based on 4 ratings
| 4,033 views
I read about a Pastor who decided to experiment with changing those sad statistics in his church. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Pastor’s
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Christian/Church Of Christ
Contributed by John Browning on Aug 6, 2007
A story is told of a small group study that was done each week a church. Each week it would be held in a different member’s home and the host would provide snacks and the opening prayer. One young lady always provided the best food, had the cleanest home, etc. But she could never say the prayer;
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by David Fox on Nov 12, 2001
based on 165 ratings
| 3,007 views
<<ILL>>
A 200-year-old church was being readied for an anniversary celebration when calamity struck: the bell ringer was called out of town.
The priest immediately advertised for another.
When the replacement arrived, the priest took him to the steps leading to the bell tower, some 150 feet
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Denomination:
Pentecostal
based on 2 ratings
| 1,862 views
As a kid in a Baptist church, once a month after the morning service we had a fellowship hour. The congregation would immediately retire to the basement fellowship hall (there’s that word again), a room used for talking and eating for cookies and conversation. When you are twelve, you are most
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Pentecostal
Contributed by Mike Wilkins on Nov 30, 2004
based on 13 ratings
| 4,343 views
De-evangelizing the neighbourhood
I was at a conference a few years ago where they told the story of a church that looked as though they were really thriving: they had about 500 people attending, and had many outreach ministries reaching their community, and many people were coming to Christ and to
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*other
Contributed by Bret Toman on Jun 15, 2009
NOBODY KNEW HE WAS GONE
The rent hadn’t been paid, so the landlord came knocking. For years, the rent was paid automatically from the tenant’s bank account. But suddenly, there were no funds available and no response from the tenant. When he didn’t come to the door, the landlord let himself in to
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by Bret Toman on Jun 15, 2009
based on 1 rating
| 3,808 views
THE VALUE OF CONNECTING
Larry Crabb tells the story of a man he knew that attempted suicide. His injury was so severe that he should have died, but he recovered and sought out Dr. Crabb for therapy.
The two had been meeting together for some time. They covered a lot of ground. Dr. Crabb
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Baptist
Contributed by Bret Toman on Jun 15, 2009
NEGLECT OF COMMUNITY
"If God designed the Church to function like a body with every member ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit to other members, in regular interpersonal relationship, then would it be surprising to find that the neglect of this regular interpersonal, spiritual ministry
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Baptist
Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Jun 27, 2010
FAITH MAKES YOU HAPPIER AS YOU AGE, STUDY SHOWS
The Gerontological Society of America released an academic journal in February 1976 that shows as you get older, Christian faith makes you feel happier, more useful and more adjusted over time. In May 2007 the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
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Baptist
Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 3, 2011
RECOVERY IS CONNECTION
Henry Cloud in How People Grow writes, "Virtually every emotional and psychological problem, from addictions to depression, has alienation or emotional isolation at its core or close to it. Recovery from these problems involves helping people get more connected to each other
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Baptist
Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 4,117 views
CROWDED LONELINESS
At a recent small groups conference at Saddleback Church Randy Frazee spoke on the "call to community." He reported the average American family manages 35 separate relationships on a day-to-day basis--children, extended family, neighbors, government, school, friends, work,
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Contributed by Davon Huss on May 6, 2008
Being subjected to extended aloneness kills the spirit, introduces insanity, and destroys a person. Senator and former Vietnam POW John McCain describes the elation he experienced when he was reunited with fellow prisoners after a horribly long and brutal separation: "I was overwhelmed by the
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Christian/Church Of Christ
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002
based on 6 ratings
| 1,936 views
A couple of weeks ago, our small group got together for a movie night. We watched “Unbreakable,” the latest movie from the writer and director of “The Sixth Sense.” In this movie, Bruce Willis discovers that he has a special gift, but he doesn’t yet know how to use it. So his new friend, played by
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 14, 2008
When we studied this in our small group, we looked at the story of a man who was possessed by a bunch of demons. He was wild. He tortured. Casting Crowns has written a song telling this story. And I found a video that has dramatized the story and song. Let’s take a
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Denomination:
Church Of God
Sermon Central