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The United Methodist Music & Worship Planner 2023-2024 NRSVue Edition
by Mary Scifres David L. BoneA weekly worship planning book for United Methodist pastors and musicians.An all-in-one resource that helps both the music director and pastor plan the worship services for each Sunday and holy day of the year, The United Methodist Music and Worship Planner 2023-2024 is lectionary-based and places at your fingertips: Weekly pages in spiral-bound format that help you plan the entire worship year, from September through August. Eight or more suggested hymns for each service keyed to United Methodist worship resources: The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Worship & Song, The United Methodist Book of Worship, and The Africana Hymnal. Complete lectionary text of the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel readings using the NRSV translation. Reproducible worship planning forms. Resources for holidays and special days. Suggestions for prayers, solos, anthems, visuals, and much more.Also available with Common English Bible texts.
The Abingdon Worship Annual 2025: Worship Resources for Every Sunday of the Year
by B.J. Beu Mary ScifresThe go-to worship planning resource for all who plan weekly worship.The Abingdon Worship Annual 2025 is a practical, lectionary-based resource for leaders responsible for planning worship. This thoughtful sourcebook offers a weekly theme with meaningful prayers and fresh litanies following a traditional order of Christian worship: Invitation and Gathering Proclamation and Response Thanksgiving and Communion Sending ForthLiturgies and prayers are also included for special days, including New Year’s Day, Ascension Day, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve.The Annual includes helpful reminders for Christian-year planning—including liturgical colors—and a scripture index. The authors also provide in-depth guidance and practical ideas for this new age of worship, helping readers understand and weigh their options for worshiping in digital spaces and unconventional places.The Abingdon Worship Annual 2025 is a must-have sourcebook offering countless opportunities for planning meaningful and insightful worship.
Adult Bible Studies Summer 2024 Teacher/Commentary Kit
by Gregory M. WeeksGrow your faith. Transform your life.Cultivate a deeper relationship with God through Adult Bible Studies. This resource, endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of The United Methodist Church, offers a year-round, weekly Bible study plan for Sunday school classes and other small groups.Each weekly lesson offers background and focal Scriptures, key verses, and doctrinally sound and relevant biblical interpretation and application in a readable font size. Annual plans provide comprehensive coverage of the Bible, special lessons during the church seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, and suggestions for developing spiritual practices such as prayer, worship, community, and service, among many others. Adult Bible Studies is a reliable companion and guide for learning and growing in Christian faith.The Kit includes a teacher’s book and a Concise Commentary that are supplementary and complementary to the Adult Bible Studies student book.The teacher’s book provides biblical background, exposition, and suggestions for leading weekly group discussions and nurturing spiritual practices among class members. Small group leaders, teachers, and facilitators—both seasoned and just starting out—love the easy-to-use format and the wealth of information provided to prepare for each week’s discussion.Based on the trusted Abingdon Basic Bible Commentary, the Concise Commentary provides expert biblical Commentary for the focal Bible passages used in Adult Bible Studies. The Commentary includes each Sunday’s focal Bible passages, unit introductions, and expert Commentary on each passage. Plus, you can pronounce everything correctly with the included pronunciation guide for Bible names and places.Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your preparation and teaching with the help of the Adult Bible Studies Teacher Book and Concise Commentary!With the help of the Adult Bibles Studies Student Book, and DVD, your group will embrace that it’s not just about learning - it’s about living out biblical teachings.Summer 2024 Theme: Finding BalanceThis summer, our Bible lessons follow the theme “Finding Balance.” They look at the concepts of work, rest, and celebration from a theological and biblical perspective and challenge us to find a balance among the three. The teacher book writer is Greg Weeks.Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!
Context Leader Guide: Putting Scripture in Its Place
by Josh ScottExploring the Chapter Behind the Verse. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options. Components include a book, Context: Putting Scripture in Its Place, and video teaching sessions featuring Josh Scott, making this perfect as a group study throughout the year. Context looks at verses we know by heart but may not know the people, places, and times that give them meaning. Josh Scott delves into these well-known Scripture verses, exploring their true meanings by examining them in their original biblical context. Through this process, he unveils fresh and enlightening interpretations that are often missed when these Scriptures are taken out of context.
The Quiet House: Reflections on the Loss of a Spouse
by Ronald J. GreerFind comfort in a message of hope and healing.The loss of a spouse is a devastating experience, but pastoral counselor Ron Greer invites readers into his own grief journey with messages of hope and healing. The Quiet House calls on the image of a home silenced by absence but also speaks about the possibility of moving forward together through the heartache of loss toward hope. Through an elegant series of personal reflections, Greer, a pastoral counselor, offers steps and reflections of healing while tending to marriage memories. Pastors may find this book a profound help and comfort for grieving members.
