God and Mr. Peick weren’t through! – Part 4

So, Mr. Peick introduced me to Joey Glimco, head of the Taxi Drivers’ Union who had his office directly below the auditorium in which we worshiped.

“I’ve seen those people going in there on Sunday mornings with their prayer books. You haven’t got any of those hippie types,” Mr. Glimco commented.

“Oh, yes he does,” countered Mr. Peick. “The Rev’s got all kinds! How about giving the church a donation?”

It was not a question as much as an irrevocable instruction. We walked to the headquarters of the Taxi Drivers’ Union where a check was written for $100.00. Afterward Mr. Peick explained, “Joey’s a good man. I think he’d give you the shirt off his back.”

This characteristic, I discovered that morning, was common to many of these men, according to Mr. Peick.

When I left, having made a few more calls with Mr. Peick, I had checks in my pocket totaling $800.00.

Taxicab Drivers’ Union………………………………$100.00
Local Wine and Liquor Distributors……………..$100.00
Warehouse Truckers…………………………………$300.00
Teamsters’ Local 705………………………………..$300.00

Total………………………………………………………$800.00

Plus, we had been given office space rent free. All this took place less than a day after Al Nestor had exclaimed, “Guys, I think we got through.” He had been right!

My heart, of course, was indescribably full, and I proceeded to write a letter of thanks to each organization. To the head of the Local Wine and Liquor Distributors Union, I included an additional sentence:

“Enclosed you will find a book which I think will be of special interest to you. Thank you again.”

The book was Keith Miller’s, A Taste of New: Wine !

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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, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will 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 Saturday or 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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Time to Stop Talking

There aren’t a lot of people who every week have the privilege of talking nonstop to a group of people for a half-hour or so. Ministers are one of the rare exceptions.

Unfortunately, a lot of these men and women who are relatively good at talking are not as good at not talking. Said differently, they aren’t good listeners. Let me try that again. They often can’t stay quiet long enough to hear what others have to say, and especially, they are unskilled when it comes to giving their full attention to carefully listening to what others have to say about their weekly sermonizing.

This is most unfortunate, because one of the best ways to find out about the transforming effectiveness of sermons is by letting our listeners tell us what impact our words have had on their lives.

Try a question like this: “I’ve preached for four or five Sundays in this recent series; can you tell me if what I’ve said brought about any changes in your life, and if so, what?”

In my mind, that’s not only a fair question, it’s a very important one. People’s answers should prove quite helpful in terms of determining how we are doing our job.

Preachers, who make their living talking, would benefit from cultivating the habit of asking good sermon-related questions, and then listening closely to people’s responses.

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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, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will 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 Saturday or 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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God and Mr. Peick weren’t through! – Part 1

By the end of the summer of 1969 at Circle Church we were behind financially and had received notice to move from the downtown office where we rented space, because the building was to be razed as a part of the renovation process which is eternal to Chicago. After preliminary investigation we realized that the exorbitantly high Chicago-Loop rents would prove impossible to meet continually.

The Circle Church staff at the Tuesday meeting held an extended time for sharing the problem with God. Rarely did we pray regarding finances or physical provisions, having made it a definite policy to trust God. So, these moments centered around a personal examination of our relationship before Him to determine whether our attitudes were proper.

The Zion experiment was in its final weeks and we were all pretty ragged. At the conclusion, I remember Al Nestor saying, “You know, guys, l think we got through.” I thought to myself, “I hope so.” Because we were certainly at the end of our rope.

That afternoon l called Mr. Peick at the Union Hall to inquire if there would possibly be office space somewhere in the complex of properties the Teamsters owned on the near west side. Stating that he was busy at the moment, he asked me to come the next morning.

When I arrived he took me to a large office in a warehouse building in the same block as the Union Hall where we held our Sunday services. The address was 321 South Paulina, and the main part of the first floor was a garage where Union leaders parked their cars. The front portion contained a second floor where there was a large open area including two private offices, two washrooms, and two air conditioners.

“Hmmmm? Air conditioners in summer-hot-hot Chicago?” I thought.

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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, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will 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 Saturday or 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 was glad when they said unto me…” – Part 15

Worship through Giving.

Giving can be an act of worship. This is true not only of the offering, if it is included in this portion of the service, but also gifts of any kind.

At Circle Church, as preparation to praise God that He is life, we sent out a letter in advance to the families of the congregation asking the children to bring special gifts to the church for the service. The gifts were to have had life or were to be alive. They were from the children to God, an expression of appreciation for the fact that God is life and the source of all life.

That morning in the time of worship, at a scheduled moment, little children began to stream from all corners of the auditorium. Some came steadfastly, greatly impressed with the solemnity of their act. Others moved shyly. A few suppressed embarrassed giggles.

Each brought a gift of life: a shell, a bouquet of flowers, a box of white mice, a pine cone, a fossil. Green plants were placed on the table along with two parakeets in a cage. A box of salamanders found its way beside a book. One boy brought himself and drew up a chair to sit upon as a symbolic act of dedication. How beautifully each gift prepared us for the message: “The initial sign of renaissance in a society is the commitment of Christ’s followers to the life style He taught.”

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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.

Share and Enjoy

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