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ARKANSAS FAITH AND ETHICS COUNCIL
eNotes
Date: July 21, 2010
Subject: Need Something Different or Fresh for Fall?
Are you looking for something a little different, fresh, informative, and enjoyable for your church or group? If yes, check out these conference titles. Then contact me, if you would like more information about any of them.
These conferences are intended to inform, edify, and entertain church and group members. We believers must know what we believe, how the Bible shapes and forms those beliefs, and how those beliefs guide and instruct the ways we relate to our world.
I hope you will look over these conferences carefully and inquire about those that may offer something that your church or group members may need. Remember that we can structure these conferences to fit almost any schedule or time constraints you must meet.
The heartbeat behind offering this new service is simply this: We must know more, love more, and serve more – Christ made this crystal clear – it is our model, our mandate, and it should be our legacy .
LIST OF CONFERENCES OFFERED BY THE
ARKANSAS FAITH AND ETHICS COUNCIL
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APPLYING BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO CURRENT MORAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS - We believers must know the issues thoroughly – what the facts are about them and what the Bible has to say about them – and then we must know how to communicate the truth in articulate and effective ways that don’t make us look mean-spirited and pharisaical. This conference explains the three components of this process and describes the pragmatic approach to accomplishing its aims.
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CHURCH AND STATE: DOES IT REALLY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY IT MEANS? – The phrase “wall of separation between church and state” is nowhere to be found in the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or any other of America’s founding documents. What then, is its origin? What was its original intent? How and why has it been misconstrued and applied in a way that is a real threat to our heritage and a danger to religious liberty?
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CURRENT ISSUES: WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT – AND FOR THE CHURCH – SO WHAT? – What are the issues with which we as the church should be concerned? Life issues? Pornography? Alcohol and other drugs? Yes, to all these and many more. However, are there issues best suited to be addressed by believers as individuals, and not corporately as the church? What do the issues with which we choose to get the church involved say about us, our priorities, and the value we put on others? (This session can cover a variety of issues, a few, or just one)
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A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO GET IT – Learn how eliciting answers to three simple questions can allow you to determine a person’s worldview. Are believers consistent and together in their worldviews? How does the worldview held by believers today impact their witness? How do unbelievers, especially younger adults, perceive Christians and how does it affect their own worldview and their acceptance of the gospel?
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HOW TO OPTIMIZE OPPOSITION TO A PRIVATE CLUB PERMIT APPLICATION – It’s tough – it’s heavy lifting – but given the right set of circumstances and a well-worked game plan, it is possible to stop a private club from being approved for your dry county. Pastors, church members, and community leaders must begin early, work hard and smart, and not let up until the issue is settled. Learn in this conference how to do it.
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CHURCHES, PASTORS, AND POLITICAL ACTIVITY: HOW TO AVOID THE MINEFIELDS – What are the two major categories of political activity? Which of those is an absolute taboo for a church, pastor, or other church representative? In which of those can a pastor or church conduct political activities and what are the parameters of that participation? And is it something the church should be doing? Does it aid or hurt our witness?
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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY REMOVE OR PREVENT SEXUALLY-ORIENTED BUSINESSES – Are you concerned that an adult book store (hard-core pornography outlet) could open in your community? If so, this session can show you how to prevent one from being opened in your area. If you have one already, there are a number of strategies that when employed properly can get rid of these sexually-oriented businesses. Learn how to do that here.
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HOW TO DEFEAT A LOCAL OPTION ELECTION CAMPAIGN TO “WET UP” YOUR COUNTY – What are the three phases of such a campaign? What should churches do in each of those phases? If churches do their work in each of those phases in smart, comprehensive and vigorous ways, the churches can prevail and keep their county dry. We can show the way.
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RACE RELATIONS AND THE CHURCH: UNITY BECAUSE OF DIVERSITY OR IN SPITE OF DIVERSITY? – In 1960, Billy Graham said, “The most segregated hour of the week is 11 o’clock Sunday morning.” Sadly, it still is. How important is unity within the church? It’s very important – even critically important – Jesus said in His prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one . . . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Learn how believers can lead out in this very important matter and display the awesome power of the gospel.
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SERVING THE “LEAST OF THESE”: CARE FOR ORPHANS, FOSTER KIDS, AND OTHERS AT RISK – Why is this area of service so important? James 1:27 answers that question. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” What are some of the ways Christians can step up and serve “the least of these”?
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COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE AND CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIANITY – Are others “catching” our faith? They should be. Any they will, at least they will in greater numbers, if we look and act like Jesus. After all, we have His DNA, don’t we? What are the “family traits” we should exhibit?
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MEDIA SAVVY: IN AN INTERVIEW, WHAT DO YOU SAY AND HOW DO YOU SAY IT? – As our culture grows more secular, we are required to be more and more involved in the “public square,” seeking to make a difference in the consensus that is reached on various issues that perplex our culture. That invariably results in greater scrutiny of us generally and closer coverage of us by the media in particular. This session reveals tips on what to say and do when the camera is rolling and the mic is hot.
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PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY: HOW CHRISTIANS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE – Do’s and Don’ts in lobbying, consensus building, and petitioning the government regarding issues on behalf of the public good. “Church speak” and moralizing have obvious limitations in these secular settings. We must speak the language, frame the issues, and make the arguments that can win the day. We must always utilize our strengths (prayer, truth, and grass roots networks) and minimize the results of our weaknesses (lack of funding and absence of star power).
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AGE APPROPRIATE ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS AWARENESS SESSIONS FOR YOUTH – The average American male will see an average of 100,000 beer commercials by the age of eighteen. Ours is an alcohol-drenched culture. Are we adequately addressing the issue of alcohol and other drugs with our children and youth? Are we able to counter the message from mainstream culture, so that today’s youths can resist the tremendous pressure from the media and from their peers to drink alcohol and use other drugs recreationally?
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AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE: FACT OR FICTION? WE REPORT – YOU DECIDE – Were the Founding Fathers atheists, agnostics, deists, or Christians? What, if any, role did faith have to play in the establishment of this republic? What was that faith? What is the evidence? It might surprise you. This session reveals the truth, and nothing but the truth.
These conferences can be presented within virtually any format desired. A single conference or a combination of them can be conducted. They can be structured to last an hour or for an extended period of time. Conferences can be presented in a series (once a week, month, quarter, or other interval). In addition, they can be held in conjunction with a sermon that supplements a conference session that can be held before or after the worship service (Sunday School or Discipleship Training). Another alternative is to simply incorporate the conference content and emphasis into a sermon as a stand-alone presentation. We can format the conference or conferences in a way that meets your church’s or group’s needs.
THERE ARE NO FEES OR DIRECT COSTS TO YOU, YOUR CHURCH, OR YOUR GROUP FOR HOSTING ONE OR MORE OF THESE CONFERENCES. HELP WITH EXPENSES OR GIFTS ARE ACCEPTED, BUT THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED.
Thanks for letting us serve you,
Larry L. Page
ARKANSAS FAITH AND ETHICS COUNCIL
P.O. Box 25112
Little Rock, AR 72221-5112
phone: (501)228-0432 / Toll free: 1-877-665-6883
email: llp@afec.org
website: www.afec.org
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