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devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42 NIV). |
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Two follow-up
pieces have been developed for you to give to new converts
during Heaven Week Celebration. These follow-up pieces
are a credit card look-alike. One is designed for children
and the other is for adults/teens. They have a place for
new believers to record their decision and serve as a tool
to hold them accountable to grow. The adult/teen card is
designated BPEx—Building People Express. The child card
is BKEx—Building Kids Express. A total of 38% of all
Sunday Schools have used these special cards.
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The
basketball coach at Moody Bible College, Dan was so
delighted with these tools that he is using them in
his summer basketball camps. He also took them with
him to Africa on a basketball ministry team.
Kids
especially love these cards. But a follow-up piece
alone is not enough. Converts need personal and group
mentoring, coaching, discipling, and training. Be
sure to conserve your harvest.
Converts will
flourish best with a personal mentor like a Barnabas.
Some will need a Bible. (Be sure it’s an age-/language-appropriate
version. In some cases it would be best to provide the
Bible on cassette, CD, or Bible Story Cards.) Whatever
your approach, be prepared for the "harvest."
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| Baptism |
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Many churches, as a step
of faith, plan a baptism service in conjunction with Heaven
Week Celebration. Listen to what happened in two churches.
A congregation
in Michigan took a giant step of faith and planned a
believer’s baptism for the evening service. Five people
were saved in the morning and baptized in the evening.
Pastor
Bob in South Dakota reports a lady 75 years old saved
and 6 people baptized in the Sunday p.m. service.
One church
had nine to respond in the morning and baptized ten
in the evening service. Pastor Mike said they had "
…a greater sense of urgency concerning the world events
and life in light of eternity."
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New Believers Class
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Numerous churches
launch a new Sunday School class the week following Heaven
Week Celebration with unusually good results. Often
times, this is a new believers class taught by either
the senior pastor or one of the assistant pastors.
A Christian
Education Director at a church in eastern North Carolina
says "We were excited to have seven new converts on
Salvation Sunday. …The next Sunday all seven came
to a new believers class that is being taught by our
senior pastor. They will be together in the new believers
class for two months, then be main-streamed into regular
classrooms."
To find
ideas and suggestions for launching a new class, visit
www.wesleyan.org.
Go to the drop down department boxes and select Sunday
School and Discipleship. On the side bar click on Plant-a-Class.
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