Social Concerns Communications

4th of July, Canada Day and GRACE for all nations: slides, videos, handouts

23 June, 2019 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

There is a lot here--slides and videos for you to use both in America for the 4th of July and for all other nations that we pray for God's grace to touch our world.

"God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love."

is one of my favorite definitions of grace and as Jesus's disciples, grace is an attribute and action we can share with a world currently so desperately in need of it.

A few years ago I created a bulletin insert for the 4th of July that uses the acronym "GRACE" as a prayer. Following that, a member of ECC created one for Canada Day. (CLICK HERE to links to both)

That inspired me to take the same acronym of GRACE and make it into a set of PowerPoint Slides you can use however you want and as a prayer video not only for the 4th of July in the United States, but for the many members of Effective Church Communications in other countries around the world.

In the midst of all the rancor and strife that overwhelms our world, one of the most powerful things we can do is to remind our people to pray and encouraging them to exhibit grace to a hurting world by guiding them in prayer for lives that reflect the grace of God.

Below is a set of slides for both the U.S. version of the video and then the world-wide one. Only the intro slides and the last one are different, the ones for the acronym GRACE are the same. Just click the zip file below the slides to download them.

Below the slides are videos of each set with a voice over of me reading the slides to you and one with the music only. Below each video is a DROPBOX link where you can download the video to use for a guided prayer time in your church.

Please use and share with others and pray God will grant us grace to be his people in every situation to those who deserve it and those who don't and desperately need it.Continue Reading

How to pass on sensitive ministry information for domestic abuse, drug abuse, and pornography addition help

2 October, 2018 By Yvon Prehn 2 Comments

Church Ministry Business Cards — A tastefully done business card can let people know about ministries that can help them in challenging life situations.

Our world hurts. People hurt each other and they hurt themselves.

The good news of the gospel is there is healing for every hurt available in Jesus and given out by his people, the church.

The challenge is how to connect the hurts and the help.

One of the most effective, but seldom used ways is with church and ministry business cards.

Here is how they can work

On this site is a selection of FREE cards. Below are a few of them, at the end of the article all the ones available to download.
Download the cards and then on the back put the resources available to help that your church has or that are available in your area.
Give out the cards to people in your church to share as needed.
BUT ALSO--what many churches have done is to make up the cards and then place them in restrooms at church, preferably INSIDE the stalls. When you do this, a person can pick up this small card (much better than a big brochure) and privately make use of the information on it. Churches that have done this have told me, "we replace the cards frequently."

Pray for the people who need the resources

You never know who might pick up a card. Perhaps someone traveling, someone visiting your church, perhaps a member living in pain or shame.

But the Lord knows and we can ask he direct people to the resources they need and that they will find healing and help.

Below are pictures of all the cards in this set. These cards and dozens more cards for you to invite people to church and other ministries HERE.

The Teal Pumpkin Project for kids with food allergies, non-candy alternatives for Halloween and Fall Festivals

26 September, 2017 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

The Teal Pumpkin Project is a great service to kids and families with allergies.

One in 13 kids have a food allergy and for many of them and their parents, what is a fun candy fest for most kids becomes a nightmare of fears about sometimes life-threatening allergic reactions.

In response to this situation and because her son had severe allergies, one mom decided to do something about it. Here's her story from USA TODAY:

Back in 2012, a Tennessee mom named Becky Basalone had an idea: What if Halloween could be made a little less tricky for kids with food allergies?

Her idea became what is now the Teal Pumpkin Project, a nationwide effort to encourage families — whether their own kids have food restrictions or not — to offer up some non-food treats on Oct. 31. Participation is simple: You just put a teal-colored pumpkin or sign outside your door and offer trick-or-treaters glow sticks, spider rings, Halloween stickers or other non-food goodies, along with or instead of the traditional candies.

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), a non-profit advocacy group, first promoted the idea nationwide in 2014, with the help of a viral Facebook post, says Nancy Gregory, senior director of communications. In 2015, about 1 million people visited the group’s website to get information, and about 10,000 of them — probably a fraction of participants — put their homes on an interactive map showing teal pumpkin sites, she says.

This year, the group is thinking bigger, Gregory says: “Our goal is to have a home on every block in America with a teal pumpkin. We hope that it becomes a new Halloween tradition.”

from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2016/10/23/teal-pumpkin-halloween-food-allergy/92285680/

For more of Becky's story: https://allergicliving.com/2014/10/23/the-origin-of-the-teal-pumpkin-project-interview-with-becky-basalone-facet/