Death Announcement - Oral Roberts

TV evangelist Oral Roberts has died at age 91, a day after he fell at his California home and was hospitalized.

Roberts founded Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., in 1963 and served as its president until 1993.

"Oral Roberts was the greatest man of God I've ever known," said his son, Richard Roberts, according to Tulsa TV station KTUL. "A modern-day apostle of the healing ministry, an author, educator, evangelist, prophet, and innovator, he was the only man of his generation to build a worldwide ministry, an accredited university, and a medical school."

Death Announcement - Elwood Matthews

Bishop Elwood Matthews, a long-time International leader in the Church of God of Prophecy passed away this morning. Below you will find the details of his memorial service which will be held on Sunday.

Elwood Matthews Memorial Service

Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.

New Life Fellowship, 6755 South Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida 32780

For those wishing to send a card, Sister Roberta Matthews may be contacted at the following:

Roberta Matthews

7420 North U.S. Highway 1

Unit 206

Cocoa, FL 32927

Thank you for your prayers for the family during this time of loss.

Encourage Family Christmas Traditions

Family celebrations create memories that last a lifetime. We can all remember birthdays and holidays — the special occasions we celebrate every year and how our individual families do it and then as our children arrive on the scene we want to have them experience the good things that happened to us on those holidays.

Traditions are especially important during this season because they create a continuity of family heritage, drawing grandparents, parents, cousins and children together in a way that may happen only once a year. They are the threads that link one generation to the next.

Maybe the way your family celebrated Christmas was not the storybook kind. Whose is anyway? But the good news is we all get a chance to change and recreate our children’s memories and legacies. One word of caution, don’t be too hard on your parents, as my mom says, we did not have all the resources you kids do.

What will you do this year to create family traditions in your home?

[from Howtoencourage by Kay the Encourager]

"Merry Christmas"

A new Rasmussen national telephone survey finds that 72% of adults prefer "Merry Christmas," while only 22% like "Happy Holidays." The survey also found that older Americans favor "Merry Christmas" more than younger adults. See the full article.

Episcopal Bishop Gives Clergy Green Light to Wed Same-Sex Couples

Episcopal clergy in eastern Massachusetts are now allowed to solemnize marriages for "all eligible couples," including gay and lesbian couples.

“It’s time for us to offer to gay and lesbian people the same sacrament of fidelity that we offer to the heterosexual world," Bishop M. Thomas Shaw told The Boston Globe.

Shaw's decision to permit priests to officiate at same-sex weddings went into effect on Sunday. It comes five years after Massachusetts became the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

"Christian marriage is a sacramental rite that has evolved in the church, along with confirmation, ordination, penance, and the anointing of the sick, and while it is not necessary for all, it must be open to all as a means of grace and sustenance to our Christian hope," the Episcopal bishop stated.

Leaders of the diocese met in August to develop a policy in response to a resolution passed by The Episcopal Church's highest legislative body this past summer. In July, The Episcopal Church adopted a resolution stating that “bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”

The resolution also noted the need to consider providing theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same gender relationships.

The Episcopal Church's House of Deputies further approved a resolution opening the ordination process to all baptized members, including practicing homosexuals.

Dallas bishop the Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton rejected the resolution, declaring that the Diocese of Dallas would continue to "stand with the larger Church in affirming the primacy of Scripture, the sanctity of marriage and the call to holiness of life."

But over the past few months a number of dioceses have decided to lift bans on the blessing of same-sex unions, with the Diocese of Massachusetts taking a step further to allow clergy to solemnize same-gender marriages.

"Your bishops understand this (resolution) to mean for us here in the Diocese of Massachusetts that the clergy of this diocese may, at their discretion, solemnize marriages for all eligible couples, beginning Advent I," Shaw explained. "Solemnization, in accordance with Massachusetts law, includes hearing the declaration of consent, pronouncing the marriage and signing the marriage certificate."

He made clear that the provision is an allowance and not a requirement and that any member of the clergy may decline to wed gay and lesbian couples.

The eastern Massachusetts bishop noted to The Boston Globe that the diocese includes "a significant number of gay and lesbian clergy who are in partnerships" along with many gay and lesbian parishioners.

The Diocese of Massachusetts includes approximately 190 parishes and 77,000 church members.