Doing Justice Together: Fresh Expressions Pathways for Healing in Your Church
by Michael Adam Beck Stephanie Moore HandTransform your church with grace.Doing Justice Together introduces a process using Scripture as a souce of inspiration and instruction for pastors and church people to move through together, to re-envision and reorient themselves away from old, harmful habits. Beck and Hand show pastors how they can, over time, lead the congregation to become a place where racial harmony, justice, and liberation are intrinsic to the structure and life of the church. The authors lay out four pathways for discerning and correcting the unjust patterns that often sneak into church life unnoticed. They also share other leaders’ stories from a variety of settings where this process has led to healing, revival, and hope.Following the pathways, pastors and congregants will be equipped to thoughtfully transform their church. They’ll make changes with grace and care, honoring and including longtime members. And they’ll begin new ministries—perhaps reaching people they could never have imagined reaching before--becoming a fresh expression of church in their community.
The Sanctuary for Lent 2024
by Abigail BrowkaDevotions by Abigail Browka for each day of Lent.The Sanctuary for Lent 2024 contains brief readings for each day in Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, including a suggested Scripture, a short devotion, and a short prayer or practice—all based on the Revised Common Lectionary. This annual favorite helps readers faithfully journey through Lent as they prepare to experience the joy of the Resurrection. Along with being a great congregational resource, it is an excellent gift for family, friends, and those your congregation connects with through outreach.This is a single booklet download.
The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024
by B.J. Beu Mary ScifresThe go-to worship planning resource for all who plan weekly worship.The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024 is a practical, lectionary-based resource for leaders who are responsible for planning worship. This thoughtful sourcebook offers a weekly theme with meaningful prayers and fresh litanies following a traditional order of Christian worship:Invitation and Gathering Proclamation and Response Thanksgiving and Communion Sending ForthLiturgies and prayers are also included for special days, including New Year’s Day, Ascension Day, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve.The Annual includes helpful reminders for Christian-year planning--including liturgical colors--and a scripture index. The authors also provide in-depth guidance and practical ideas for this new age of worship, helping readers understand and weigh their options for worshiping in digital spaces and unconventional places.The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024 is a must-have sourcebook offering countless opportunities for planning meaningful and insightful worship.
Matthew Leader Guide: The Gospel of Promised Blessings
by Matthew L. SkinnerExplore the tenderness and the tensions in the teachings of Jesus. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options. Components include the book, Matthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings, and video teaching sessions featuring Matthew Skinner. The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus and his message as full of tender compassion and urgent warning. This six-part exploration of an enigmatic Gospel takes readers into the themes, topics, and tensions at the heart of Matthew's story about the life and work of Jesus. Chapters focus on blessing and comfort, judgment and retribution, the meaning of discipleship, Jesus’ vision for the Church and world, conflicts and complaints, and how the Gospel of Matthew speaks to believers today.
The Angels of Christmas Leader Guide: Hearing God's Voice in Advent
by Susan RobbExplore the four angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus with Susan Robb in The Angels of Christmas, a four-week Advent study. The Angels of Christmas: Hearing God’s Voice in Advent, a four-week Advent study by Susan Robb, explores the four angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. In this study, the reader will explore the visits and dive deep into the history of the angel Gabriel–and other angels–in the Old Testament. The Angels of Christmas uses these four angelic appearances to discuss God’s presence in history and our lives today. The messages of the angels hold meaning for listeners both then and now.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
Worship Any Time or Place: The Compact Book of Methodist Liturgies, Prayers, and Other Acts of Blessing
by Nelson CowanBe prepared at a moment’s noticeThis book equips the Methodist pastor, worship leader, or layperson to create meaningful worship moments for any group of people, any time, any place. It includes liturgies and prayers suitable for traditional settings such as worship services, funeral services, and administration of the sacraments. It includes words to use during hospital visits, retreats, church meetings, and other conventional settings. It provides words of blessing for departing members. It also provides language for other spaces and places, like home blessings, blessings for foster care families, words for times of transition, liturgies for fresh expressions of the church, prayers before the beginning of work, language for protests and vigils, ritual moments for difficult conversations, and prayers for interreligious and ecumenical events. It offers words of lament to use after violent events and natural disasters. From pulpits to pews, from altar tables to dinner tables, from sanctuaries to streets, the Compact Guide can be used by all ministers—clergy and laity—to employ worshipful words as the Spirit leads.
