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STEPs to continue your momentum new persons into the active life of the church. STEP 4: KNOW YOUR PEOPLE. Knowing the needs and cultural characteristic of the persons you are called to reach plays a significant role in building your faith community. Speak the ‘Gospel in their language and plan more engaging events that encourage spiritual growth at a level they will understand and are seeking. DO NOT BE AFRAID to think innovatively and outside of the box for ways to advocate Christ! Vol. 1 Num. 2 Good Times ONE Division, MANY Stories Midland Yong Adults @REGEN2015 “I want people to meet you and feel like they have just met heaven!” - Bob Goff. “What would it look like for us to live radical community? Would we share our... (stuff)... “ -Jo Saxton On February 13-15, 38 young adults represented the Midland Division at REGEN2015. Although Camp Wonder- land fell to 10 degrees some nights, it did not stop our young adults from participating in the weekend’s festivities. The Midland Division wants to highlight the corps officers, Lieutenant Daniel and Lieutenant Claudia, and the Mattoon corps staff! They wanted to hold an outreach event that would target 0-10 year olds and their parents so they decided to create a Frozen Winter Wonderland theme! The Mattoon Corps teens worked on a skit titled UnFrozen to show the love that Anna had for Elsa, so much so that she would sacrifice herself for her. The event attracted 277 people. A little over 40 children came to accepted Jesus for the first time! Lieutenant Daniel shares: “Following the play we talked about how Jesus sacrificed Himself for all of us. We, along with the characters from the play, invited the children to come up to the stage and accept Jesus for the first time... There was music and dancing and food that the Women’s auxiliary put together. We had someone from the arts council in Mattoon make our stage back drop. People from the community donated lights and items so we could keep cost down. Much of the material in the photos were made by the Mattoon team. We did a free raffle which allowed us to capture all the information of every person who attended. We mailed out thank you letters and invitations to attend our church services.” Mattoon Corps Freezes Over To Melt Hearts in everday ways. STEP 3: EMPOWER PEOPLE TO IDENTIFY AND LIVE OUT THEIR CALLING. One of the many ways to get people to come back church is by making them a part of the church. By extending com- mittee/volunteer invites to event guests, you are of- fering to make them a part of your community. Some people are willing and look- ing to put their gifts and tal- ents into good use. This also creates church participants and not just members. This is a sure way to develop in- tentional ways to integrate What can my Corps pos- sibly do to get the same people who attend my events to come to my Sunday service? Well... upon much digging and research, the Program Department wants to share with you some basic prin- ciples on how to follow up with vistors/guests after suc- cessful events. These steps aim to help grow church attendance and participa- tion. STEP 1: DONT STRIVE FOR SIZE; STRIVE TO SERVE GOD The quickest and surest way to remove Christ’s purpose for a church is by remov- ing Him from the center of the entire thing. Remem- ber: numbers do not tell us about the spiritual growth of our Corps. STEP 2: RECOGNIZE THAT WORSHIP IS NOT JUST A SUNDAY THING. Yes, follow up with your event guests and visitors by inviting them back to the Corps for a Sunday Service but, also invite them to other wor- ship opportunities through- out the week. Worship is a central part of the church. Preach and demonstrate a faith that is practiced daily Photos taken by Mike Sneddon “We dressed up for the Roaring 20s Banquet, stood outside to make s’mores, I went to a life skills workshop and hiked to look for the cross by the lake,” says Sir Gabiel Lapplander a Temple House dweller, “it was an over- all great time of fellowship and wor- ship for me”. It was a great time for fellowship and worship for all our young adults! REGEN2015 has encouraged friends to be family and, more importantly, reintroduced Christ to many who struggle to find their identity as they transition into young adulthood. They were inspired and encouraged to love the way that Jesus loved; they were challenged to keep people close rather than holding them “account- able”. Special performances by Citizens & Saints, DJ Opdiggy, and poet Amena Brown lead our young adults to an amazing time of praise and worship! It was an unforgettable night and one that will be talked about till next year.
