Three complete sessions for Lent, Holy Week and Easter, together with a wealth of activities to extend the range of excitingly messy activities for your Messy Church - creative prayers, games, food crafts, and ideas for organising an Easter trail. Craft templates and a session planning grid are included. Messy Church is a way of being church, for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, and based on creativity, hospitality and celebration. It is primarily designed for people who don't already belong to another form of church - no matter how 'messy' they feel their lives are. Research has shown that 40% of Messy Church families have had little or no prior contact with church and 61% of Messy Church families wouldn't otherwise be at church. BRF supports a global network of around 4,000 Messy Churches in six continents.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told takes the reader on a historical voyage, using wit and logic to reveal the evidence of research that no one wanted you to see. The author reveals that Egypt had a monotheistic religion, not one with a pantheon of gods, gives the evidence to explain the Exodus, traces the Old and New Testaments back to Egypt, explains why most of the characters in the Old Testament are fictitious, shows that the original Jews did not migrate to a 'Promised Land, ' they were always there. Jews, Christians and Muslims have been grossly mislead about their religions. All three were perverted from their shared origins, by politics, avarice and greed. The greatest of these perversions is Christianity. Academics knew the truth but dared not publish it. Church leaders knew the truth about Jesus but lied to hide it. They know that Christianity is one of many monotheistic religions based on an identical theme and they carried out a ruthless and bloodthirsty campaign which has failed to eradicate the truth. The author proves his allegations, presents truth not speculation and shows where the future path of the Church must lie. The Greatest Lie Ever Told isn't some vague conjecture, it is a fact.

Contemplative Youth Ministry is rooted in Mark Yaconelli's experience of co-directing the acclaimed Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project. Through this project, churches and youth ministers have explored contemplative prayer, discernment, spiritual direction, covenant community, spiritual practice and Sabbath-living as a way of resourcing ministries with youth. The results have been transformative, and this engaging book, richly illustrated with personal stories, provides refreshment and new ways of thinking for anyone who has grown weary or disillusioned with the vital tasks of working with and caring for young people.

Religion today comes in many forms. The arrival of the twenty-first century brought with it a wave of religious tolerance and indifference unlike any before. As Christians struggle to unfold the truth tangled by modernity and postmodernity, many choose to radically and disrespectfully oppose other religions or passively accept their possible validity for the sake of tolerance. The effects of religious pluralism in our world today make it increasingly difficult for the life-giving message of Christ to reach the hearts of those who need to hear it. How should Christians attempt to tell the Gospel story in a world that believes no one religion is right? How should Christians live and speak in the crowded marketplace of world religions? With Cords of Love presents Christians with an introduction to religious pluralism and offers a sound, loving response drawn from the essential doctrinal features of the Wesleyan theological tradition. This thorough examination discusses the historical, philosophical, and cultural factors that have contributed to religious pluralism and explores the major responses currently embraced in some Christian circles. In addition to this historical overview, it also outlines ways the Church can bear a hopeful, effective, and intelligible witness for the message of Christ. Using Paul's response to the Athenians in the Book of Acts, With Cords of Love compels us to approach people from other religions with both respect and compassion, urging us to allow God to direct and guide our words and actions as we help to complete the work He's already begun in their hearts.

What are the theological foundations of Christian ministry? What should a vital Christian ministry look like in the world today? Teacher and veteran of urban ministry Bryan Stone addresses these important questions in an engaging and challenging book. Compassionate Ministry explores systematically the relationship between Christian doctrines of God, church, and human existence, and the focus and meaning of ministry today. It offers a solid introduction to the theology of ministry through an approach rooted in the compassion of God, which Stone shows is evident throughout the scriptures and made real in the incarnation and ministry of Jesus. Compassionate Ministry locates a primary focus in the experience of suffering and poverty which marks daily life for the majority of people today. Stone builds continually on this insight, drawing out the dimensions of a humanizing ministry that participates in restoring the "image of God" in which all have been created: an image of freedom, humanity, community. Understanding God as all-compassionate, and Jesus as the Compassion of God, this book provides a model of a compassionate church as a "liberating community: " people who, knowing what they believe, work and worship together in the service of humanizing praxis in their own community, and in the world at large. Finally, this ministry call for "compassionate evangelism" which proceeds itself from the community, as a more holistic and historical approach than current consensus might suggest.

Forces are rapidly reshaping America's morals, social policies, and culture-but how do we stop it? Learn how to make your voice heard and reclaim America's faith and values by reshaping our country's current trajectory. Cultural elites in the media, academia, and politics are daily deceiving millions of Americans into passively supporting policies that are harmful to the nation and their own best interest. Although some Americans can see through the smokescreen, they feel powerless to stop the forces inside and outside government that radically threaten their values and principles. Drawing on her training in political science and law, Dr. Swain thoughtfully examines the religious significance of the founding of our nation and the deceptions that have crept into our daily lives and now threaten traditional families, unborn children, and members of various racial and ethnic groups-as well as national sovereignty itself. Dr. Swain provides encouraging action items for the people of our country to make the political system more responsive. The book is divided into two sections: forsaking what we once knew and re-embracing truth and justice in policy choices. Be the People covers key topics including: The damage caused political correctness and its censoring of traditional Christian expression of thought America's shift to moral relativism and its religious roots Erosion of rule of law, national security, and immigration Abortion's fragile facade and the true toll it takes Racial and ethnic challenges How we can reclaim the future In Be the People, Carol takes a candid look at the problems our country faces but that we're often uncomfortable speaking honestly about, providing hope and actionable solutions to change the direction of America while we still can. "Be the People is a courageous analysis of today's most pressing issues, exposing the deceptions by the cultural elite and urging 'We the People' to restore America's faith and values." -Sean Hannity