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OUTREACH

A church in Australia has to take reservations for their Sunday morning worship services because so many people want to attend each week. Churchgoers on the Gold Coast of Australia enjoy a unique worship experience when they board The Church on the Water. Every Sunday morning the sea going chapel sets sail from Mariners Cove, near Southport, Gold Coast, Australia. When the vessel leaves, guests are offered coffee or tea and cakes. They also have an opportunity to meet people, chat, and read the Bible. The weekly cruise provides a musical selection from a vocalist or group, a brief message from the Pastor, and then another musical selection before concluding the 2-hour voyage.

The Church on the Water is a relaxed church service catering mainly to people who do not regularly attend a church. There is no charge and no offering is taken. The unique church celebrates the joy and creativity of the Christian Faith, giving those who cruise the opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus and catch a glimpse of the beauty of God’s creation. Each week, churchgoers stand in line to share the unique experience. The Church on the Water is so popular that those who want to attend must make a reservation by the Friday before the church service they want to attend.

The Church on the Water is an outreach of the Southport Church of Christ, which is committed to spreading the real news of God’s love in a meaningful and contemporary way through their various ministries and activities each week.

—www.assistnews.net, Church on The Water provides a Unique Christian Experience, by Michael Ireland, Thursday, September 18. 2003.

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 NIV “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak, I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

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OUTREACH

In Great Britain, Wal-Mart has a different name, but the goal of being a one-stop shop is the same. In an effort to serve the community better, the 34 Scottish outlets of Asda now offers religion alongside clothing and food items. The stores are now complete with volunteer in-store chaplains.

David Downie, Retailing Managing Director, told a local newspaper, “The job is certainly not about preaching—the chaplains have a very low key presence and are there to chat or listen to our customers and colleagues, whatever their faith.”

Erik Cramb of the Church of Scotland’s Industrial Missions likes the idea. He says, “People lead such busy lives that often it is hard to find time for religion.”

—http://christianitytoday.com, August 5, 2002, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV As believers our goal ought to be to reach people where they are, including shopping. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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OUTREACH

The world's first Internet church known as the "Church of Fools" was launched recently, but already the temptation to misbehave has proven too much for some of the users. The virtual church was designed to be a unique chance for believers to worship interactively by choosing a "3D" animated character which could kneel, sing hymns, talk to others, hear a sermon, or even shout "Hallelujah."

The site's deputy editor, Stephen Goddard, says they have had problems with a small number of worshippers, some of whom log on a "Satan" and unleash expletives during the sermon. As a result, the editors have removed the "shout" function where people could speak to the entire congregation, and they have also closed the pulpit, altar, and lectern areas to the public after some worshippers walked their animated characters into those areas during sermons. They have also created a way to log off unruly users if they misbehave.

Goddard says, "We're increasing security day by day to eliminate the disruptive behavior, such as profanity, but we're determined to carry on." He says, "In a way, we are facing the same problems faced by the first preachers who met resistance when they moved into new communities. But the church has always expanded into new communities and some of those are to be found in cyberspace now, so we are determined to carry on." He adds, "At least we're not preaching to the converted."

—Reuters, Virtual DevilsCurseInternetChurch, May 19, 2004, by Jason Hoops, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Romans 1:16 (NIV) “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
 

OUTREACH

A new type of laptop computer may change the world of the future. Nicholas Negroponte, chairperson and co-founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs designed an inexpensive laptop computer, which will cost less than $100. His plan is not to stay on the cutting edge of computing technology, but rather to bridge the information gap between the rich and poor of the world.

Negroponte mated the laptop with the clockwork hand crank invented for use with wind up portable radios. He believes the computer will become an indestructible, cheap learning aid. Negroponte got the idea while visiting Cambodia and saw the effect that donated computers had on children. He knew he could make a low cost laptop because at least half of the current retail cost of commercial computers is due to advertising expenses. Negroponte said, "We have none of that."

The major roadblock has been reducing the cost of the display, but Negroponte says they hope to bring the cost of that down to $35. The prototype of the silver laptop will be ready in November. Negroponte will show it off at the world summit of the Information Society in Tunisia. The non-profit group, One Laptop per Child plans to have a many as 15 millions units in production in the first year, with 150 million by 2007.

Schoolchildren in Brazil, China, Egypt, Thailand, and South Africa will be among the first to get the laptops.

