These videos (aprrox. 10 min. each) and study guides are based on the book ONE - Unity in a Divided World by Deidra Riggs. These resources were created by Southwood Lutheran Church for a sermon series and churchwide Small Group study. It was so well received, we want to share the resources with others! Deidra helps us think differently about unity, first examining our own hearts and how we are ONE with God, then examining how we interact with others as ONE Body in Christ. She tackles topics such as racial division in the Church, political convictions that ruin relationships and life experiences that shape us. How do we celebrate our differences rather than allowing them to divide us? This study is an eye-opening first step. Appropriate for youth as well as adults, feel free to add your own logo to front and back cover of the study guide.

Effectively creating new places for new people is at the heart of our mission as a church. It comes directly from the commission Jesus gave his disciples “go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, The Message) What are the new places we can create inside and outside the church to develop relationships with new people? How does scripture guide us in that process? How is God seeking to do a new thing in our midst? The Good News of Jesus Christ is meant to be shared. Our focus in this series is to seek how God is leading us as disciples to be that connectional component - New Places for New People.

Here you will find tools to plan a 7-week sermon series on “New Places for New People” including weekly themes, key scriptures, sermon building points and weekly sample worship order.

One issue is consistently on everyone’s minds: the economy. Fears over conflict and uncertainty in other countries, unemployment and trade wars in America, stock market jitters that cause huge gyrations in the markets, a relapse of rising mortgage debt and ominous signs of possible recession... they all leave pundits and politicians grasping for answers.

This sermon series from Church of the Resurrection explores how to find the wisdom and courage to manage financial resources and experience serenity, contentment and hope. With these resources, you can help your congregation examine what it means to live wisely and what courageous changes may be needed to live as God would have us live. In the end, we often find God has already given us more than enough.

You will find here all the series resources that were produced, along with the weekly sermons.

National Suicide Prevention Week is a week when Americans across the country talk about suicide. These resources are an invitation for you to be a part of the solution – to be aware, to speak up, to care and to bring light and hope to those walking in darkness.

Here you will find hope-filled sermons that look to those in scripture who struggled with suicidal thoughts, share personal stories from people who have lost loved ones to suicide and learn from professionals offering guidance on how to identify and help those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. Other worship supports include bulletins and graphics, as well as handouts to share. You will also find a discussion guide designed to give individuals and those around them the tools to make sure they’re planning, collaborating, and expending energy in a way that draws them closer together. The guide is intended not only to help families be better equipped to identify and share their emotional experiences with each other, but also to help people be more comfortable reaching out for help and more comfortable extending a hand to help others.

With the help of these resources, you can remind everyone in your reach – including yourself – that:

•You are loved by, and matter to, God.

•No pain lasts forever.

•There is always hope.

•Others can help – just ask.