Effective Church Communications

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and a Biblical Perspective to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. Our tools constantly change; our task doesn’t; we can help.

Five benefits of studying and celebrating Jewish holidays

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Jewish holidays are wonderful teaching times.
Blowing the shofar is traditional on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. As this article shows, Jewish holidays are wonderful teaching times.

The Effective Church Communication Calendar has a section of Jewish holidays and these are included as a communication and teaching tool for the 5 reasons that follow. We don't celebrate them in the same way our Jewish neighbors do because we realize all of them are fulfilled in Jesus, as this passage reminds us, but at the same time, they have value as the reasons that follow show. Each of these reasons provides opportunities for Christian communicators to make the most of the holiday. After listing the reasons for studying and celebrating, there are links to more resources both from Jewish sources and from Christian sources.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Col. 2:16-17.

Reason #1: The Jewish holidays help us get to know Jesus better

These are the holidays Jesus celebrated. Much has been written about the value of understanding the Jewish background of our Lord (one of the best is Phillip Yancy's, The Jesus I Never Knew), but beyond its usefulness as an academic exercise, when you love someone, you want to understand them. You want to know what was special to them as a child, you want to know what traditions were part of their upbringing.

As we study the Jewish holidays it can help us get to know better our Savior and Lord, our friend throughout all eternity.

Reason #2: The Jewish holidays give us an opportunity to teach Biblical history

Many of the Jewish holidays are associated with specific acts of God on behalf of His people. The best known example is the Passover which commemorates God's deliverance of His people from Egypt. In the New Testament, the Passover was the last meal Jesus celebrated with his disciples before he was crucified.

As we study the Passover, we can see God's preparation for the Jesus'  final deliverance sins for those who accept His sacrifice on the cross. When you study the Passover you will get a clearer understanding of how God prepared the Jewish people over the centuries for the coming of his Son.

Another less known example is the festival of Purim which celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from the murderous plot of Haman by Queen Esther. This holiday provides a wonderful teaching time that shows us how God is sovereign over politics, wars, and the people that can make us afraid.

Reason #3: The Jewish holidays help explain Biblical theology

Some time ago a young woman was sharing with me why she didn't read the Old Testament and she was especially hard on the book of Leviticus—"Who wants to read that?" she asked me.

I told her that though I understood that it could be tough going getting through the requirements and the sacrifices,  it is worthwhile reading because you gain so much from it for background understanding that is helpful when you read the gospel stories about Jesus.

For example, when read in Leviticus how it was commanded that day after day, for centuries an innocent lamb was killed as a sacrifice that could only cover, but never totally remove sin, it is much more meaningful when you read about Jesus coming to meet John the Baptist and why John exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!"  Without the history behind his statement, you won't understand the impact his words had on his audience.

Reason #4: It helps you to understand what is important to your Jewish friends and to act appropriately

As I was researching the Jewish holidays to put the list on the ECC website, I found one site that asked Christians, "What would you think if your boss at work scheduled something for Christmas Day and expected you to work? Or Easter?"

Christians would consider than an insult to the most important days of our faith and would think the boss totally insensitive. But the author went on, many people totally ignore the Jewish High Holy Days, particularly Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are days when Jews have many religious requirements, among them to not work, and to not be aware of the requirements and to not allow workers to take the day off, to schedule another event they were required to attend, or to completely ignore the holiday is extremely insensitive.

Note: this same principle applies to the month of Ramadan for Muslim friends. Observant Muslims neither eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. It is important to remember this when for example, you might have a children's birthday party and invite your Muslim neighbors over for afternoon cake and ice cream. If this took place during Ramadan, what you meant as a gesture of friendship could be seen as an insensitive insult. For more about Ramadan, go to the links below:
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/bulletin-insert-and-links-to-christian-resources-about-ramadan/

Reason #5: It's an opportunity to share your faith in Jesus

All the Jewish holidays point towards and have their fulfillment in Jesus as the above verses in Colossians remind us. Though we don't celebrate it for the same reasons it was celebrated for Jesus came, many Christian churches celebrate a Passover. Doing it can be a great outreach time to invite unchurched friends and not only do a historically appropriate and honoring Passover—but to take the time to teach about how it was fulfilled in Jesus. Our world today loves images and celebrating Passover in this way can be a profound multi-media teaching opportunity.

In addition to specific celebrations, if you do them at church or in your family, as part of your everyday conversation, you could share what you learned, or what you've taught your children from participating in these holidays. They could be the start of a conversation of how these holidays point to Jesus, of how God taught His people through the ages and many related Biblical topics.