[By Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter]

Is this what happens when a denominational Bishop decides he is God?

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Allow Freedom of Speech

The Supreme Court for the second time in as many weeks refused to hear the case of a high school valedictorian who spoke about their faith in a graduation speech.

The high court said Monday that it would not hear the appeal of Erica Corder, who was forced to apologize for her 2006 speech at the Lewis-Palmer High School commencement in Monument, Colo.

Two weeks earlier, the justices said they would not revive the lawsuit filed by Brittany McComb of Henderson, Nev., who accused school officials of violating her free speech rights and having engaged in viewpoint discrimination when they censored her speech in 2006 because of its Christian content.

In both cases, school officials had screened the valedictorians’ speeches in advance and removed religious references, but the two speakers went forward with talking about their faith.

In Corder’s case, the principal threatened to withhold the valedictorian's diploma unless she issued a public apology for her actions. Notably, however, Corder was still not allowed to graduate even when she issued the apology and wasn't issued a diploma until she added the sentence: “I realize that, had I asked ahead of time, I would not have been allowed to say what I did.”

In response, Corder sued, but federal courts threw out her lawsuit, saying the school didn't violate her rights because her remarks were "school-sponsored," rather than private speech.

Fla.-based legal group Liberty Counsel, which asked the Supreme Court to hear Corder's case, argued that "a valedictorian’s speech is not government speech."

“Everyone knows that a valedictorian earned the high GPA and understands the speech belongs to the student,” stated Liberty Counsel Founder Mathew Staver when his legal group filed the request with the Supreme Court in August. “It is reprehensible that the school district threatened to withhold Erica Corder’s diploma, merely because a few sentences of her 30-second speech included references to God.”

Despite the arguments, the school district maintains that "all actions taken by school officials were constitutionally appropriate."

The case is Corder v. Lewis-Palmer School District No. 38.

The President Did Not Use "God" in the National Thanksgiving Proclamation

President Obama issued a proclamation for the Thanksgiving holiday without once himself mentioning the God who is to be thanked on this day.

He did manage to include a quote from George Washington that mentions God, but the president's own words were mostly devoted to thanking Indians for the beginning of this uniquely American holiday and did so with not a mention of the Divine Providence that sustained our pilgrim forefathers.

[by Bryan Fischer, AFA]

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

On the first 21 days of 2010 the Church of God of Prophecy [and other ministries] will mobilize thousands to a time of fasting and prayer. This will be the fourth year that the call has gone out for the Church of God of Prophecy world wide to begin the year seeking God for His guidance, blessings, and power to do His will in this world. In the next few weeks we will send out 21 targets for prayer so that we can pray in unity, joining together in faith for God to bless us indeed so that we may be a blessing to lost people all around us.

Pastors, Leaders, Bishops, and Lay People we invite you to join in this Season of Seeking God on the first 21 days of January. There are many blessings that come through fasting and the Bible even mentions a few blessings that only come through seeking God in a fast. I am sure we all agree that our world needs the people of God to rise up and call on His name fervently. We will not be alone in this time of prayer and fasting. Many groups throughout many nations are declaring a time of fasting for the first days of this new year. You will not want to miss participating with others inside the Church of God of Prophecy as well as thousands beyond our ministry family as we seek God for great and mighty things this coming year.

"Call unto me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

R E Howard

Today's Quote

"People who want a theocracy tend to think they're Theo. If you find that God always agrees with you, something's wrong." - Pastor Rick Warren

How to Keep Your Church More Safe and Secure

Some Preparations to Consider:

1. Put additional staff in te Sacctuary, one close to the front and one in the rear at minimum.

2. Do not allow unknown people to approach the podium or stage.

3. Keep security staff in the foyers and parking lots.

4. If you are not using radios for discrete communication, you need to start soon.

5. Be aware of your surroundings and the people in them.

6. Be on the look out for inappropriate conduct and suspicious activities such as people in unusual areas of the church, or sitting alone in a car in the church parking lot and surrounding streets.

7. Also, recognize the potential areas of concern such as the back parking lots, balconies, back stage areas or baptisteries.

