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HEAVENLY FEASTS 'IMAGE BY DESIGN' We combined 'looking good on the outside' with 'looking good on the inside' and how does one achieve that. In Chatswood there is a shop in Lemon Grove, called Image By Design. They specialize in dressing men and women to their body shape and size. It is a shop that sells women's clothes, makeup and accessories. We commissioned them to come to an event to educate our guests on how to dress in a way that suits them. Yes we paid them and it is not cheap but it was well worth every cent. If you do not have the resources to cover costs then I would encourage you to have a small charge but have members pay for their guests. The talk of course was about inner beauty that comes from God alone. Allow me to give a run down of the evening: Guests were welcomed by candle tea lights making a path to the hall. The hall was decorated beautifully and there was the WOW factor as guests walked in. They were greeted with a glass of punch and introduced to others there. Our speakers from "Image by Design' in this time were inviting about 10-15 women to be dressed by them later in the evening. This was great fun and there was no distinction between members of the church and guests, so everyone was involved. An introduction was given at the beginning when people had been seated and a testimony given by one of our members. The talk followed straight away because we did not want women distracted by all the lovely outfits and which ones they wanted to look at more closely if the talk came after the clothes presentation. Coffee and a beautiful dessert were served after the talk, to give time to digest the message and for significant conversations with the guests. Once that was done then our guest presenters took over. They explained different personality types and showed that by calling different women from the audience. They then called for all women who had agreed earlier in the night to go and be dressed. It was a terrifically helpful and fun night. We all learnt something and the Gospel was faithfully preached (or at least shared). The women from the shop do the same type of thing for men but I haven't been brave enough to suggest this just at present. This idea was contributed by Debbie Gould from St Pauls Chatswood (debgould@alcweb.org) JAZZ IN THE CHAPEL This is exactly as it says. We hired a terrific jazz group who knew that it was an outreach event. I say this because you may not always be able to have Christian musicians, but if you do, then communicate clearly that there will be a gospel message during the event. Just maybe the Lord will call the musicians to himself. What a great celebration that would be. With the permission of the church wardens and many willing strong men we removed all the wooden pews from the church. This is a huge task for all concerned and because it is such a great event I have been able to get the OK but only once a year. With every event you want to have a WOW factor for your guests, something that tells them that you have put every effort into this night and you want them to feel special. Small tables were scattered around the church with chairs in a semi circle around the tables but facing the front. This gives the message that we are hear to listen and not talk over what is happening up front as is common in some jazz venues. You can choose a colour theme for the occasion. We chose black and white with a splash of red. Our table clothes were black and white check with a red candle in the centre. We have pillars in our church and so we covered the pillars with a strip of black material with red strips of tinsel down the sides. On each table was a bowl of nuts/cheese plate, a response form to fill in after the talk and pens. As far as the programming for the night goes, plan to have the gospel talk just before the first break so that there is time for conversations and follow up. Always have in mind what services and/or Christian information course you want to invite everyone to in the next week or two. Have brochures for whatever course your church is running and as I have said give it a good clear plug. This idea was contributed by Debbie Gould from St Pauls Chatswood (debgould@alcweb.org) MOTHERS DAY We have an evangelistic service on Mothers Day and so last year we chose to have a 'Pampering session' after the service for all mums and also those who have/had a mum. You can have a 'special' mum from your church give a testimony during the service and if you are equipped with all things computer/gadgets then a lovely power point can be put together of mums, grandmums etc. At our 'pampering session' we had some of our young adults ready behind a screened off area in our hall to give head, neck and shoulders and hand massages. Even though it was a morning service the light was dim, we had candles, soft pink balloon flowers, tables had white towels and there was scented oil for the hand massage. I need to note that we had in the week prior to Mothers Day, a training session by a trained masseur on simple techniques. There were ushers outside encouraging ladies to come for a pamper as soon as there was a table available. We had maybe 6-8 hand massage tables and about 6 chairs for those having a head, neck and shoulder massage. Whilst the massages were taking place it then gave great opportunity for our girls to chat to guests about how they found the service etc. For all of our outreach events we try to put together a suitable