Nov:  India Freedom Tour 2012
Oct 14: ICPF Dallas Special Meeting, Dallas, TX
Oct 12-14: Youth Conference and Family Seminar, IPC Hebron, Dallas, TX
Sep 28-30: PYCD Annual Conference, Dallas, TX
Oct 07:  Zion Gospel Assembly, Dallas, TX
Oct 05-07: CGPF Equip2012, Leadership Camp, Dallas, TX
Sep 23: Nashua Special Meeting, Nashua, NH
Sep 14-16: Annual Church Retreat, IPC Hebron, Houston, TX
Sep 1-3: Church Retreat, International Assembly of God, Phoenix, AZ
Aug 14-Nov 7: Webex Training in Christian Counseling (new batch)

United in the Word is a daily devotional blog by Shibu Cherian that can be accessed from this site.  This group bible discussion blog is based on daily meditations from the Bible covering various subjects that will help your practical christian life.

By Grace Alone is a daily devotional blog by Leslie Verghese that can be accessed from this site. You may receive daily updates on your by loggin onto www.leslieverghese.com  and opting for a free subscription. Leslie's blog is based on daily meditations from the Bible covering various subjects that will help your spiritual and emotional growth

For many Christians the idea of dating is easily confused with the notion of courting, or courtship. There are differences between the two, sometimes, and while one might and should lead to marriage if undertaken with a Christian heart and love of each other and God, the other might be a practical way to carry on an easy friendship and casual fellowship in a Christian manner.

Both dating and courting are ways of beginning a relationship with members of the opposite sex. To start, we should all understand that carrying on dating solely with the intention of having an intimate physical relationship with someone is not acceptable for a person who believes himself or herself to be a good Christian. A good way of looking at dating – when a person is a Christian – is that it can be a method for carrying on a slightly deeper friendship with another person. A casual, fun night at the movies or attendance at sporting event and the like are all ways in which people date, but as nothing more than good friends. Courting, or courtship, is many times a serious step past that, when both people might be ready to commit to each other as potential partners in holy marriage.

Courting is a way of finding if the other person is a true believer in Jesus Christ. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, New International Version) reminds us that we should not marry those of us who aren’t of the Christian faith. Courtship can be a sound method for determining whether that special person is truly bound in the fellowship of Christ that all good Christians enjoy with one another. Courtship is also a time where extremely intimate physical contact should not take place, which goes without saying.

Courtship is a time of almost no real physical contact until marriage. In Biblical times and throughout much of our history, classical notions of courtship demanded that once a couple began to seriously court with one another, there was to be no touching, hand-holding, or kissing until the marriage ceremony had been performed, and when they were husband and wife.

In current times, courtship and dating have evolved somewhat. Today, of course, we know that honoring this sort of procedure might never allow the dating ritual to proceed past a certain point. Perhaps the best solution is to always keep in mind that Christ must always be honored whenever two people of the opposite sex are in courtship with one another. Besides, if courting were restricted to just public meetings and no outward expressions of love, we might never gain a glimpse of the true person within the dating or courting partner. This “true person” normally is evident on occasion when two people who think they care for and love each other might be alone with one another. This is the so-called “private face.”

Dating and courtship were never demanded in the Bible. When you scrape away all the procedure involved in dating or courtship, you find that what matters far more are the strength of the man and woman’s belief in the message of Christianity and their maturity of spirit when it comes to accepting that central message. Call it what you want: Serious dating, dating, courtship or something else, the desired result and its ending -– good Christian men and women marrying and raising families that will also love and worship our God -- will matter more than anything else.

The 27th Pentecostal Conference of North American Keralites (PCNAK) held in Chicago (IL) had a combined face-off session with adults and youths on the topic  of the Future of the Indian Churches in North America. Click here for seminar presentations.

