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Best Practices
October 13, 2010
Thoughts on Discipleship

"Do not scrutinize so closely whether you are doing much or little, ill or well, so long as what you do is not sinful and that you are heartily seeking to do everything for God. Try as far as you can to do everything well, but when it is done, do not think about it. Try, rather, to think of what is to be done next. Go on simply in the Lord's way, and do not torment yourself.

"We ought to hate our faults, but with a quiet, calm hatred; not pettishly and anxiously."
 - Francis de Sales


Check out Vervent's iFollow discipleship website!
IN THIS ISSUE
www.e-gracenotes.org
Media: Great churches are always innovating
Vervent news: Hollywood wins Innovative Church of the Year award
Reading for Pastors: Do SDA's get credit for finding those Chilean miners alive?
Quotes: "A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled."
News & ideas: TED.com
Events: Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath
Editorial
Paul Richardsonwww.e-gracenotes.org
Your Internet Evangelism Ministry

by Paul Richardson, Managing Editor www.e-gracenotes.org

"I would like to visit and join your church. I am a single mother of two teenage boys," a woman in New Jersey wrote to www.e-gracenotes.org recently.

Here are a few more:

"I am not a Seventh-day Adventist; still I totally believe that Saturday is the Sabbath. The first time I heard this about 20+ years ago, I knew it made sense. ....I studied Judaism, to understand the roots of Christianity, and it just made me wonder,'If we want to live like the Savior did, why don't we?' ....Thank you for sharing your Sabbath with others. Respectfully, Karen."

"Thanks for the article 'She's Gone'. I work in student affairs for a public university in the state of Georgia. We recently lost two students in a tragic, alcohol related auto accident. One died because they had been drinking and refused to wear a seat belt. The other incarcerated on a vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and other related charges. My prayer is that many will read your article and forward it to some young person who may be in the throes of a decision to abstain from alcohol and drug use."

"This morning I had a dream: I was running powerlessly with some competitors and hearing a song. And I remember part of it now. ...'It's Jesus' Corner'." I thought maybe it existed somewhere and searched in Google, then I found your article. It's good."

These are just some of the scores of responses readers are sharing about the content that refreshes two times a week on your Adventist Church or School Connect Web site. You may have noticed the articles in English, Spanish or French under the sections "The Bible Says", or "Staying Young", or "Family First". Maybe you have faithfully read many of the 3,800 articles written since this service started back in 2005. Once an article is RSS-fed to your church or school Web site, it is archived at www.e-gracenotes.org.

From time to time we like to get input on how this free services from the North American Division is resonating with your world and that of your members and community. Please pop us a note [email protected] and respond to any or all of these questions:
  • Has anyone from your community noticed and made a comment to you about the articles on your Web site? What did they say?
  • Have your members noticed and commented about the articles that automatically show up each week on your church Web site?
  • What has been beneficial to you personally when you've read some of the articles on the Web site?
  • Would you like to see these and other articles be made available on smart devices such as cell phones or iPads, etc?
We'd really appreciate hearing from you this week!

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Featured Media
Sunset Oaks Episode 2 Great churches are always innovating. Great churches always learn from their experiments. Watch Sunset Oaks learn some lessons from their bold experiment of apartment ministry in the final episode of the Stained Glass documentary series. The entire five episode documentary is available at AdventSource.
 

Damon Hendrickson"In the events leading up to and including October 22, 1844 our Adventist forefathers left us with an important heritage. Instead of a beginning of being 'right' about our religion, we began with utter failure and humiliation. Out of this failure and what was indeed a Great Disappointment - hope was born and a movement began."                    -Rajeev Sigamoney

This year on October 22, 2010 many churches are going to re-live the legacy of theological innovation that was required when the experience of early Adventists could no longer sustain what they believed. Check out The Great Disappointment page to get program notes from the Hollywood Church for holding an all nighter in your community. Click the icon to the left to watch the video trailer.
Roscoe J. Howard III


Diversity in gender, language, race, worship style, personality, nationalty and hundreds of others areas is a reality in Seventh-day Adventist churches today. How can diversity become an opportunity for mission rather than a roadblock to service?  Watch this tagged video  recording of Roscoe J. Howard's presentation at the iLead Conference '09co-sponsored by the NAD Church Resource Center. While you're there check out the hundreds of others tagged presentations.
Vervent News from CRC
Ryan Bell Accepts award from Dave Gemmell
Innovative Church of the Year: Hollywood

The winner of the 2010 Innovative Church of the Year award, announced at the 2010 National Conference on Innovation, was Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church. 

