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What
can I expect if I come to Soul Sanctuary? At the front door, there should be some friendly people to say hello, answer any questions you have and direct you to the conference center. If you have kids, they can point you to the Soul Kids room and the Nursery. If your kids are shy, they're welcome to attend the worship gathering with you. That is one of the reasons why we have tables loaded with toys for the kids at the back! But most kids really enjoy our kid's program, called Soul Kids, for grades 1 through 6. You will notice that everyone is dressed comfortably, in anything from suit and tie to jeans and sneakers. When you come into the conference center you will see a copy of "The Weekly" which has the announcements for the week and a place for taking notes. (To view a copy online, go to Happening This Week under the Calendar heading) The gathering usually begins with some upbeat music, followed by a welcome and introduction to the theme of the day. After about 20 minutes we call our Soul Kids to go to their areas for more age appropriate teaching and fun! You will be invited to join us for Gulp and Gab, more commonly referred to as a coffee break. Following the break someone will begin the Life Lesson. We usually speak for about 45 minutes, and do our best to make the messages interesting, enjoyable and relevant to daily life. The lesson will be based on the Bible and will often include interesting quotes from contemporary voices, songs or movies. If we do our jobs right, you'll hear solid Christian theology in intelligent, understandable and relevant terms. And hopefully, you'll laugh at times and maybe feel a tug at your heart too. One thing you may notice is that we don't pass an offering basket. We want you to feel welcome as our guest, with no pressure to give. Our regular attenders will put their contributions in the Joy Basket at the entrance to the conference center. After the gathering, you'll pick up your kids from their classrooms, and we hope you'll stay around, meet some people and maybe go for lunch or coffee with someone new! Church is about God and worship, but it's also about community and friendship, so we hope people really experience warmth and friendliness at Soul Sanctuary. |
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Who
are we trying to reach? At Soul Sanctuary we want to make it clear that we are open to all people, while at the same time we are focusing our efforts at reaching unchurched people who approach life with a postmodern worldview. |
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| Unique
needs of those with a postmodern worldview: We believe that these adults are in the process of searching for values and ways to be successful in life. They have grown up and adopted a post-modern view of the world. They are pragmatists who tend to downplay absolute truth in favour of situational truth. They ask, “What is right in THIS situation?” They are independent, comfortable with change, flexible, sensitive to people and want a high quality of life. Unlike the older boomers, they have no background or history in the church. They are unaware of what church is all about. Even so, the church today has great opportunity in that this group is disillusioned with how their parents lived. They are more committed to making their marriages and families work. However, they have very few tools to help them succeed. The church has the answers they need, however, we will need to be creative and flexible to help them ensure these values. TIME IS THEIR MONEY. If you waste it you will lose them. Programs must be powerful., fun and effective in order to reach them. With their focus on family and their desire to give their children that stability, children’s and youth ministry will be of paramount importance. |
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| What
area of the city are we reaching? We strive to make a difference in the southwest area of the City of Winnipeg. We care about the community and want to make a lasting impact on those that call Linden Woods, Whyte Ridge and Fort Garry home. But we also realize that we are part of a larger community...so though we are situated in the southwest, our desire is to reach every area of the city of Winnipeg. |
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| Why
start a new church? The reasons for planting a new church: The need. Churches are plateauing and declining in North America. It is estimated that 80 to 85 percent of the churches in North America have either plateaued or are in decline. The promise. Matthew 16:18 says “and I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." There are at least two promises in this passage. One is that Christ, not Christians, is ultimately the person who plants and grows churches. Second, Satan and all his forces will not be able to prevail against the church. The great commission. The great commission is found in Matthew 28: 19 to 20, Mark 16:15, Luke 26:46 to 47, and acts 1:8. The careful analysis of these passages reveals three components that make up the commission. a. The intentional pursuit of non-believers. This is reflected in the word “go” found at the beginning of the commission as it is recorded both in Matthew 28: 19 and Mark 16:15. Jesus clarifies what he means by this word in such passages as Luke 5:27 to 32, 15:1 to 10, and 19:1 to 10, where he develops the concept of seeking non-believers such as Levi the tax gatherer and his friends, tax collectors and sinners in general, and Zacchaeus. Far too many churches at the end of the 20th century are waiting for non-believers to come to there church. This tactic may have worked in the 1940s and '50s when the culture was church, but it doesn't work in the year 2003 with a culture that is predominantly unchurched. b. The second component of the great commission is evangelism. And Mark 16:15 Jesus says “go into all the world and preached the goodness to all creation.” In Matthew 28:19-20, he says, “therefore go in make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." A great commission church is one that places a high priority on evangelism. The church, in general, and the people aren't simply talking about the evangelism, but are actively seeking in reaching people. In fact, the church that isn't reaching non-believers has lost its purpose! c. The final component is edification. This process of edification, which involves bringing new believers to Christ likeness Ephesians 4:11-16 involves a personal commitment to Bible study, to fellowship, to communion and to prayer (Acts 2: 42). |
