Page 63 - Pastoral Ministries -Student Textbook

During Holy Week all the services and activities should help congregations focus on Easter. Services such as
Good Friday present a unique opportunity to focus on Christ, his death, and resurrection.
In case of those who are led through book expositions, I would encourage Pastors to plan well their annual
study chats so that members are not deprived from benefiting from such rich biblical information that forms
the main doctrines of the New Testament church.

I have witnessed with dismay situations where pastors would rather concentrate on their Biblical exposition
of particular books without addressing any of the above topics and in many incidences’ such teachings or
preaching are off guard. The example to this is…using a text talking about death during Christmas; those
with some understanding within the membership could be asking themselves questions like, “What is the
relevance of death to the birth of Jesus Christ?”

I am reminded of a true story cited from one of the ground workers at the Ambassador International
University who is a lay- leader at one of the village churches where students go for outreach. When he was
asked to preach in his church during Christmas period, without being aware of the occasion it was, at one
stage of his preaching, he started telling the congregants while tears were running from his eyes, saying,
“When I remember the painful death of Jesus Christ on the cross, I cry.” He cried out loud the more.

When one of leaders noticed that his emotions were too high. He stepped out to the pulpit with a cloth in
his hand and whispered to him saying, “Sorry this is not about the death of Jesus Christ, but His birth.” The
entire church upon realizing his mistake, threw themselves into laughter, while others lay on floor.

Christmas

This is a wonderful time of year for special events. There could be children performances as well as a variety
of other special events that could get people into church perhaps more than any other time during the year.
It is best to plan these activities early in the month and keep other events to a minimum as Christmas Day
arrives. It is important dedicating a month of study covering Christmas story. All weekly designed bible
studies, Sunday school bible studies and preaching should aim at addressing the same topic.

In terms of home management and proper planning purposes, families should be careful in their budgeting
so that they don’t forget the education needs of their beloved ones as schools open.

It’s important dedicating a month of study covering Christmas story. All weekly designed bible studies,
Sunday school bible studies and preaching should aim at addressing the same topic

New Years

This is a time of year when many Christians feel lonely, especially if they are relatively new believers. The
church has the opportunity to present a wholesome, happy alternative to what the world offers on that
night. Some churches plan an elaborate program on New Year’s Eve that include a meal, films, a guest vocal
artist, special speaker, etc. Other activities have taken place in the home such as games, refreshments, etc.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

The striped pole outside of a barbershop hearkens back to a time when barbers cut more than hair. In the
Middle Ages and even beyond, barbers performed surgery, pulled teeth, and engaged in the strange practice of
bloodletting with leeches. To let a person’s blood, the barber would use a staff for the patient to grasp so that

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