Terry Woodnorth
Former CRWRC board member. Current trustee of the Center for Public Justice. Previous chair of Diakonia Remixed: Office of Deacon Task Force and the Task Force to Study the Offices of Elder and Deacon for the CRCNA. Retired software engineer living in Lebanon, PA. Attended Synod 2016 as a deacon delegate.
Posted in: Reconciliation and Forgiveness Resources
U.S. Senator Ben Sasse's new book is just out - Them: Why We Hate Each Other — and How to Heal (St. Martin’s Press).
Posted in: Job Descriptions for Elders and Deacons
You may want to use references to the 2016 version of the ordination form.
Posted in: Faith & Finances: A Ministry Tool for Deacons
The 2015 Faith & Finances certification training schedule is now available from The Chalmers Center. Check out https://www.chalmers.org/our-work/us-church-training/get-trained/.
Posted in: Recommended Film: Like Stars on Earth
Thank you for this movie review and recommedation. I've given the movie a 5-star Netflix rating!
Posted in: Build or Empower
The book "When Helping Hurts" by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett specifically addresses this topic in the chapter "Doing Short-Term Missions Without Doing Long-Term Harm." I encourage those considering a short-term missions trip to read this book. See the book's companion website http://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/index.php.
Posted in: Advent Curriculum or Study for Adult Sunday School Group?
The Kerygma Program has A Study for Advent - The Light Will Shine.
Posted in: Do Training Materials Exist for Potential Deacons or Elders?
Diaconal Ministries Canada has many helpful resources for deacons. Check out their website at http://diaconalministries.com/.
I also recommend the following books for training deacons:
Posted in: Suggestions for Adult Bible Study?
Check out the video series For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles at http://www.letterstotheexiles.com/. It addresses the question "What is our salvation for?"
Posted in: Caring for Both Children and Senior Parents — How Can We Support?
From personal experience, I've taken advantage of the resources provided by my employer's Employee Assistance Program. Reminding people that resources may be available from their employer is a start. Encouragement to be part of a small group in the local church is also invaluable.
Posted in: Leading a Youth Mission Trip?
See these postings on the Network: http://network.crcna.org/category/topics/global-mission/short-term-mission
Contact ServiceLink staff: http://www2.crcna.org/pages/servicelink_interestform.cfm
Read the following books:
"Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence" by David A. Livermore
"When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, especially chapter 7: "Doing Short-Term Missions Without Doing Long-Term Harm"
Posted in: What guidelines should a church have for helping those in need?
See Guidelinelines for Benevolence from Diaconal Ministries Canada at http://www.diaconalministries.com/resources/documents/guidelinesforbenevolence.pdf . I also encourage you to study the book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert - http://www.whenhelpinghurts.org/. Ministry training webinars based on the book are available at http://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/webinar/schedule.php.
Posted in: What method works best for online or "non-check" giving?
Sorry for the delay in responding, but I just recently started paying attention to this forum and not just the blog.
I would encourage you to start out with Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) rather than online credit card donations. The fees associated with credit card donations may be relatively high for a small/mid-size church. My church has been using EFT for a few years and it has worked well (although not a lot people have participated). I recommend Vanco Services (http://www.vancoservices.com/), which provides EFT, website payments, and donations by text.