The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner's Guide to the Good News
by Amy-Jill LevineDiscover the Good News in the Bible’s earliest GospelWalk through the Bible’s earliest source for the life of Jesus with scholar Amy-Jill Levine as she examines John the Baptizer, the Little Apocalypse, the Transfiguration, and several of Jesus's most notable stories and parables. The Good News of the gospel message comes alive in this book as readers see Jesus as divine and human, powerful and weak, approachable yet mysterious. The book features an in-depth study of select passages and illuminates the Gospel in its historical context and as a source for the other gospels.Additional components for this 6-week study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and DVD/Video sessions featuring Amy-Jill Levine (with closed captioning).
Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith Leader Guide
by Adam HamiltonDoes your faith make room for questions?The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options. Everyone has doubts. Where is God when bad things happen? Does God hear our prayers? Is there a heaven? How can we know? Often, we treat such questions as the enemy of faith. But uncertainty doesn’t mean our belief is lacking. Doubt can be a path to a deeper, richer encounter with God.In Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, join best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton as he discusses some of our most significant sources of doubt and shows how a steady trust in God can emerge from them. You will delve into questions like:“Does God exist? How can I know?”“Is the Bible true?”“Why do prayers go unanswered?”Hamilton approaches these sources of doubt with honesty and insight, drawing on the rich wisdom of the Bible, Christian tradition, and his experience walking with thousands of people on their spiritual journeys. Whether you’re a longtime Christian or someone brand new to faith, this book will lead you to a trust in God that gives you the courage to ask tough questions. Though you may wrestle with doubt, you’ll discover a faith that—rather than providing simple answers—includes belief and trust as well as uncertainty and mystery.Additional components include the book, Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, video teaching sessions featuring Adam Hamilton (with closed captioning), and a digital worship and sermon series that make this perfect as a group study and church-wide program done throughout the year.
The Third Day Leader Guide: Living the Resurrection
by Tom Berlin Mark A. MillerOn the third day, he rose again.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options. In The Third Day: Living the Resurrection, Tom Berlin uses his gifts of storytelling and understanding the Scriptures to connect the reader to the experiences of several individuals around Jesus in his final days, focusing on new life and redemption rather than loss.Join Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Thomas as they feel the despair of losing Jesus and the surprise and joy that awaits them in the resurrection. This study traces events around these characters, along with Paul and the disciples at Emmaus, and how the resurrection transforms their lives.Additional components include the book, The Third Day: Living the Resurrection, and video teaching sessions featuring Tom(with closed captioning).
Knowing Who We Are: The Wesleyan Way of Grace
by Laceye C. WarnerDiscover what sets United Methodism apart. In this book, Laceye C. Warner invites you to a richer understanding of Wesleyan Christianity so you can have a clear sense of identity, better express your own beliefs, and deepen your connection with The United Methodist Church. She introduces you to important values and characteristics that make the Wesleyan way distinctive, including emphasizing God’s grace for all and sanctification as tangible transformation in your life, your community, and all creation. You’ll see how The United Methodist Church today is deeply rooted in the Christian tradition and a legacy of care, compassion, and active response to injustice in the world. And you’ll find that Christian faith in the Wesleyan tradition holds together personal faith and community life, along with a commitment to justice through ministry and service. Pick up this book and study it with your small group and discover a way of being Christian that fills you with joy, moves you to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, and spurs you to live with compassion and grace. The book can be read alone or used by small groups anytime throughout the year. Components include video teaching sessions featuring Laceye Warner and a comprehensive Leader Guide, making this perfect as a six-week group study. A companion book, Who We Are and What We Believe: 50 Questions about The UMC, is also available.
Questions Jesus Asked: A Six-Week Study in the Gospels
by Magrey deVegaWhat does Jesus want to know about us?Jesus was fond of asking questions, many of which cut right to the heart of what it means to be human. Why are you terrified? What do you live for? Who do you say that I am? In Questions Jesus Asked, author Magrey deVega explores six of the most provocative questions Jesus posed to others and guides us in answering them for ourselves.Asking these questions takes courage. Not only do they reveal what Jesus really cares about, they open a window into our hearts. We all have questions for God, but growth happens when we turn things around and ask what Jesus wants to know about us. When we dare to raise them, these questions bring us a fuller appreciation for the wisdom, power, and presence of God in our lives. Are you willing to step out in faith? Are you ready to answer the questions Jesus asked?The book can be read alone or used by small groups, and can be used anytime throughout the year. Additional components include video teaching sessions featuring Magrey deVega, and a comprehensive leader guide, making this perfect as a six-week group study done throughout the year.