Agape Partners has launched its latest survey on Indian Christian Youth  on May 16, 2009. This Survey features dozens of questions about faith, media, relationship, marriage, church and missions. Most of the questions are those that young people ask and youth leaders are interested to know to be more informed to improve their own knowledge base as well as to help others. To complete the survey, click here. 

Sunday School curriculum must be Bible based. It must provide a deeper understanding of the Bible and must be age appropriate. It must also connect with children and their life which is  culturally adaptable and must teach basic Christian principles and doctrines.

What does it do?
Communicates God’s Word to Children
Helps children to understand Biblical principles
Leads children to salvation
Helps children to walk closer with God
Helps a child become a true Christian
Paves the way for  good citizenship, fellowship and discipleship
Transforms students into spiritual champions and missionaries

Assess:
Your passion for Sunday School
Your knowledge about Sunday School
Your Bible knowledge
Your spiritual growth
Your spiritual gifts
Your strengths
Your  weakness

What do we need to be mindful of when teaching children in Sunday School?
Teens are different-they have different intellectual, emotional, and spiritual traits
You need to know your students: Sunday School teaching is a ministry that wins only through genuine relationship.
Know your lesson objectives
Cognitive – what students ought to know after the lesson
Behavioral – what students ought to do after the lesson
Pray for your students daily that the holy spirit minister to their hearts
Captivate reluctant or indifferent students
Motivate students seeking a deeper relationship with God; and committed to discipleship
Activate students to step out in service to the church and community
Teaching is not just a lecture  but it is an interaction: encourage questions, measure their understanding, generate worksheets, discussions, case studies, questions, role playing, and tests.

Sunday School Teachers Training
We need to equip our Sunday School Teachers with comprehensive training. Sunday Schools Network International (SSNI) has conducted several training in various cities in the last 5 years. These training modules are based on needs and available for churches and can be arranged in various cities upon request. The Training modules are professionally presented with handouts, State of the Art Training Sessions with Audio Visual Aids with several Training Sessions to Choose from.
Introductory Workshop
Combined Teachers & Parents Workshop
Teaching Methods Workshop
Classroom Management
Origin & History of Sunday School
Role of a Sunday School
The Sunday School Teacher
The Jesus Model of Teaching
Elements of Effective Sunday School Teaching
Effective Communication
Contemporary Teaching Methodologies
Handling your difficult students in class
Motivating your students
Conducting Effective Examination

How can you improve your school ministry?
Use bible based curriculum
Arrange annual training for sunday school teachers
Invest time, talents and  resources in our children’s moral and spiritual development
Establish Sunday Schools in needy areas aimed at transforming the lives of our young generation 
Be a resource person for Teacher’s Training, and Networking

For more information about sunday school ministry, curriculum, teachers training, please visit: www.sundayschoolnetwork.org or call at 781-223-0082

True Christianity is a collection of sixteen messages by Charles Finney (1792-1875). Divided into four sections -- repentance, prayer, witnessing, and spiritual growth -- the book defines the simple essence of the Christian life. Written primarily for those who call themselves Christians and want a deeper walk with the Lord, each chapter will challenge you with Finney's bold and clear teachings. Compiled and edited by F. G. Kuruvilla, the 1800s language has been updated for the twenty-first century reader. To view the book in pdf format, click here.

The GM News has added audio visual media that provides resources to Students, Ministers and Truth Seekers.  This includes Bible study video, testimony, Bible Study MP3, Music, Documentary and Features. Visit at: www.thebiblevision.org

Agape Partners is dedicated to South Asian families in US and around the world through Christian education, counseling, training, consultation, research and publications.  The seminars and workshops are conducted in various cities in partnership with local churches and youth organizations.  The recent seminars for 2009 are as follows:

June 19    Family Seminar, Floral Park, NY

Mar 21    Parenting Seminar, Nashua, NH
Mar 14   Youth and Family Seminar, Tampa, FL
Feb 28   Christian Parenting Seminar, Greenwich, CT
Jan 18,   Challenges Facing Indian Families

For additional info about seminars, click here: