Advanced Ministry

Are you in Christian Ministry? Do you need a website but the budget scares you a bit? Well, Advanced Ministry is a good place to take a look. They have some great options, even a basic one that is FREE! Check out their packages here.

FUEL09 update…..

Christian Ministry Online…

From the traffic we get here and hope to continue to get i am quite sure Facebook is something most of you have heard of? In recent years the phenomenom for social networking sites has exploded and not without plenty of controversy. There are many risks with leaving so much information about yourself on sites like Facebook, Bebo and Myspace but the benefits for minstry organizations and Churches are becoming endless. The growth of online business and online ministry is part of a huge shift in how the web is being used. It has in essence became a big social networking tool, another world if you like, that operates outside and alongside ‘real life.’ One of the finest examples of taking technology and using it to enhance your ministry is the Mars Hill Church site. They are pushing the boundaries of what a Church can offer online to the world in terms of their sermon content and other resources. On Facebook, a new group for Christians in Ireland that started as an experiment is growing at a rapid pace. Check it out here. Who knows what can come of this level of ‘cyber unity?’ Will it be used for good? That is the hope. In time we, at FM hope to utilize the web to grow our audience and marketplace beyond what we currently are blessed with. Sites like the Mars Hill one help to encourage and also display the possibilities of what we can do. The facebook group and other social networking sites like it are a great way to network with people and promote your cause, whether it be business or ministry. These are some of the reasons why we are stepping out further afield and into the online world to expand our reach.

Portadown…..

Just a few more images from the Portadown shop if you click here

Sermon on the Mount

We have just begun a series in our evening services at the Church i attend on The Beatitudes. There are countless books written on this area of scripture and the teaching of Jesus. The book pictured left is more than just The Beatitudes, it covers the complete Sermon on the Mount but i have found it to be most helpful as an aid to understanding these teachings. Last year i carried this book in my bag to work, read it over and over, writing in the margins and swallowing it whole. Its amazing that as we go into this sermon series and i take a fresh look at the words of Jesus in this passage they are just as new and exciting as they were last year when i was deep in this book. I used to wonder as a child why i would hear my Dad say that in Bible study he was studying Hebrews for example, and i would say, ‘but you studied that before right? or ;you men are always in Hebrews.’ As iv gotten older iv realized more and more that God’s word is fresh, new and exciting every day because it is alive and simply because it is God’s word. In conversation recently someone told me of how they struggle to read their Bible every day, its something i also struggle with often. I often go back to Matthew 5 when i am struggling with this, the words within are difficult yet something draws me in. Here is how John Stott describes it; ‘The followers of Jesus are to be different, different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical, standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, lifestyle and network of relationships – all of which are totally at variance with those in the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the Kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule.’

This book and others in the Bible Speaks Today series by IVP are available at all FM bookshops

The Message of The Sermon on the Mount
John Stott
Publisher IVP
ISBN 9780851109701
Format Paperback

More Portadown photos

 

Thanks to Timothy McEvoy for these pictures. He is the man who keeps us stocked on this stuff.

More Concert News………

FUEL09 will, God willing take place in June of next year in Ballymena. FUEL08 was seriously affected by the terrible weather in august, it took place on the dreaded 16th august which was probably the worst day of rainfall i have ever seen in my 30 years! The organizers have already confirmed that David Crowder Band will play at the event which is likely to take place over 2 or more days. Crowder has become one of the best known and popular worship leader/artists over the last few years with his unique blend of musical styles and wonderful songs, he really is not like anyone else in the industry.

So, stay tuned for more info about this, its most likely that our Bookshops will sell tickets to this event. Watch this space! Oh & in the meantime, drop into one of our shops and pick up a Crowder cd!

Opening in Portadown

Thanks to Iain for these pictures. I know we are still getting some traffic via the Faith Mission site so if anyone happens to have some pictures and they want to share, drop us a line at this email alastair@fmbookshops.com

This is

Andu! He works part-time in the ballymena shop, he is a super talented photographer and if you need a ‘good’ cd quickly you should get into the Ballymena Faith Mission and speak to him. Every shop needs one like him!! Check out his photography blog here

Downhere :FREE download

It is becoming quite common to see the words ‘free download’ on the internet these days. The ‘Christian’ music market has always been a little bit behind in these areas but its great to see a few brave artists who are seeking to keep their audience captivated and also give them a reward for their loyalty. I believe the free download has arrived as a neccesity for artists.

Downhere are about to release their new album and in the run up to that they have produced some great promotional material. It hits stores in the USA on Sept 23rd and ‘hopefully’ should arrive in the UK very soon after that date. In the meantime you can grab a whole host of stuff to help promote the album on your blog, facebook, bebo or website. Oh yea, and there is a free download!! Go here
These guys have started to build up quite a loyal following in N.Ireland & the rest of the UK with 3 successful visits under their belt, the most notable being their support for Chris Tomlin in Belfast last august. Ending Is Beginning is released on 23rd Sept, start asking your Faith Mission shop for it now!!