Additional sites for more information on individual Jewish holidays

The following three sites are Jewish sites and contain excellent additional background, history and material to help you understand contemporary celebration of the holidays. Each one of them has links to the specific holidays.

http://www.aish.com/h/

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/default_cdo/year/2013/jewish/2013-holidays.htm

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm

The following site is a Christian site that has extensive ideas on how use the holidays as a teaching tool.

http://heartofwisdom.com/biblicalholidays/

In addition you can go to the page at the link below for a free download of an excerpt of a book on Biblical holidays that includes an overview of many of them and reasons why celebrate them. It also thoughtfully answers concerns that some people might have that perhaps Christians should not celebrate Jewish holidays. Much of the focus of the book is on the teaching value of the holidays for children.

http://heartofwisdom.com/biblicalholidays/2013/05/13/a-family-guide-to-the-biblical-holidays/

Use an invitation card to connect outreach guests with your church

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Summer Business Card Invitation vard
An invitation card can turn your outreach event from a nice time to a lasting connection to your church.

A church communicator told me about a church that held a large community outreach. They had free food and fun activities for children and families and they did it all to show the community that the church and Jesus loved them. They had a great turnout, but it didn't result in an increased response in church attendance.

The church communicator became frustrated when she talked to an unchurched friend about it because when she mentioned that her church sponsored it, the friend responded, "Your church did that? I thought the city Parks and Rec department put it on."

We put in a lot of work for events like that and I understood her frustration, but I had to gently ask her if the church gave out any kind of card or flyer to people know who sponsored it and to invite them to the church. She said, "No."

Your guests are not mind-readers

That is a typical response I hear from church leaders who put on outreach events and are disappointed in the long-term results. But, if you don't give people who attend your outreach events information about who is putting on the event and what else goes on at your church they won't know. Without clear communication and a clear invitation to return all your hard work may give people a great time—but will accomplish little in connecting them to the church or introducing them to Jesus. [Read more...]

Managing a really big task in the church office

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Big project in the church office
All church offices tackle big projects. Here is how to do them effectively.

In the church office a big task can take many forms: Offices are being relocated; updated computer software is needed; the church is hosting a major event—or a multitude of neglected small jobs finally grows into one big, overwhelming job. Whatever the source, a major task poorly handled can create more than a little turmoil.
Problems dealing with big jobs can often be traced right to the beginning.

Get off to a good start by following these three rules:

• Know the goal.
Big tasks are generally composed of many small tasks. Before starting the journey, know where you are going.
• Be sure stages of progress are clear.
Set a firm start date, a completion date, and intermediate checkpoints along the way. Spread pieces of the job evenly throughout the time allotted.
• Do first things first.
Devise a logical plan of action instead of just jumping in. Time, energy, and resources are always wasted when preliminary steps are neglected.

With rules in place, follow through—

• Stick to your start date.
In the crush of daily responsibilities it becomes easy to rationalize that “now” is not a good time to start on a big job that isn’t due for weeks. Don’t wait for the perfect time or for divine inspiration; neither is likely. A late start inevitably affects the project—target dates are missed and best efforts are blown away as you rush to catch up.

Follow your schedule.

• Pick your times.
We all have times of day when we are most energetic and sharp. Match the most challenging parts of your project to these prime times. Schedule routine parts of the task at other times convenient to your schedule.
• Divide and conquer.
Breaking each phase of the assignment into manageable parts makes it easier to keep the job rolling along and to chart progress. Treat each of these mini-deadlines seriously. A completion date may seem far away, but that is an illusion. The closer a deadline gets, the faster it rushes up to you.
• Involve others.
Enlisting volunteers or coworkers for parts of the project gives them a vested interest in the success of the task and generates added enthusiasm.
• Communicate.
Keep your team and supervisor informed. Make sure those assisting you have a clear vision of what is to be accomplished. They need to know exactly what is expected and when. Allow them to do their jobs as they see fit within the boundaries you have identified. Listen to their questions and suggestions. New ideas and solutions are often generated in the process of working through a project. Be generous with praise but direct it toward results, not simple busy work.
• Promise and give rewards.
Whether you work alone or enlist others in the big task, incentives along the way keep the job interesting and fun. Treats, however small, increase motivation and productivity. Listing the names of those who help with projects is a good practice. Most often, what gets recognized gets done.
• Chart your progress.
Setting deadlines is one thing; meeting them is another—especially when several people are involved. Visibly tracking completed steps is an effective way to make sure every detail is covered. And nothing feels better than checking that last item off the list and receiving congratulations on a job well done.

