February 2008
From the Pastor:
It's incredible how quickly we have gone from Christmas to Epiphany, and now we find ourselves at the beginning of the Lenten season. It's a miracle any of us is able to catch our breath.
We are living in hurried times. We run from one place to another and we are overwhelmed with the reality that no matter how fast we are going we are barely caught up. Living this kind of existence is affecting every aspect of our daily lives. This is especially true in our spiritual lives.
More than ever before Christians are having a hard time reading their Bibles. Did you know that 500 pastors were asked why this was happening to their members? Their answer was "lack of time." The result of this is biblical illiteracy. The fact is only 40% of Americans know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Fewer than half of American adults can name all four gospels.
Adults under the age of 30 and people who attend small churches express greater difficulties with Bible knowledge than older adults. People who attend small churches express greater difficulties with Bible knowledge than members of large churches.
Our on-the-go American lifestyle is a prime reason people feel pressed for time. With the average commute for most Americans at 23.4 minutes a day, most Americans spend more time driving to work each year (100) than they spend on vacation (80 hours). So when factored in, Americans spend on an average 21/2 hours in the car each day.
Another issue affecting Americans today that gets in the way of their growing spiritually is illiteracy. Illiteracy keeps people from knowing God's word. According to the U.S. Department of Education's 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 43% of American adults function at or below basic literacy levels. In Wisconsin alone 39% of the adult population read at or below basic levels.
Poor reading skills affect more than just job opportunities and financial prospects. Functionally illiterate Americans also face two specific challenges in receiving God's Word: 1) dependency upon others, and 2) a learning style that differs from the way most Bible teaching is done in this country. People who are functionally illiterate process information differently than people who are literate--they require story telling and dialog, not exposition, to understand and retain information.
Christian organizations are trying to be creative in how they share the word of God with those who have issues with reading. For over 30 years an organization called Faith Comes by Hearing, has embarked in the ministry of audio listening programs. Their belief is that audio listening programs empower individuals to discover the word of God for themselves -and they are highly accessible to people who may feel intimidated by a printed book.
In December Session looked at all of these realities of lack of time and illiteracy, and decided to do something about it. During Lent, each person at First Presbyterian Church will receive a CD copy of the New Testament. Children will also receive a copy of the children's New Testament.
Our hope is that you take 28 minutes a day for forty days to listen to Scripture. If you have a computer, we encourage you to copy the New Testament and listen to it from your computer. If you have an MP3 player, copy the New Testament on to your MP3. Listen to Scripture while cleaning your house, going to and from the grocery, from work, or while exercising. The opportunities are endless.
We are also asking you to team up with us as a Session and to reach into your pockets during Lent so that we can help sponsor more Bible translations for illiterate people around the world. The Faith Comes By Hearing ministry uses 100% of our donations towards translating the Bible. They provide audio Bibles and the equipment necessary for people who have never listened to God's word to do so in a powerful way. It costs $900 to translate one book of the New Testament. If fifty of our members gave $18.00, we could cove the cost of translating one book.
We have asked the ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing to use our donations towards the translation of indigenous languages in Colombia. Because our Presbytery has a partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Colombia, our prayer is that we impact that partnership by making sure the Bible is available in every language possible.
During Lent, inserts in our bulletins will provide more information regarding this ministry and what you can do to help. We at First Presbyterian Church are making our mission statement of learning and sharing come alive through this ministry. Please prayerfully consider what you will give and during this Lenten invitation.
Remember that the Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Join us during this Lenten journey and grow in faith.
Until next time.
In Peace and love,
Pastor Mara
It's incredible how quickly we have gone from Christmas to Epiphany, and now we find ourselves at the beginning of the Lenten season. It's a miracle any of us is able to catch our breath.
We are living in hurried times. We run from one place to another and we are overwhelmed with the reality that no matter how fast we are going we are barely caught up. Living this kind of existence is affecting every aspect of our daily lives. This is especially true in our spiritual lives.
More than ever before Christians are having a hard time reading their Bibles. Did you know that 500 pastors were asked why this was happening to their members? Their answer was "lack of time." The result of this is biblical illiteracy. The fact is only 40% of Americans know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Fewer than half of American adults can name all four gospels.
Adults under the age of 30 and people who attend small churches express greater difficulties with Bible knowledge than older adults. People who attend small churches express greater difficulties with Bible knowledge than members of large churches.
Our on-the-go American lifestyle is a prime reason people feel pressed for time. With the average commute for most Americans at 23.4 minutes a day, most Americans spend more time driving to work each year (100) than they spend on vacation (80 hours). So when factored in, Americans spend on an average 21/2 hours in the car each day.
Another issue affecting Americans today that gets in the way of their growing spiritually is illiteracy. Illiteracy keeps people from knowing God's word. According to the U.S. Department of Education's 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 43% of American adults function at or below basic literacy levels. In Wisconsin alone 39% of the adult population read at or below basic levels.
Poor reading skills affect more than just job opportunities and financial prospects. Functionally illiterate Americans also face two specific challenges in receiving God's Word: 1) dependency upon others, and 2) a learning style that differs from the way most Bible teaching is done in this country. People who are functionally illiterate process information differently than people who are literate--they require story telling and dialog, not exposition, to understand and retain information.
Christian organizations are trying to be creative in how they share the word of God with those who have issues with reading. For over 30 years an organization called Faith Comes by Hearing, has embarked in the ministry of audio listening programs. Their belief is that audio listening programs empower individuals to discover the word of God for themselves -and they are highly accessible to people who may feel intimidated by a printed book.
In December Session looked at all of these realities of lack of time and illiteracy, and decided to do something about it. During Lent, each person at First Presbyterian Church will receive a CD copy of the New Testament. Children will also receive a copy of the children's New Testament.
Our hope is that you take 28 minutes a day for forty days to listen to Scripture. If you have a computer, we encourage you to copy the New Testament and listen to it from your computer. If you have an MP3 player, copy the New Testament on to your MP3. Listen to Scripture while cleaning your house, going to and from the grocery, from work, or while exercising. The opportunities are endless.
We are also asking you to team up with us as a Session and to reach into your pockets during Lent so that we can help sponsor more Bible translations for illiterate people around the world. The Faith Comes By Hearing ministry uses 100% of our donations towards translating the Bible. They provide audio Bibles and the equipment necessary for people who have never listened to God's word to do so in a powerful way. It costs $900 to translate one book of the New Testament. If fifty of our members gave $18.00, we could cove the cost of translating one book.
We have asked the ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing to use our donations towards the translation of indigenous languages in Colombia. Because our Presbytery has a partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Colombia, our prayer is that we impact that partnership by making sure the Bible is available in every language possible.
During Lent, inserts in our bulletins will provide more information regarding this ministry and what you can do to help. We at First Presbyterian Church are making our mission statement of learning and sharing come alive through this ministry. Please prayerfully consider what you will give and during this Lenten invitation.
Remember that the Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Join us during this Lenten journey and grow in faith.
Until next time.
In Peace and love,
Pastor Mara
posted by harmon at
6:37 PM