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| What
makes Soul Sanctuary different from other churches? While this is a good question, it needs to be answered carefully. We are not starting Soul Sanctuary because other churches have failed to do their job, or because we are trying to fill a void in the “market.” We deeply desire to be in community and partnership with other Christian churches in this effort. We are starting this new church with a deliberate effort to reach a group of people for whom there are few churches. This church is unique in a few ways however. We are seeking to begin a church in a neighborhood with a heavy emphasis on reaching the unchurched. In conjunction with this vision, we seek to be a church that is known for it’s love, friendship and community. This will be established through teaching the ancient truths of the bible consistently in life and word. This will be necessary for reaching the people we hope to connect and to serve as a prototype for what could take place in other parts of the country. We are also seeking to build a holistic, missional Christian community. |
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| Is
this a generationally-oriented church? While every church has a feel and ambiance, and ours will tend to be young families, we are fully intending for Soul Sanctuary to be multi-generational in it leadership and congregation. We do believe though, that many of the people we are hoping to connect with are in the post-1960 generations and we will be intentionally creating a place that is made up of them as well as attractive and comfortable for them. |
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| What
type of music do you use? We have no interest in describing the music at Soul Sanctuary as "traditional" or "contemporary." We seek to respect musical forms from the past and the present as we interpret songs, both old and new, secular and sacred in light of our story and culture. We find that through song the words of the Scriptures are alive on our tongues when we proclaim them together as a community. We also recognize that Music on Sunday is merely a wonderful means to the end of giving God his due worth with hearts that, to him, are "a pleasing aroma" (Exodus 29:18, Leviticus 3:16). Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament have two concepts that are translated into English as "worship." The difference between these concepts can be understood as the difference between worship in a broad sense and worship in a narrow sense. At Soul Sanctuary we see it as vitally important that we understand and practice worship in both of these senses. |
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Why can't I have the ringer of my cell phone on during the gathering? |
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Do you really believe in "Cell Phone Karma"? |
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| What are your views on online donations? Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. Jesus taught that our money is an indicator of our hearts and Paul taught that if we are loved by God and love Him in return we would give cheerfully, sacrificially, and regularly. At Soul Sanctuary, you are free to give via the Joy Basket at our weekly gatherings, by mailing your contribution in to the office, or now, by the internet. We welcome you to give whatever God has called you to, however God has called you to. In our digital age when people are increasingly paying bills and conducting commerce online, Soul Sanctuary has chosen to make online giving available to those who are interested. Some may protest that in the Bible God's people never used credit to tithe, which is true. They also did not use checks or get a tax write off like we do. Nonetheless, the principle is that God's people should give and the methods vary from culture to culture. A pastor in a cashless bartering society may receive animals or their milk as part of a tithe. In a suburban Canadian church the plate may pass and be filled with checks. Those who have stocks, bonds and the like also tithe them to their church. Still other Christians may give property or other goods as part of their tithe. The point is simply that God be honored with the first of all our wealth. At Soul Sanctuary we strongly urge no one to put their tithe on their credit card unless they are able to pay it off each month because we do not want God's people going into debt. But, if you intend to pay off your balance each month we believe that is an issue of conscience and leave that between you, God, and your frequent flier miles. If you have further questions about tithes and offerings theologically please email Pastor Gerry at gsm@soulsanctuary.ca and he will be sure to send you a HUGE amount of life lesson material on giving! |
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Who
designed your website? |
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Who
does your photography? |
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