Bible Stories for Grown-Ups: Reading Scripture with New Eyes
by Josh ScottRead the Bible for the first time – again. In Bible Stories for Grown-Ups: Reading Scripture with New Eyes pastor Josh Scott looks at familiar Bible stories and reveals new details and interpretations for an adult audience. This six-week Bible study will consider stories many read as children including Noah's Ark, the binding of Isaac, Jonah and the big fish, Jesus and Zacchaeus, Jesus healing a blind man, and the parable of the talents. Scott reimagines these stories and opens new visions for readers to understand well known pieces of Scripture in our current cultural environment.The book can be read alone or used by small groups, and can be used anytime throughout the year. Additional components include video teaching sessions featuring Josh Scott, and a comprehensive leader guide, making this perfect as a six-week group study done throughout the year.
The Gospel of Mark Leader Guide: A Beginner's Guide to the Good News
by Amy-Jill LevineDiscover the Good News in the Bible’s earliest GospelWalk through the Bible’s earliest source for the life of Jesus with scholar Amy-Jill Levine as she examines John the Baptizer, the Little Apocalypse, the Transfiguration, and several of Jesus's most notable stories and parables. The Good News of the gospel message comes alive in this book as readers see Jesus as divine and human, powerful and weak, approachable yet mysterious. The book features an in-depth study of select passages and illuminates the Gospel in its historical context and as a source for the other gospels.This comprehensive Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the study.Additional components for this 6-week study include the book, The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner’s Guide to the Good News, and DVD/Video sessions featuring Amy-Jill Levine (with closed captioning).
Matthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings
by Matthew L. SkinnerExplore the tenderness and the tensions in the teachings of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus and his message as full of tender compassion and urgent warning. This six-part exploration of an enigmatic Gospel takes readers into the themes, topics, and tensions at the heart of Matthew's story about the life and work of Jesus. Chapters focus on blessing and comfort, judgment and retribution, the meaning of discipleship, Jesus’ vision for the Church and world, conflicts and complaints, and how the Gospel of Matthew speaks to believers today. The book can be read alone or used by small groups anytime throughout the year. Components include video teaching sessions featuring Matthew Skinner and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
Prepare! 2024-2025 CEB/NRSVue Edition: An Ecumenical Music & Worship Planner
by David L. Bone Mary ScifresA weekly worship planning book for pastors and musicians – Refreshed!New with the 2024-2025 edition! The Music & Worship Planner includes both the CEB and NRSVue translations in one planner and added space for notes.An all-in-one resource that helps both the music director and pastor plan the worship services for each Sunday and holy day of the church year, the 2024-2025 edition of Prepare! is lectionary-based and placeseverything at your fingertips:- Theme index! Includes themes like assurance, doubt, family, justice, prayer, temptation, and many more- Scripture Index- Calendar format that helps you plan the entire choir year, from September through August- Eight or more suggested hymns for each service keyed to 16 hymnals from at least seven different denominations, including Africana Hymnal, The Baptist Hymnal, Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ), The Faith We Sing, Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal, The Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal), Hymns for the Family of God, Lutheran Book of Worship, The Presbyterian Hymnal, The New Century Hymnal (United Church of Christ), Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship, Songs for Praise and Worship Singalong Edition, The United Methodist Hymnal, Voices United, Worship & Song, and Worship III (Roman Catholic)- Complete lectionary text of the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel readings, using the Common English Bible translation- Reproducible worship planning forms- Resources for holidays and special days- Suggestions for prayers, solos, anthems, visuals, and much moreIn addition, you will find more:- Consistent Worship elements- Content for contemporary worship services- More innovative worship elements
Daily Bible Study Spring 2024
by Terrence McCarthy Rhoda E. PrestonGrow your faith daily. Transform your life.Experience God in deeper ways by spending time in God’s Word. Daily Bible Study is the perfect resource for individuals who want to grow in their relationship with God and enhance their engagement with lessons in Adult Bible Studies. Designed to meet the needs of busy people, each daily reading includes a Scripture reference, a personal faith-related question, an explanation and application of the biblical text, and a prayer, all on one page. Available in print and eBook and as an app.Spring 2024 Theme: Encounters in Prayer and LoveThis spring, Daily Bible Study presents a series of readings supporting the theme “Encounters in Prayer and Love.” These readings, divided into two units, continue to guide us through Lent, which begins in the winter quarter. The readings then challenge us to carry the hope of resurrection into a vision for peace, reconciliation, and healing in our fractured and polarized world. These daily readings come from Old and New Testament texts, prepare us for the lessons in Adult Bible Studies, and are written by Lala Ball, Terrence McCarthy, and Rhoda Preston.
