Small Church

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

His attractive neighbor is tugging at his heart-strings. A wealthy widow is pursuing him with hot casseroles. And his red-haired Cousin Meg has moved into the rectory, uninvited.

There’s more to salvation than punching your ticket for heaven. John Wesley taught that full salvation means becoming completely holy in heart and life. This focus on personal holiness was one of the defining characteristics of the Wesleyan revival. The many Methodist and Wesleyan denominations, the Pentecostal and holiness movements, and the Salvation Army all trace their lineage back to these teachings. Wesley’s followers believed what he taught fiercely, lived it out faithfully, and witnessed to it boldly, to the point that they were often violently persecuted. Today, millions of ...

Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want - practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups - and what they need - substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Flexible, Budget-Friendly Holiday Plays with a Gospel Message Three Christmas Plays and One Easter Play perfect for the small to medium sized congregation. Each only requires about fifteen performers with options to plug in more. The plays incorporate humor, drama, and the Christmas programs are set to include music if desired. Churches love these plays because: 1. Simple Staging- You likely have all the props you already need 2. Adaptable if you have between 10-20 people ready to be involved 3. Optional Musical Cues in the Christmas programs where you can easily work in your own music 4. ...

Millions of readers and listeners have come home to Mitford, the little town with the big heart. But now change is coming to the village. Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his wife Cynthia are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement; a brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development; a shady realtor with plans for a health spa is eyeing the beloved house on the hill; and, worst of all, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing.

In the shadows of Salem Village in 1692, one young girl must navigate the complexities of a divided society. Often cold and hungry, eight-year-old Verity Manton, an orphaned ragpicker, clings to the scraps of love and kindness in her harsh world. Things get tangled as the village Puritans' strange behavior grows more alarming. Verity is caught between the safety of her life and the promise of a better future with a Quaker family who reaches out to her. Yet, she has been warned her whole life that Quakers are evil. Will Verity have the courage to trust her heart and choose a path that defies...

People visit church for a thousand different reasons, but they only stay for one: a relationship. People are not looking for a friendly church; they are looking for friends. They don’t stick around because of the eloquence of the pastor. They don’t stick around because of the hot band or cool video or great coffee. They stick around because someone becomes their friend. Someone gets their phone number entered into their cell phone. One of the best ways to do this is through the ancient practice of hospitality. When we had people in our home, 90% of them joined the church. Through ...

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.

REVISED EDITION! NOW CONTAINS MARRY ME! Four sweet and clean Christian romances to warm your heart this holiday season! Snuggle up with these faith-filled stories of hope and love, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Visit London for a series of Christmas dates, experience New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh, fall in love after a marriage of convenience in a beach town, and discover home and healing in small-town Oregon, all within the pages of these complete and standalone romances. If you love Hallmark movies, Love Inspired Books, and deeply emotional stories of overcoming heartache to ...

A singing chef. A widowed billionaire. A cottage by the sea. A father of two, widowed billionaire Diehl Brooks returns home to St. Simon’s Island and falls in love with his sister’s personal chef. Will complications from his unfulfilling first marriage threaten his chance for love a second time around? A selfless personal chef… Chef Skye Langston cooks for local residents and visitors to the Golden Isles. When her friend and client, Brinley Brooks, asks her to cook for her older brother, who will be in town for the summer, Skye is wary. Although they move in different social circles, ...

“It’s overwhelming how much I feel for you after just a short time in your presence. I hope we can weather this time of change, find moments to relish together, and keep trying new things.” Welcome to "The Village at Crossroad Corners," a heartwarming Christian romance series that transports you to a tight-knit, traditional community where the echoes of a simpler time resonate. In the face of a seismic shift, the village council's decision to greenlight a groundbreaking dual-aged, residential community—bringing together both the elderly and college-aged students—sets the stage for...

This is a Bible study guide collection on three people: Peter, Paul, and Mary (and other women who encountered Jesus) in one volume. Each study is planned for about seven weeks or 50 days. Each study has discussion questions for reflection. Peter is a model of a man who followed Jesus. Paul became a great missionary who represented Jesus, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ was involved in many aspects of his life from his birth to the death. This Bible study collection is designed for either personal or group study. The author wrote these ...

No one ever taught like Jesus. When we learn from Him we truly are learning from the Master Teacher. Josh Hunt is uniquely qualified to help us teach like Jesus because these are the practices he has personally used for years! Anyone who wants to become a better teacher must have this book! Allan Taylor Author, Sunday School in HD I have had the pleasure of hearing Josh teach this material in person and I can assure you that it always has an impact on the audience. It is both entertaining and informative. It will challenge you to communicate more effectively. It is biblically based and ...

She didn’t want to appear like some lovestruck teen, but honestly, it was exactly how she felt every time he was around. The Cross in the Woods, a cattle ranch entrusted to Rebecca as the fourth-generation steward, becomes a crucible of transformation and romance. Determined to preserve the family legacy and seeking additional revenue streams to sustain the land, Rebecca faces the harsh reality of her self-reliant, loner nature. Seeking help is a challenging endeavor for her, but her prayers are answered one by one as individuals arrive at the ranch, igniting not only the flames of ...

Do you want to see God? This book unlocks a powerful secret. If you truly want to see God and what He wants to show you in the Holy Spirit, this book is for you. In this culture of opposites, where it's considered cool to be hot, good to be bad, and slick to be coarse, it may be that nothing is more shocking to encounter than a person who cultivates spiritual vision. If you're familiar with the Sermon on the Mount, you've seen this secret, hidden in plain sight. Not many venture down the visionary path of purity. Yet, Jesus' words resonate with stunning promise: The pure in heart are ...

♥The Candy Beach Series ♥ Falling in love is not easy when you're 60+ years old! If loving him is so wrong, why does it feel so right?Childless, Michael Gray longs to find the secret daughter his deceased wife gave up for adoption years ago. His search takes a detour when he meets candy maker Dara Greene. Dara is also widowed and she’s determined to make her business, Caroline’s Candy Shoppe, a success. Dara suffers from stage fright and due to a recent traumatic event, she seeks Michael’s assistance. Can he help her win the Annual Cruise Ship Candy Competition and convince her to...

A Christmas Home for Hannah-Briggs Blackwood is stuck between a rock and a hard place. While ranching is in his blood, and he loves it, he has to meet one requirement to take over the BW Ranch: get married and produce at least one grandchild within five years of his mother's death. When Hannah Gallagher's mother dies giving birth to her, her no-good father leaves her with her mother's parents. They didn't have much, but they loved each other. . Reluctantly, she agrees, but she does everything she can to make sure the groom-to-be won't pick her. After all, who would choose a barely educated ...

Do you want to feed your heart? This loving, clean, romance series will breathe life back into your spirit and will give you new hope for humanity. Nestled in the hills of the Lake Michigan shoreline, Living River Ranch overlooks open fields and rich oak, maple, and beech tree groves. It has been owned by the Katzen family for generations. Once a working ranch, it has now turned into a therapy ranch supporting people as they unearth their challenges, rediscover themselves, and develop relationships with others. The seven, Living River Ranch stories make up one-half of the A Time For ...

As a follow-up to his best seller The Irresistible Revolution, Claiborne issues a radical manifesto on Christian political imagination—that our hope lies not in partisan options but in Jesus and the incarnation of the church as "set apart" from this world. A thoughtful and lyrical examination of the relationship between faith and allegiance for modern-day saints.