Mr. Tkach addresses the subject of church buildings in his Personal.
"I believe that ownership of local church buildings will be part of our future as a denomination," Mr. Tkach wrote. "But we need to proceed wisely and in accord with God's call, learning from the mistakes of others, so that our buildings can truly be blessings."
Mr. Tkach, citing church growth experts, noted that a building program is not a ready solution for a church's attendance problems.
He said that some congregations, frustrated after a 60-year history of virtually no local church buildings in our denomination, feel that owning a building may be the answer they've been looking for. Mr. Tkach listed several points for congregations to consider. Page 1.
Longtime minister Frank Brown retires as Canadian regional director June 1. He turns the reins over to Gary Moore, regional pastor in Edmonton, Alberta.
Mr. Brown, who with his wife, Sharon, fully supports the direction the church is going, said he came to the conclusion that his gifts of administration were not as useful as in the past.
"The church now needs a director who is strongly gifted in pastoral ministry, which Gary Moore certainly is," Mr. Brown said. Page 4.
Throughout our fellowship, men, women and children are being transformed by Jesus Christ.
One way men are being transformed (and their wives and children benefiting) is by what the men are learning from Promise Keepers events conducted throughout the country.
In May, WCG men were out in force at Promise Keeper events in Cincinnati, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Los Angeles, California.
Several of the men share what they have learned. One man grew up in the WCG but had not attended for many years. Now he is attending regularly and counseling for baptism. Page 5.
The daily average mail income for April was $138,931, writes treasurer Bernie Schnippert. This brings the daily average for the year to $134,921.
Spring Festival offerings were above projections, coming in at about $1 million for each of the two days.
The church has been blessed with a more or less stable financial condition for the past few months.
"The credit for this must of course go to you who so faithfully contribute to the church, and to God whom we ask for guidance and whom we thank for all blessings," Dr. Schnippert wrote. Page 12.
In the third part of a three-part series on ministry, Michael Morrison looks at what the Bible says about women in leadership positions.
The study paper notes that Jesus treated women with respect, never demeaning their abilities. Women were important in the early church, helping to spread the gospel.
Paul allowed men and women to prophesy in church meetings.
The paper notes that what is acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another and that further study is needed. Pages 13-15.
May 20, 1997, WN, page 2
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