8. Watch for people wearing unusual clothes that could hide weapons.

9. Watch for large packages such as duffle bags, music instrument cases that could hide a rifle or shotgun.

10. Watch for people that appear to be very emotional or distressed as well as displaying signs of unrest such as sweating or nervously glancing in all directions.

11. Watch for people entering after the start of the service.

12. Consider reducing the number of unlocked doors and funnel members and guests through one or two doors that are being watched by the greeters and security team members.

13. Make sure that you have medical staff available if possible.

Above All;

Know that God will watch over us and trust that He puts one of us in place if a wolf decides to attack our church.

Plan for the worst possible situation and Pray for Gods best for the church.

[from Church Security Member by Jack Justice]

Is Your Church’s Vision Too Small?

Why do people love to give time, money, energy, and love to parachurch organizations when they don't give time, energy and love to their home church?

Craig Groeschel suggests that it could be because the parachurch organization has a bigger vision than your church! Craig says: "Almost daily, I hear great church members excited about their 'outside the church' ministry."

Instead of complaining about why they don’t give, serve, or care about the ministry of the local church, why not ask why.

You might solve the dilemma by casting such a compelling vision for the power of the local church that the vision would draw their hearts back to the local church.

Celebrate and embrace whatever they are doing to make a difference.

[from MMI Weblog]

Stressful Jobs that Pay Badly: #10 Pastor; #5 Worship Pastor

According to an article from CNNMoney.com, two major church roles have the distinction of being the most stressful jobs that pay badly!

Coming in at #5: Music Ministry Director - Median pay: $40,800 - % who say their job is stressful: 67%

You may not think of people who plan, direct and conduct performances for religious services as being under a particularly high amount of stress. But they also choose the appropriate psalm or hymn for every wedding and funeral -- only some of the most important events in a family's life. And those stressful situations can create some demanding clients.

"Every now and then you'll get a strange request," said Dan Fenn, Music Ministry Director at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minn. "A couple of years ago I got a request to play the Beer Barrel Polka at a funeral. You have to ask yourself, is this appropriate for a worship service?"

Coming in at #10: Minister/Pastor - Median pay: $45,300 - % who say their job is stressful: 71%

They may answer to a higher calling, but all that spirituality does not come stress free. It's a lot of responsibility being an authority on morality. Leading religious worship every week and providing spiritual and moral guidance can be a heavy cross to bear for those in the ministry.

"People who are deathly sick, people with substance abuse problems, things of that nature, that can be emotionally draining," said Father Dan Skvir of Princeton, N.J. "I've had calls at 2 or 3 in the morning to come and attend to someone, people in imminent danger of death."

You can read more here...

[from MMI Weblog]

Good Reading

Great editorial by Bishop Randall Howard: CLICK HERE to read.

Great article by Thomas Feltman: CLICK HERE to read.

Great article by Milton Gordon: CLICK HERE to read.

Great magazine with many additional great articles.

A Call to Christian Conscience

In a 4,700 word treatise they have entitled, the Manhattan Declaration - a manifesto citing scripture and signed by some 148 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical leaders, a warning of Civil Disobedience has been sounded.

The document, released in a Washington, DC press conference, is what conservative religious leaders say is a "line drawn in the sand" across three key issues they decree are non-negotiable despite the law:

1. the sanctity of human life (against abortion),

2. the institution of marriage as being between a man and woman (against gay marriage and gay teachings in schools), and

3. religious freedom (against political correctness).

Click A Call to Christian Conscience to read the manifesto.

Tenn. pastor says church will present nativity scene despite objections from ACLU

A Tennessee pastor says his congregation will present its nativity scene in Clarksville despite objections from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Pastor Steve Estep tells The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle that Grace Church of the Nazarene went through the proper channels to present the display and won't let the objection diminish their celebration.

ACLU attorney Tricia Herzfeld says the organization isn't asking the city do away with the riverfront Christmas observance, but rather implement an "equal-access" policy to allow other religious and non-religious groups to participate. She says the ACLU also wants the city to clearly state its non-endorsement and not provide funding for a religious display.

The display has not yet been constructed. City spokeswoman Christie Hill says the plan has been to present the display Dec. 11 and 12 when Grace Church is planning performances at the city's annual holiday festivities.

[The Leaf-Chronicle, http://www.theleafchronicle.com]