By the Grace of God: My Life as an African Bishop
by EBEN KANUKAYI NHIWATIWAAn African bishop shares his story and ministry.Born in the small Zimbabwean village of Gandanzara, Bishop Eben Kanukayi Nhiwatiwa became an inspired and accomplished leader in the church and larger society. Elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church in 2004, he has guided ministries in Zimbabwe and across Africa and beyond through periods of immense and rapid change. In his book By the Grace of God, the bishop takes the reader through his educational odyssey, winding through Zimbabwe and the United States. He narrates with humor his introduction to the US and its unfamiliar customs. He inspires readers with the story of the remarkable series of events that shaped him as a Christian and bishop.The book provides a succinct master class on the art and science of leadership. Drawing inspiration and insights from an array of literature and astute observation, Nhiwatiwa synthesizes what have been his most important gleanings about factors that contribute to visionary and effective leadership.Nhiwatiwa became known as the “Chabadza Bishop,” advocating for vibrant mutual partnerships with churches and annual conferences in other parts of the world. Chabadza is a Shona word meaning “to give a helping hand to someone who is already working.” He urges people asking for help to be active workers in the project themselves. He has diligently advanced ideas for collaboration that eliminate approaches rooted in maintaining dependency.Nhiwatiwa writes, “Life-changing events in my life took place, not because of my sustained goal to pursue a certain objective, but that by the grace of God.” His witness and leadership have helped transform The United Methodist Church for ministry in the twenty-first century.
Daily Bible Study Summer 2024
by Gregory M. Weeks Clara K. Welch Traci D. RhoadesGrow your faith daily. Transform your life.Experience God in deeper ways by spending time in God’s Word. Daily Bible Study is the perfect resource for individuals who want to grow in their relationship with God and enhance their engagement with lessons in Adult Bible Studies. Designed to meet the needs of busy people, each daily reading includes a Scripture reference, a personal faith-related question, an explanation and application of the biblical text, and a prayer, all on one page. Available in print and eBook and as an app.Summer 2024 Theme: Finding BalanceThis summer, Daily Bible Study presents a series of readings supporting the theme “Finding Balance.” These readings help us unpack the concepts of work, rest, and celebration from a biblical perspective and how we can achieve balance in our lives as we incorporate each of these components. The daily readings come from Old and New Testament texts, prepare us for the lessons in Adult Bible Studies, and are written by Traci Rhoades, Greg Weeks, and Clara Welch.
Calm: How to End Destructive Conflict in Your Church
by Mary Gladstone-Highland Kathryn E. Stokes Christina WichertGuide your church to proactively make decisions and deal with conflict.Calm: How to End Destructive Conflict in Your Church is a guidebook written for United Methodist churches and church leaders to help them proactively make decisions and deal with conflict.This book equips pastors and other leaders with the skills and tools necessary to engage in critical conversations that lead to healthy communities--churches that remain God-focused in times of conflict and tension. In addition to the four Modules, Calm includes the practical resources pastors, judicatory leaders, and others will need to lead congregations through the Modules.The Modules contain step-by-step instructions for planning and facilitating the Module sessions. They include detailed instructions and helpful tips for leading people through the Calm process of group activities, discussion, reflection, and times of worship. The book is a complete guide for leading this process, including instructions for the pastor and facilitator, helping to ensure success.The authors also provide clear adaptations for groups gathering virtually – an inescapable reality in the life of today's church. These adaptations both underscore and equip groups to take special care while engaging in the sensitive nature of conflict work in a virtual space.
Untangling Faith Women's Bible Study Leader Guide: Reclaiming Hope in the Questions Jesus Asked
by Amberly NeeseReclaim your hope!Have you ever felt you struggled to find your faith footing? Join Amberly Neese in she explores the questions Jesus asked as a way to reclaim that faith. Chapters explore our own questions like Can God Be Trusted? and How Can I Grow in Faith. Amberly’s unique humor and wit help the whole group find their way through deep and rich issues of personal faith, doubt, and growth.Components for this six-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Participant Workbook with daily reading and reflection, a full Leader Guide to help plan full group sessions, and video sessions with six 20 to 25-minute segments (with closed captioning).