Trevor Baylis, who invented the retractable crank, which will generate about ten minutes of power for every minute of winding, said he had used one of his windup radios with a laptop several years ago and it ran for 15 minutes. He said, "So this is old technology, in a strange way." Baylis added, "It's the future, there's no doubt about it."

—http://www.timesonline.co.uk, The $100 clockwork laptop that helps the poor to learn. September 30, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

This new computer technology will open new doors to take the gospel to many who have never heard before. Are we ready to use it?

Mark 16:15 (MontgomeryNT) "And he said to them. 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.'"

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OUTREACH

The Missions Institute of New Tribes Mission has developed a new method of training men and women to serve on the foreign mission field. Instead of the usual orientation programs for foreign missionaries, New Tribes sends recruits through a boot camp experience to prepare them for the job ahead.

The training takes almost a year to complete and places recruits in situations similar to circumstances they will encounter in the field.

These teams of five or six leave the modern world behind to spend years among native tribespeople, learning their language and culture in order to translate the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament into tribal languages.

The training prepares groups to spend 10 or 20 years in the same location, and prepares them for many possibilities.

Students are taught food preservation, bread making, haircutting, welding, construction, plumbing, small engine maintenance and the operation of portable generators.

The lure for these enlistees is not money. Candidates must raise most of their own support through pledges from supporters. The work is often dangerous. In the 62 years of New Tribe's existence, 87 missionaries had died in untimely ways.

Greg Sanford, director of the institute in Pennsylvania says, "We're way out there. We're like the Marines of the church." Sanford adds, "It's a big job. It's a killer."

Speaking of the training experience, student Craig Schafer told his teammates that they may have missed things like ice cream and pizza during the simulated experience, but asked, "Do we hunger for the Word of God like that?"

Schafer says taking the Biblical message to people who have never heard it is an exciting prospect. He says, "That's what life is all about. There's nothing greater in this life."

—http://wwwsfgate.com (Associated Press), We're Like the 'Marines of the Church.' Says Missionary to Remotest Tribes. August 28, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Cor. 9:25-27 (NIV) "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. [26] Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. [27] No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

America’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, is considering changing its name create more opportunities to reach people with the Gospel message. The organization created a presidential task force to consider the issue and found feelings run deep on both sides of the issue. Many members don’t like the idea of changing a 166-year-old name that 16 million people already identify with. Other say the region sound of the name creates barriers on the SBC’s church planting efforts.

President of Southern Baptist Seminary, Albert Mohler, said there is “tremendous value” in having an established name because the Convention has always defended biblical truth and theological orthodoxy. Mohler says he is concerned about changing the name, but feels a commitment to the Great Commission and the urgency of the Gospel must be a prime consideration. He said, “The SBC is not driven by a southern agenda nor a southern vision, but by a passionate commitment to the great Commission. That region gave birth to the Southern Baptist Convention, but no longer contains it.” Mohler added, “If these issues can be resolved, even to any significant degree, by a name change, a Gospel minded people would never hesitate to consider such a proposal.”

--Southern Baptists Start Debate on Name Change,  http://www.christianpost.com/news/southern-baptists-start-debate-on-name-change-56082; September 20, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (HCSB) (22) To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. (23) Now I do all this because of the gospel, so I may become a partner in its benefits. 

OUTREACH

It is true that many churches, striving to get more people to come to their church in an increasingly secular culture, will try various innovative means to get people in the door. Well, Rochester Cathedral, in Kent, England, took it to the limit by installing a mini-golf course in their sanctuary for the summer. A spokesperson for the cathedral said that for 1,400 years the church has been a center of learning for the community, and, “By temporarily installing an educational adventure golf course we aim to continue that mission, giving people the opportunity to learn while they take part in a fun activity, in what for many might be a previously un-visited building.”

Not everyone was on board with the plan, critiquing the leadership for denigrating the sacredness of the Cathedral, which is already a tourist attraction, saying they thought people were “so trivial that they can be almost tricked into a search for God by entertaining them with a golf course is a serious-category error.”

Yet others, like the Archbishop of Canterbury apparently intimated that if you cannot have fun in cathedrals “then you’re not doing your job properly.”

https://www.foxnews.com/world/english-church-mini-golf-installation-cathedral

Whatever side you come down on with the mini-golf question, churches must be faithful to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. —Jim L. Wilson and Derick Wilson

 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 (CSB)

Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.