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Two of our six Festivals of Young Preachers during 2014 have now been completed with great success (the National Festival in Indianapolis and the Texas Regional in Abilene.) Registration for the New England Regional and the Nashville Regional, both in the fall, will go live in about ten days. Full Steam Ahead!!

Listen to one of the Young Preachers!
 
Molly Shoulta, 2014 National Festival of Young Preachers
Molly Shoulta AoP '11, 2014 National Festival of Young Preachers
 
Rachel Brocker AoP '12 performing a sermon at the Texas Regional Festival in Abilene;
She interpreted the story of Lydia's conversion as found in Acts 16: 11-15.

  

Jake Maxwell designed this art.  He is a professor at the Abilene Christian University in Texas. The Sculpture's name is Jacob's Dream. 
  
 
Wyndee Holbrook, D'angelo Smith, Dwight Moody
 
 
David Emery, AoP Board of Directors, completed the Marathon During the Family Fitness Day in St.Louis this April.  The picture above shows David after he completed the marathon in Scotland during his sabatical last year. 

 

Dwight A. MoodyDwight A. Moody, Executive Director

Founder and President

 

TELL ME A STORY is our preaching theme for this year and for the 2015 National Festival in Dallas next January.

On the AoP website there is a list of the 25 biblical texts we have selected as preaching texts. Included are very familiar stories, such as Daniel in the den of the lions and the Good Samaritan. Some are not so familiar, like the rejection of Amos from Bethel and Paul's shipwreck on the way to Rome.

All of these biblical stories are powerful and compelling material for preaching.

TELL ME A STORY is not just about Bible stories. It is about your story and our story and the stories of life of planet earth. The preacher must know how to weave together these stories so that the story of God shines through our preaching.

We want these festivals this year to entice young preachers into telling a story (which is different than using a story as a springboard for preaching). After all, a story is one of the nine marks of a good sermon!! See my column here for the other eight!

People listen to stories and people remember stories.

This past Sunday I preached at the First Baptist Church of Winchester, Kentucky. Taking Ezekiel 37 as my text, I described how God told Ezekiel to preach to the bones, then preach to the wind, and then finally to preach to the people. In the course of that sermon I described how some children "play church" and line up their stuffed animals and preach to them.

My five year old grandson was with me on this preaching mission, and later in the day his father called to say that the boy, Sam, went straight to his room upon returning home, gathered all of his stuff animals (and he has a large congregation of them), and situated them to listen to him preach a sermon.

"What are you preaching about?" his dad asked. To which the boy replied, "Green eggs and ham."

Ike had never heard a sermon on the topic, but I suspect he will never forget this one, especially when the pint size preacher, standing on his queen size bed, issued his ringing appeal, "Do you want the Lord's green eggs and ham, or do you want the regular green eggs and ham?"

I will remember this story and not just because I am the grandfather but because it illustrates how even five year old children remember a story they hear told from the pulpit.
April 2014
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"In Christ's Service and Enthusiasm"

Wyndee Holbrook

Director of Programs

Wyndee

Often I'm just struck by something and need to respond. 

 

One of our Young Preachers from Abilene was asking a registration question via email and signed off, "In Christ's Service and Enthusiasm." Well, I simply had to tell her how much I appreciated this final witness in her message. Another message ended with, "In Christ's Grace and Mercy, Never-Ceasing."  These make my standard "Blessings" sound pretty lame.

 

I wondered about the college coed behind these words.  Would I recognize her immediately once we all arrived in Abilene?  Would she look as spunky as she sounded in her e-mail?  As an extravert who spends lots of time at a computer, I have ample opportunity to wonder about the people on the other end of the internet.  And this one intrigued me.

 

The group of Young Preachers eagerly gathered for the opening session at the Texas Festival of Young Preachers at Abilene Christian University.  Four seminaries, three colleges and one high school were represented at the event.  As I surveyed the crowd, I wondered who was there "In Christ's Service and Enthusiasm?"  Naturally I had lots of things to juggle at the opening of a Festival, but I just didn't see the young woman I was expecting.

 

Once things were underway, I learned that she was certainly there. Her enthusiasm dampened a bit perhaps, due to a recent accident that had her on crutches. Faithful friends were there alongside her to help her navigate and all were in good spirits.  I knew as I saw her struggling to get from place to place that being at the Festival mattered to her.  She could have blown it off as too much trouble.  Her friends could have chosen to be elsewhere and left her stranded. 

 

The scene put me in mind of the lame man whose friends opened the ceiling and lowered him down to Jesus in hope of healing.  Like that man, this young woman had friends who cared deeply about her.  I think they would have come just to hear her preach, but they were perfectly happy to serve her in any way needed.

 

I sat at dinner with the foursome.  In turn they each shared their stories of faith and following God.  The Young Preacher had known since her early teens that God was calling her, and yet like so many, she became frustrated and unsure along the way.  She set her sights on pre-law, having become skilled at forensics and debate in high school.  But sure enough, the voice of the Spirit wooed again and she recognized the value of her preparation was for her true calling in ministry. 

 

Now on the verge of college graduation, she has seminary in her future.  She has a mentor and church steadily guiding her. She has the support of faculty and friends. She now has preaching experience in an interdenominational setting and a new AoP network. She has what we want for all young people who share a call to gospel preaching.  She has confidence to be "In Christ's Service and Enthusiasm."  

 

 

The Academy of Preachers seeks to Identify, Network, Support and Inspire young people in their call to Gospel preaching.
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