Home School Band
With the rise of home schooling in our area, First Assembly began a home-school band. Rehearsals are held on Thursday afternoons, with tutoring by our church-music director and another qualified teacher from our church. The band performs every Sunday night during the school term and on special holidays.
Through the band, the church has added new members, gained a stronger music program, and provided support for home-schooling parents.
—Douglas Rose First Assembly Belleville, Illinois
Car Repair Ministry
For some single women, particularly single moms, car problems can be nearly debilitating. To meet this need, our church started ARM—Automobile Repair Ministry—for single women from our church and community.
The church constructed a three-bay garage eqipped to do evaluation and minor repair work. With volunteer labor, discounted parts, and donated equipment, arm gives oil and filter changes and other minor repair work for the cost of parts. One woman’s car broke down a half hour’s drive from her house. She called the church office, and someone towed her car to the garage, where it was fixed.
arm operates the first Saturday morning of each month. Generally, people set up an appointment, but we take walk-ins.
—Layne Lebo Mechanicsburg BIC Church Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Caroling in Bars
As an outreach, our church goes caroling in local bars after our Christmas Eve service.
The previous week I call bars in our area to find out which ones will be open. Volunteers meet after the service for prayer and a brief training session. We then carpool to the bar. I go in and ask the owner if we can carol there. If he agrees, we announce to the customers our intentions and hand out song sheets. We sing only four or five familiar carols and only a verse or two of each. We then close with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Many patrons enjoy singing the carols with us. Some have tears in their eyes.
After the singing I thank the patrons for the opportunity to share God’s love. The carolers then move throughout the bar and give gifts (New Testaments), talking with patrons, and offering to pray with them. We also give Christmas cards that say, “We want you to know that Jesus loves you. From the members of Resurrection Lutheran Church,” followed by the church’s address and phone number.
One lady had lost all her possessions in a fire. We prayed for her and encouraged her to call us if she had any needs.
One owner stopped me and said, “I wish you could sing some more. … [These people] are only here because they’re lonely. They have no place to go. This is the most wonderful evening we’ve had. Please come back.”
—David Dorpat Resurrection Lutheran Church DesMoines, Washington
Talent Multiply-ers
After a sermon on the Parable of the Talents, Calvary Baptist Church gave each interested member $10 to invest in a special six-week project. The profits would go toward a ministry.
Some people used the money to buy ingredients to bake goods to sell. One person made a tape of musicians from the church, duplicated it, and sold each for $5. (Be sure to check copyright laws.) One small group pooled their resources and put together a cookbook.
Six weeks later we collected the profits. From the $500 investment, we collected almost $3,000 for our sister church in Kanev, Ukraine.
—Randy Berg Calvary Baptist Church Hastings, Minnesota
We Want Your Ideas! We’ll pay up to $50 for accepted items. Contact Us or write to: Leadership Ideas That Work 465 Gundersen Drive Carol Stream, IL 60188 To contact people about their ideas, see the contributors’ list on page 126.
1997 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us
