Visiting Circle Church for the first time, you would have been immediately aware of obvious physical differences from the usual church sanctuary—hundreds of folding chairs arranged semi circular fashion, each with an ash tray fastened on the back; little boys intently putting hymnals on every other seat; the Teamsters’ insignia squarely centered above the front platform; a long table holding a metal lectern substituting for a pulpit; a jumble of wires leading to microphones, tape recorders, and a slide or overhead projector; a movie screen serving as backdrop for it all.
As the hall filled, you would have been unable to ignore the variations of skin color. In this era of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, you might take special note of the mixed couples—black/white, Oriental/Latin American—certainly of the racial composition of the staff as they take their place on the one-step platform.
If you were used to a traditional church, the predominantly youthful look of the congregation would surprise you, as well as the unusual proportion of expectant mothers! The wild assortment of styles from that time period—maxi skirts and minis, jeans and striped bell bottoms, pant suits, saris, African caftans, beards (and bald heads)—would not go unnoticed.
Maybe with some relief you would observe that the “straights,” or “squares,” were amply represented. A young man with long hair and sandals passes; you might have been even more surprised by his presence if you knew that he had been accepted by Wycliffe Bible Translators for missionary translation work. Looking around, you probably would agree with some of our young men who claimed that the prettiest girls in the city attended Circle Church.
Suddenly the choir begins to sing a Capella from the rear of the auditorium. As the service continues it may be strictly offbeat—something unlike anything you have experienced in your years of attending church. Or, depending on the Sunday, it could be more traditional in form, with the sermon an emphatic plea for a greater Christian social consciousness. From the moment of the prelude to the last chord following the benediction, however, you would probably be aware that a single basic theme had been expressed. You might also conclude there had been a plan behind the entire hour; it hadn’t simply “happened.”
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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.
