Once, while discussing this matter of increasing the congregational participation in the service, the staff at Circle Church realized that we had never employed the sense of smell. We laughed about it and said it would be pretty tough to pull off.

The outworking of that idea came the Sunday morning we praised God that He is Life. In the kitchens of the barroom of the Union Hall, fresh baked bread had been prepared prior to the service. At 9:30, following the prelude, the staff came to the platform and broke the loaves before the congregation. As the yeasty aroma lingered in the hall, these words were read:

As the smell of bread is to a hungry man,
so is Christ to the searching soul.
Today we are praising God
that He is the Bread of Life.

Later, that same bread was tasted during communion.

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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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We were also constantly checking to see whether the children were adequately involved. We have used their rhythm band playing, “We Are One in the Spirit, We Are One in the Lord.” We have asked teens to write and present a dramatic reading. We have interviewed them about their feelings toward God and have used them in duets.

If in the process of the morning it was not possible to use children, then we would try to make portions of the morning relate to them. Certainly it was as legitimate, and probably more interesting, to illustrate spiritual truth from the characters in “Sesame Street” as it was to use data from Charles Spurgeon.

We would check to see if we had involved all the physical senses possible. Again this pertains to the learning process, agreeing with the educational theory which states that the more of the five senses used, the more learning is increased.

Hearing certainly is important, but hearing amplified by seeing insures greater learning and greater involvement. It is possible through feeling, such as holding hands, or through taste, such as communion, to involve people and increase their participation.

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No matter what type of Sunday sermon you need to create, David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Several final checks, as to the morning service, should be included before ending this topic. Appropriate material was chosen for use in the five minutes before the prelude begins. Because our 9:30 service was earlier than the established Protestant worship time, we found it necessary to begin at 9:25 in order to remind our congregation to arrive earlier. A very special part of the service was put here—a musical selection, a dramatic or a visual presentation. This also helped to insure an attitude of quiet.

Facing the typical problem of parishioners choosing back seats, we tossed a cartoon visual on the screen, the caption of which read, “Happiness is coming to church early enough to find a choice back seat.” It helped!

Whatever was used enabled us to clear our minds in preparation for the worship which was to follow.

Another final check during the planning stages dealt with the type of involvement the congregation had in the service itself. Singing hymns and giving offerings was not enough, in our minds, and we were continually trying to find additional ways to make people feel an integral part.

Of course, it was easy to depend on the staff to participate because they were available. But, a layman could do many jobs as well or better. These jobs might have included preparing a historical introduction to the sermon, scripting and performing a multiple-reading, or giving a testimony of experience that amplified the truth in the sermon.

These were all on an individual level. Involvement on a corporate level was just as important. Corporate level expressions might have included the holding of hands to express Christian unity, a responsive reading, or the lighting of candles throughout the congregation to represent our position as lights in the world.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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I don’t know if pastors are always aware of what takes place in the pews, but here’s a situation I’d like to see corrected.

In an attempt to be friendly, the minister says, “Would our visitors please raise their hands?” Then he/she tells the regulars to please “greet our visitors and make them feel at home.”

All too often the conversation goes like this:

“So you’re a visitor?”

“That’s right.”

“First time here, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Never been to this church before?”

“Nope.”

“Good to have you visit.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m William. This is my wife Alice.”

“I’m Pete and she’s Megan.”

“So it’s Pete and Megan.”

“That’s right.”

“Well…” (long pause)

The truth is that most people really don’t know how to make a visitor feel all that welcome!

How much better it would be if the pastor said something like, “Why don’t you find out what prompted our visitors to honor us by coming to our service this morning. Got it? Ask what circumstances brought them here, and make sure they feel welcome. Okay?”

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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