"Hollywood church  was selected because it faced the challenges of anti-religious sentiment, extreme diversity, graffiti, homelessness, and turned them into opportunities by adopting the community within one mile of the church," says Dave Gemmell, Associate Director of the NAD Church Resource Center.  "This has resulted in strong networking with existing organizations to tackle some of the challenges by designing a mural, developing a park, providing vegetable gardens, creating a film production company, a podcast, and workshops. As a result 50 church members are active in outreach and church attendance has grown from 75 to 150."

Through the Innovative Church of the Year, The NAD Church Resource Center hopes to foster growing healthy congregations in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. Gemmell says that "most everything we do in church life started out as an innovation. We need to continue to innovate and update because the world is constantly changing...and It's not too early to think about submitting for the 2011 awards."

Reading for Pastors

Seventh-day Adventists try to take credit for the miracle of finding the Chilean miners alive.

Pet blessings and other signs of the intersection of animals and religion.
Quote: "I don't think you can become a full human until you extend your ability to care to all living beings,"

An aggressive move from the Vatican:
B16 creates office for evangelizing Europe, suggesting the use of some of the same tools evangelicals have used. (Catholic radio stations are coming on air at a rapid pace, and there's even a Catholic evangelism magazine!)

New media must change how we communicate the message,
according to Monte Sahlin. Quote: "Conventional logic and communication patterns that have been used in print to proclaim the gospel will not longer work. The 'reader' in the digital world is more skeptical, more immediate, more interactive, more individualistic, more focused on 'so what' and 'what's in it for me?' Every message on the Web is a personal message."

Is all the criticism about the irrelevance of the church justified? No, argues R. Scott Clark.
Quote: "Some influential religious leaders think the church is irrelevant because it is not hip or does not generate a sufficiently intense religious experience. Others abandon it because it is sinful, but I suspect that the real problem that some have with the church is not just its sinfulness, but more fundamentally, its humanity."

Terry Mattingly (author of Pop Goes Religion) evaluates the latest Pew Forum study on religion in America
- particularly the finding that atheists know more about faith than Christians. Elsewhere, Mattingly has written, "The key for me is that most atheists and agnostics are, in their own way, convertsto a new faithless tradition. Anyone who knows anything about religion knows that converts tend to be very passionate people when it comes to practicing their faith and learning more about it." Here's Terry's podcast on the topic.

Wesboro Baptist's protests are disgusting - but Terry Mattingly insists there's more to the story than usually gets reported.

Is your church doing background checks on those working with children?
To the Point
Decided proclamations are to be made. But in regard to this line of work, I am instructed to say to our people: Be guarded. In bearing the message, make no personal thrusts at other churches, not even the Roman Catholic Church. Angels of God see in the different denominations many who can be reached only by the greatest caution. Therefore let us be careful of our words. Let not our ministers follow their own impulses in denouncing and exposing the "mysteries of iniquity." Upon these themes silence is eloquence. Many are deceived. Speak the truth in tones and words of love. Let Christ Jesus be exalted. Keep to the affirmative of truth. Never leave the straight path God has marked out, for the purpose of giving someone a thrust. That thrust may do much harm and no good. It may quench conviction in many minds. Let the Word of God, which is the truth, tell the story of the inconsistency of those in error.
 - EGW, Evangelism, 576


Do not make prominent the objectionable features of our faith, which strike most decidedly against the practices and customs of the people, until the Lord shall give the people a fair chance to know that we are believers in Christ, that we do believe in the divinity of Christ, and in His pre-existence.
 - EGW, Testimonies to Ministers, 253

