XS Baggage - ToThinkabout

Are you one of these people who always manages to carry excess baggage? You packed too many shoes, too many clothes for all eventualities, too many toiletries and gadgets to save you money and so that you can enjoy home comforts whilst on holiday? And why not?

The problem with such a appealing idea is that you will usually have a price to pay for the luxury! Excess baggage at the airport is no laughing matter...nor is having to carry a lot of stuff about on your own! Packing, unpacking ...

I recently found out I had been carrying baggage myself for a very long time which was weighing me down. We all do in some way or another. Life is full of things we carry and don't know what to do with it or how to get rid of it.

I am dealing with my luggage, painfully and slowly...and as time goes by it seems to feel easier. What excess luggage do you have, and do you really want it weighing you down? De-clutter like me and together we shall get through. Not easy, but possible.

Luggage - Nooma

Cafe Church 4pm Gainsborough

Welcome, Notices and Introductions...

Songs of Fellowship 646... All I Once Held Dear

Song 610 (SASB 863/Wonderful Healer)
Lord, here today my great need I am feeling

Weekly Offering

Todays' Prayers... The Work of The Holy Spirit In Our Fellowship, Future Of Our Corps, Property Matters

Nooma DVD: Luggage 007 Rob Bell (Info and clip)

Quiet Time: Personal Reflection on what we have seen on DVD

Looking at some verses from the Bible about forgiveness and 'baggage' we carry

Encouragement and Time of Testimony and Praise

Songs of Fellowship 716... Filled with Compassion

Prayer and Benediction

Cartoon - Loving God and others? Steady On!

Some people find it easier to love God rather than other people. Other people find it easier to love others rather than God. There are people who only love themselves. Where are you in this?

What draws you to the message of Jesus? - Nooma

Cafe Church 4pm Gainsborough

Welcome and Notices

Magnify 6 As we come to your throne (You are worthy)
Magnify is a Salvationist collection of 75 songs of worship.

Magnify 7 Be still, for the presence of the Lord

Prayer

To get us thinking:
How do you feel about people who stop you in the street and want you to listen to them?
What actually draws you to the message of Jesus? At the beginning were you loved or scared into the Kingdom?
Why do you think that generally followers of Jesus make a distinction between their love for God and their love for others

Short DVD - Introducing Bullhorn 009 Rob Bell
Time to reflect and discuss our reactions to the DVD

Bible Readings Matthew 22:36-40 and John 13:35

Today's challenge - If we are not shouting the message out loudly and scaringly, then how are we sharing it? Are we loving God and others with the same passion? If not, why not? How and who can help us sort this out?

Magnify 2 All Heaven Declares

Song 48 (SASB 150/God's love is wonderful)
God's love to me is wonderful
The Salvation Army Songbook

Prayer

Rob Bell ends DVD saying.."So may you see that how you love others is how you love God.
That' it
That's the way of love
That's the way of Jesus"

Going anywhere tomorrow? -ToThinkabout

Lots of thought provoking stuff here!
What do you think?

MyTips on Worship Preparation - Giving out notices in church?

The Announcements/Notices...given out in a service:

Now these are tricky. There can be so many notices that you use up precious time which you need specially if you have a set time to keep. Too many notices can also be boring. Some services have them at the beginning, as we do in Gainsborough, so that they are out of the way and the service can then go on without interruption or distraction but the problem with that choice is that it feels wrong to follow beautiful introductory music with mondaying notices about the toilets being out of order on tuesday for a week!! Others might put them in the programme at the very end, after the Sermon or even after the Benediction. The problem with having them at the end is that you could easily spoil the blessed atmosphere that has built up by giving them out then.

It seems that whenever you do it, it is going to be unsatisfactory for someone and, you will need to take local situations into account when deciding when it might be best, but there will always be a word of welcome and some form of housekeeping to pass on! Some churches give out a weekly sheet with the information needed and that is ideal but you then need someone to be responsible for this task other than the minister as he has too much to sort out already.

Other churches put their notices for the week and coming events on PowerPoint and show them before and after the service. Others, pin the notices on their notice board for all to see because they cannot photocopy for everyone. There are lots of ways and in the end it is only by trial and error that you find the answer to best suit your church services.

Some churches traditionally give out the notices at the same time as the taking up of the collection, if you want to try that then remember that having the notices first might mean people getting their offering ready and missing half of what is being said! I told you, you can't win. Just some things to think about...

Cartoon - Singing in Church Choirs

This cartoon speaks to me of commitment and simplicity. The choristers just want to praise God. The choirmaster is understandably frustrated with their 'efforts'. Choir members come in all shapes and sizes but they usually want to praise God and witness to those who hear them sing. In the Salvation Army we call them 'Songsters'. Whatever we call them in our churches lets appreciate our choirs and encourage them - if you do, they'll sing with that extra twinkle in their eyes!