We are still searching for better ways to con duct the Mid-Week Service. In the meantime, we thank God for the humble mimeograph, which is helping to make it truly a “ sweet hour o f prayer.” Rev. Blaine Bishop is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Los Gatos, California. A P e r t i n e n t , P r a c t i c a l P h i l o s o p h y by Harold Adams S piritual success in any church is a Person, not a program — the Person o f the Holy Spirit. Commitment to the Holy Spirit is the secret o f accomplishments that have eternal significance. Many churches are aware o f this basic truth but unaware that the work o f the Holy Spirit begins where man’s ability ends. Not until we have done our very best dare we hope for the Holy Spirit’s enrichment o f our efforts. The editors o f King’s Business have requested a practical article on something that works—not a pietistic sermonic dissertation. Our “ gimmick” is a philosophy and it works! It is the philosophy o f giving our best in preparation so as to warrant the intervention o f the Holy Spirit. Henrietta Mears called it “ the one-time” phi losophy—assuming that someone would attend an activity who would give her only one opportunity to impress him. She planned everything with that person in mind. In the process she gave her best and God took over from there. For preachers it means preparing for every ser mon as though a pulpit committee would be pres ent. For Sunday School teachers it means studying your lesson as though the preacher were in your class. For choirs it means singing for an audition at every service. For youth workers it means plan ning as adequately as you would fo r a term proj ect in seminary. For secretaries it means mimeo graphing as thoughtfully and neatly as you would to enter your work in a contest. People respect and respond to thoughtful, ade quate, prayerful preparation and God blesses it. Christian success is much more related to how we do it than what we do. Many churches with worship services that start late, unattractive banquet tables, sloppy and inac curate bulletins, poorly organized sermons, inade quately rehearsed choirs, littered pews, rusty signs, makeshift youth meetings, impromptu socials and unplanned programs are looking for a “ gimmick” (something new) that will make them effective. The “ gimmick” they need is the gumption to do what they are doing in a fashion worthy o f the Holy Spirit’s approval. Rev. Harold Adams is pastor of First Baptist Church, Downey, California.
E f f e c t i v e M i d - W e e k S e r v i c e
by Blaine Bishop “ »HERE ARE JUST TWO THINGS I don’t like about I your church,” a newcomer said to me recently. * “ It is too difficult to get a front seat, and the prayer meetings don’t last long enough.” What music to the ears o f any pastor! I wanted to reply, “ Please say that again.” A few months ago, I doubt that anyone would have said that the prayer meetings were too short. In our adult section we were following the usaul pattern o f a few songs, a Bible devotional, and then division into small prayer groups, scattered throughout the auditorium. It was difficult for all, even in smaller groups, to hear others when they prayed. Some were too timid to pray at all. The requests were quite general and repetitious, as we asked God to “ bless the missionaries” and “ help the sick.” But that was before a mimeograph be gan to lead us to a better day! Presently our attendance at the adult prayer meeting is three or four times greater than that o f a few months ago. This has effected increases in all the youth groups which meet simultaneously. It is not unusual to have four or five hundred in attendance on a given Wednesday night. A mimeo graphed sheet has helped greatly in showing us the way. By Wednesday I have prepared a list o f prayer requests, usually enough to fill both sides o f a let ter-sized sheet o f paper. These are mimeographed for use in the service that evening. After a time o f singing and Bible study, the ushers distribute the “ Prayer Bulletins,” which are read after every one is supplied. Then the people “ pick a pew,” with every pew having at least one person in it. It has become necessary for most pews to have several. Folk either sit or kneel; they pray in silence or audibly. Most people choose to pray alone. Peti tions are brought to the Lord fo r those who will sit in that pew the following Sunday. Items on the prayer bulletins are dealt with one by one until the organist softly plays as a signal that the service is completed. Since we initiated this procedure, there have been some wonderful answers to prayer. What a joy to some to see people responding to the invita tions on Sunday from the very pew where they prayed on Wednesday night! Increasingly, more people seem to look forward to the Mid-Week Service, and many who once were too timid to pray with others are finding this joy in Christian fellow ship.
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