 

Why include non-holiday, “silly” celebrations to a church communication calendar?

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Silly celebrations can serve serious teaching purposes
Silly celebrations can serve serious teaching purposes--we'll show you how.

As you look over our church communication calendar, you may be thinking that you have enough trouble remembering and celebrating the major holidays—so why include events such as:

September 13: International Chocolate Day

September 28: National Good Neighbor Day

August 4: International Friendship Day

Not only are these events an excuse for fun and celebration, but I've included these to help us all be obedient to our Lord. We know the Old Testament commands God's people to make their faith part of their life. . . . .

 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  (Deut. 6:4-9 NLT).

It's a very clear command and we know we should follow it, but the question is, how can we carry it out in a natural way? How do we communicate Biblical truth to those around us in our daily lives.

For example, perhaps you've selected the command: "Love your neighbor as yourself," which Jesus says is the second great commandment. How do you make teaching that command part of your life? How do you start a discussion about it, make it a topic for learning or provide a way for either your family or congregation to put it into practice?

Some "silly" celebrations might help

There are many sites on the web that list non-traditional and what are termed "silly" celebrations (why or how the term "silly" was chosen, I have no idea, as many of these are quite serious, but that's what they are often labeled). These celebrations can be days, weeks, or months and cover topics such as: National Smile Week, Hug Holiday Day, and Make a Difference Day.

To help you make the most of these, I'll select some, put them on our calendar, and then give links to articles both on this site and outside this site that will give you ideas on how to make the most of these events to teach and train both children and churches in Christian actions.

For example: September 28: National Good Neighbor Day–a challenge to churches to be a good neighbor. Click on the link to go to an article that will give you suggestions for how your church can use this day as both a spiritual challenge and an outreach to your neighbors.

For September 13, International Chocolate Day, you can use it as a time to share love and reach out to others, click on the link for more ideas.

Additional dates will be continuously added to our calendar along with ministry ideas on how to make the most of them as opportunities to celebrate and to communicate spiritual truth. C.S. Lewis said that, "Joy is the serious business of heaven." By making the most of celebrations now, it reminds us of our eternally joyful God, even in the midst of our current heavy work loads and challenging lives.

September 13: International Chocolate Day–an excuse to celebrate!

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Celebrate Chocolate Day
Chocolate can communicate love, fun, appreciation--celebrate it at your church.

How can you not be happy when sharing chocolate? From little kids to adults of any age, it brings a smile to your face and delight to your tummy. And it can be a wonderful time to celebrate in your ministry.

For many years my husband and I were involved in Single Adults Ministry and periodically we would have chocolate celebrations. Many singles don't have a special someone to give them chocolate, so we'd host an event where we'd have a chocolate pot-luck and let them know that God and our group loved them. Sometimes we'd have a dinner first, sometimes we'd do something like show the movie "Chocolat", but the star of the event was always chocolate. It was tremendous fun and singles and their kids always enjoyed it and went home feeling quite loved and celebrated.

September 13, International Chocolate Day gives you an opportunity to celebrate in your church

There are many things that are serious in our faith and rightfully so, but we also need to intentionally remember that our God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). He created chocolate, what a delight it is, and it is OK to enjoy it!

You can use this day to communicate His love and joy by:

  • Creating a special chocolate goodie for break time at church and reminding the staff how much they are loved by God and what a joy it is to work with them in sharing His gospel.
  • Taking home made chocolate treats to a homeless center or pass them out on the street and reminding people how much God loves them.
  • Make up little chocolate goodie packets for home-bound or those in nursing homes and letting them know they are not forgotten.
  • Have a chocolate pot-luck of desserts after a seeker study at your church or any small group gathering to celebrate knowing each other.

Resources for celebration

For an abundance of incredible, wonderful, wish-I-wasn't-at-the-computer-so-I-could-make-some recipes, CLICK HERE for a Pinterest chocolate recipe page.

If you need some reassurance that chocolate also has health benefits—it lowers blood pressure and provides antioxidants—CLICK HERE for a WebMD article.

If the Pinterest recipes are not in your diet plan, CLICK HERE for 5 moderate ways to enjoy chocolate from SHAPE magazine.

If you'd like more about the history and use of chocolate around the world, CLICK HERE for the Wikipedia article on it.

If you have a favorite recipe, way to use chocolate, or how you celebrate with it, please share it in the comment section below—have some chocolate and thank our Lord for the joys, big and little he gives us on our journey.