gift bag for the occasion. For Mothers Day we had white gift bags and inside there was a CD of soft piano music (recorded by a friend and then multiple copies made), some bath salts, tea light, a chocolate and any invites to further courses, events or services that were appropriate. Of course this type of 'Pampering Sessions' can be done at any other time, and maybe you could include foot baths and foot massages, manicures etc. If you were to have a separate event it would be terrific to have a talk on The One Who Gives Rest', or 'The Rest to Come'. Anything that links in the 'rest' of being pampered. This idea was contributed by Debbie Gould from St Pauls Chatswood (debgould@alcweb.org) SCRAPPING WITH SOUL… Amy Davey, Nadine Grootenboer, Rosie Ellery, Liesl Mitchell & Sue White are “Scrapping with Soul: Five women who love Jesus and scrapbooking, and enjoy sharing both with others”. These women from Nowra Baptist Church are excited by the ministry opportunities Scrapping with Soul will have during 2006. After attending a secular scrapbooking camp the ladies joked about running their own event to share the gospel with the ever increasing number of women who enjoy this hobby. The idea gradually blossomed into forming a group to organize a scrapbooking weekend with an evangelistic componenent. Amy comments, “We have all been involved in evangelistic events in the past which have been linked to a craft activity, such as cardmaking or quilting. Using a craft activity as a drawcard means we can comfortably invite other women to be challenged to consider Jesus for themselves in a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere.” So what has Scrapping with Soul organised for 2006? Firstly, Scrapping with Soul is hosting a once-a-term Scrap Day to raise funds for SECET (Shoalhaven Employers of Christian Education Teachers). SECET employs Scripture Teachers to work in our local high schools as part of the staff. This ministry is a vital and strategic opportunity for the gospel, and Scrapping with Soul are thrilled to be supporting it. The first Scrap Day held recently on April 1st was a great success. We had 22 people scrapbooking together in the Nowra Baptist Church hall from 9am – 4pm, and raised $260 for SECET. The next Scrap Day is planned for June 17th from noon – 10pm, and may include some extra features such as demonstrations or classes. A “Christmas in July Retreat” is the feature event for Scrapping with Soul. Women will be able to ‘escape’ from the 21st – 23rd of July and enjoy a wonderful weekend of scrapbooking, friendship and relaxation for $160pp. In addition to full accommodation and meals, the Retreat features complimentary demonstration sessions, optional workshops and an onsite store for scrapbooking supplies. Dinner on Saturday night is a 3 course Christmas feast, with special guest Lesley Ramsey speaking about “Making Memories for Eternity”. Lesley works for Evangelism Ministries (Sydney Anglican ministry group) and is experienced in sharing the gospel with women and loves to encourage them to put their trust in Jesus. Scrapping with Soul are also planning a display of scrapbook pages by Christian women about their faith, and are hoping there will be many opportunities for talking personally with guests about God. Amy has expressed the group’s excitement as they anticipate how God might use their event for his glory, saying, “God has opened doors even before we have knocked on them. He has provided a scrapbooking business for us to work with, run by a mother-daughter team who are Christians. A promotion in the most popular scrapbooking magazine in Australia just fell into place. We have been linking up with a variety of Christian women and encouraging one another even before our event happens. We pray that many women will be challenged to consider their need for relationship with God in Christ, that some may even be saved as God works in them, and that Christian women will be encouraged in their faith and in evangelism.” Scrapping with Soul hopes that their initiatives might inspire other women (or men!) to consider ways of linking their hobbies to gospel opportunities. Sue, Rosie, Liesl, Nadine and Amy are all praying that God will bless their efforts and bring glory to Jesus. Please join them in praying for their Retreat to be a success in God’s eyes as the gospel is shared and friendships are developed. If you are interested in any of the Scrapping with Soul activities, or able to help promote the Retreat, please - visit their website at www.nowrabaptist.asn.au/sws/home.htm, - email sws@nowrabaptist.asn.au or - phone Amy Davey on 02-44235390 for more information. Article by Amy Davey. PRAYER BOOKMARK When you have an evangelistic event coming up, a good way to get people on board with praying and thinking about who to invite is to use a prayer bookmark. An example is printed below. Put in your own details, produce a master of 3 to a page, print on coloured or printed heavy paper or card (eg 100gsm) and distribute to the women about two months before the event. Encourage them to keep it in their Bibles or with their prayer lists, and to pray daily. They can also be encouraged to use the prayer ideas in their Bible Study Group prayer times.
A Good Evangelistic Event is one: Where unbelievers are present and the program is tailored to the unbeliever This is a summary of a much longer article of the same title found on the Evangelism Ministries website.
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