The happiest people in the world are those who trust in Jesus and gladly do His bidding. From the lives of those who follow Him, unrest and discontent are banished. . . . They may meet with trial and difficulty, but their lives are full of joy; for Christ walks beside them, and His presence makes the pathway bright.
 - EGW, In Heavenly Places, 62


Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.
  - William Hazlitt

A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.
  - Sir Barnett Cocks
News, Ideas & Reminders

  • From John Glass: "Some time back I was introduced to TED.com.  Incredible stuff.  Sometimes you want a break and the videos (varied lengths from 5 - 20 min.) are so far beyond bubble gum for the brain that they actually rejuvenate me.  Take a look and see what you think.  I just watched Dan Ellsey making music; he brought tears to the eyes. The videos show me that there is such an incredibly large world of knowledge waiting for us out there. Two suggestions: Dan Buettner, 'How to live to 100' (he mentions SDAs) and William Li, 'Can we Eat to Starve Cancer,' which is just plain impressive.
  • From Skip Bell at SDATS: New D.Min. cohort in formation: The Church in the City: An Urban Ministry Focus, 1-888-717-6244
  • Oct 14-17, 2010  SAU / Chattanooga / Calhoun, GA. The Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association (AMFA) Chattanooga Lecture Series presents: Relationships for Eternity. In our current climate in the US, Adventist need to have a much more informed knowledge of Islam and Christlike response to Muslims.  As a pastor, scholar, missionary and mentor, Pastor Sylvain, from Bogenhofen, Austria will present 13 lectures in surrounding churches and educational institutions.  Contact:  Ira Farley.  Phone 706-694-4280 & Email: [email protected]
Got a tool, resource, site, article, idea or seminar that you like a lot? Share it with us at [email protected].
Upcoming NAD Events

Do you have an event you'd like to invite NAD pastors to? Send details to [email protected].

Arminianism and Adventism. Oct 14, 2010 - Oct 17, 2010, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI . "Celebrating Our Soteriological Heritage." We will discuss the roots of Adventist understanding of salvation as found in 17th century Arminianism and in Wesleyan thought. Top scholars will explore issues relating to a biblical understanding of human nature, free will, God's grace, atonement and predestination. Phone: 269-471-3607. For more information, email: [email protected]

Society of Adventist Communicators Convention. Oct 14, 2010 - Oct 16, 2010, Hyatt Regency Rochester, 125 E Main Street, Rochester, NY 14604. A convention where students, beginning communicators, and seasoned professionals will have the opportunity to share ideas as well as participate in fields trips, workshops, networking, and inspirational worships. Keynote speaker is Phil Cooke, PhD from "Christianity Today." More details coming. Phone: 301-680-6057. For more information, email: [email protected]

Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath. Oct 16, 2010, Division Wide. Special materials provided.

180� Symposium 2010. Oct 18, 2010 - Oct 21, 2010, Andrews University, Chan Shun Hall, Whirlpool Room, 4185 E Campus Circle Drive, Berrien Springs, MI 49104. "Models of Youth and Young Adult Ministries." 8am-5pm. Sponsored, in part, by the Center for Youth Evangelism, this third annual symposium will bring together church and lay leaders passionate about creative ideas to spiritually engage those on public college campuses. Research papers will be presented. Phone: 800-968-8428. For more information, email: [email protected]

Pathfinder Sabbath. Oct 23, 2010, Division Wide. Special materials provided.

Creation Sabbath. Oct 23, 2010, Division Wide via satellite from Andrews University. Celebration of Creation. Join Adventist scholars, leaders and fellow believers for a special Sabbath celebrating our fundamental belief in the recent six-day creation revealed in God's word. This event is sponsored by the General Conference's Faith and Science Council.

Children's Ministries Training. November 11-14, 2010, Leoni Meadows Christian Retreat Center, 6100 Leoni Road, Grizzly Flats, CA 95636. North American Division training event. Phone: 301-680-6425. For more information, email: [email protected]
Best Practices is a Vervent publication of NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER. Editor: Loren Seibold, Ohio Conference. E-mail: Best Practices. You are free to republish pieces from Best Practices in your own newsletter or blog, with attribution to the Best Practices newsletter and the author of the piece.