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‘Your Class Ring Could Save a Life’
Melting Down
Despite the generosity of her members, SouthBrook Christian Church (Miamisburg, Ohio) faced a budget deficit in late 2008. At the same time, requests for financial help from church members began to increase. Worst of all, the reduced income meant the church would have to delay its commitment to complete construction of a desperately needed AIDS clinic in Manzini, Swaziland.
“I felt a real sense of urgency to finish the clinic,” says Jerry Ittel, extension ministries leader. “The people in Manzini had overcome so much to move it forward—I just had to figure out some way to make it happen.”
A SouthBrook member suggested taking advantage of the huge demand for precious metals by collecting donations of unwanted gold and silver jewelry and selling it to a metal refinery. The goal was $100,000, and the call to action was simple: “Your class ring could save a life.”
“The idea was perfect,” Ittel says. “It was a compelling vision, we had a volunteer willing to lead the effort, and everyone could participate. Even people who were struggling financially could find something to donate.”
By the end of “Meltdown” week, the church had received $160,000 worth of metal, $100 from an 11-year-old boy without jewelry who wanted to help anyway, and a prized plastic ring from a little girl.
“This worked beyond our wildest dreams,” Ittel says. “If you put your faith in God and you’re open to some out-of-the-box ideas, miracles can still happen.”
The church offers its planning and promotional materials free of charge for any congregation interested in planning its own Meltdown experience. Visit www.southbrook.org.
Thank God It’s Friday
On Friday evenings, hordes of people gather at malls and multiplexes to eat, shop, and enjoy the latest movies.
“Friday night is a time for fun and relationship and sharing meals,” says Dwight Bradshaw, lead pastor at The Meeting Place (Fort Collins, Colorado). “People are invigorated by the end of the work week and ready to go out. So we’re experimenting with moving our services to Friday evenings.”
The Meeting Place stopped offering Sunday morning worship services and began the Friday night gatherings in October. Bradshaw initiated the radical change to make the church schedule more consistent with the culture’s.
“A Saturday evening service is tough because people don’t want to leave the lake or the yard work or the kids’ soccer games and head to church,” he says. “Sunday morning is, for many people, the one time each week they can sleep in and enjoy a leisurely morning as a family. Rather than fight those realities, we’re working with them.”
To accomplish this goal, the Friday evening services—held from 6 to 8 pm—include time for a meal together in addition to music and teaching. Round tables and a restaurant-style setting encourage interaction and relationships, and the ending time allows worshipers to catch a late movie, enjoy dessert with friends, or get young children home by bedtime.
Bradshaw also sees the new schedule as an opportunity for growth.
“I’m looking forward to watching what happens when we begin fitting into the weekly rhythm of our city rather than trying to draw unbelievers into a schedule we’re comfortable with,” he says. “We’re creating a new option at a time people are looking for options. It’s an opportunity to reinvent The Meeting Place.”
www.themeetingplace.cc
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD's contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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