When a community of people are active and happy doing something good, which they enjoy, they don’t leave; the total opposite happens, more people come, youth, young adults, adults, and children, believe me it can be viral. Jesus went viral, and that’s why our church is here today because of what He did.
It’s time for a Conspiracy of Compassion in our Adventist Churches in North America!
Pastor Jose Cortes Jr., is an Associate Ministerial Director and Leads Evangelism for the Adventist Church in North America.