[2] ***Featured Article***

MULTIPLY YOUR SERMON'S EFFECTIVENESS IN ONE CLICK
By Dave Redick
(c) 2000, The Preacher's Study - Use by permission only

If you have used computers in your ministry for very long you probably have your favorite programs that you go to over and over because they consistently benefit your work. For many of us, that would include some kind of word processor and maybe a Bible program. In this issue I want to tell you of a helpful little program that I use every week. In most cases where I have mentioned it to colleagues, they have tried it and also found it useful. This program doesn't help me write sermons, but it does allow me to multiply the effect of that labor in a very useful manner. Please understand that I am not being paid anything for the following article. I simply like the program because of what it does for me. I think you might like it, too.

We have a ministry for hearing impaired Christians in our congregation. Each time I stand up to preach, one of three talented ladies stands near my left elbow and interprets - that is she "signs" my sermon to those who cannot hear it with their physical ears. This started with the granddaughter of one of our former elders and has developed from there. In an effort to help our interpreters, since I manuscript my sermons anyway, I began to hand each of them a stapled copy of my message in advance of the preaching time so they could read through it and identify any difficult-to-translate concepts in advance. At first this was simply a matter of hitting "print" on my home computer one extra time and handing them the stapled, letter sized copy when they arrived at the building.

As one thing led to another, the interpreters began to hand these manuscripts to the deaf members after the sermon. These folks took turns re-reading them. Soon these impaired "hearers" were requesting the sermons ahead of time so they too might be better able to deal with any issues that were difficult to translate. The process continued to develop from there and soon, some of the non-hearing-impaired members began to ask for them. We now regularly place a good number of these manuscripts in church mailboxes. The nearly universal testimony seems to be that people get much more out of the messages when they review them afterward.

That's where this article comes in. In the course of the above developments I discovered a little program written for Windows 95/98 called ClickBook. The ClickBook program takes a word processor document, in this case my sermon, and at the touch of a button, turns it into a booklet. There is no additional formatting to do. It prints the document on both sides (after I turn it over one time manually in my inkjet printer) with all the pages organized and put into the right order. I typically make my sermons into booklets that are 8 ½" by 5 ½", done on standard letter sized paper (8 ½ x 11). A quick fold and two staples at the fold with a saddle stapler and the job is complete. When we want to make multiple booklets, they are photocopied on our full-duplex, sorting photocopier. The process is very quick. Since I'm never ready to finalize my sermon until early Sunday morning, we assemble the booklets just prior to the main service. The program will scale the fonts to fit any of a number of booklet sizes but I prefer this size because it fits well into the pages of a standard Bible.

We also use these sermon booklets for sending through the mail. When someone moves from our congregation, we send them the sermon booklets until they are established in a new congregation. Just tape them shut, flip them over, and put postage and address on the back. We've sent them and carried them into prisons (minus the staples, of course). We keep back copies of key sermons in a free-for-the-taking tract rack. I use them in counseling when someone needs to study an issue more closely that I have previously covered from the pulpit. Imagination is the only limit to their usefulness. I have found that for some reason people are more inclined to read a booklet than a stapled stack of typed pages containing the same material. Why should the usefulness of hard-won sermons die when the sound stops reverberating off the walls of the church building? Let them continue to work hard for you.

If you have ever struggled with doing a graveside service on a windy day you know how awkward it can be to hang onto your notes. A three-ring binder has always seemed awkward to me, especially in a place where there is seldom a podium. With your notes in a booklet that fits snugly into the inside cover of your Bible, this becomes a non-issue. A few days after a funeral service, I often send copies of the sermon booklet to close family members to keep among their memorial items. I also print my wedding ceremonies in booklet form. These are done on high quality paper and given to bride and groom and parents.

ClickBook also has other uses. I carry an up-to-date copy of our church address book in my Daytimer that is printed in booklet form. I have also made fill-in-the-blanks Bible study lessons for small group settings with the program. These are easy to distribute and handle, and form a pleasant, stackable reminder of the study for participants.

Yes, yes, I know. You can set up your word processor to make booklets, but in my experience it is not nearly has quick and convenient and if it isn't quick and convenient, I don't have time!

ClickBook is written and marketed by Blue Squirrel Software. They are on the web at:

http://bluesquirrel.com

A free evaluation copy can be downloaded from the website. The program costs $49 to purchase either by download or through the mail on CD. Downloaders don't pay for shipping or manuals.

Try it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. And if you discover some more uses in ministry, please drop me an email.

(c) 2000. Dave Redick - The Preacher's Study. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by permission only. Please do not cut articles out of this ezine and paste them anywhere else. You may, however, forward the entire Ezine to friends freely.

Two new messages were added to the Premium Section of our website since the last ezine issue. The first, called "A Look at Loyalty," considers the Bible character, Ruth and her willingness to follow her mother in law. Loyalty is a rapidly disappearing character quality today and we need to teach on it regularly. This message, from Ruth 1:14-17, will open up a sermon vista for you. If you have a Premium password access you may go there directly by clicking below:

http://preacherstudy.com/premium/loyalty.html

The second message is the first in a three (or maybe four) part series on deacons in the church. This kickoff message is called, "Seven Men Who May Have Saved the Church." Can you guess the text? It deals with the need for deacons in the church and teaches about their role. Based on Acts 6:1-7.

With a password you can view it at:

http://preacherstudy.com/premium/deacons1.html

In response to our last ezine article of January, the one about the filing system, Johnny Ellison wrote the following. You Bible Illustrator users may find it helpful. Thanks, Johnny. -- DR

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"Dave,

<snip>

"I was reminded of this idea when I read the ezine article on a filing system (I am a veteran of BI). The idea deals with reading books.

"Most pastors will keep a pencil in their hand as they read to mark key thoughts, illustrations or quotations. However, one thing I found is that, when I am trying to look for a particular thought or quote but have not had time to file it, then it is time consuming to flip back through the pages of a book searching for the notation I made months or weeks ago. One thing that has really helped me is that, as I read, I keep a pencil in my hand along with a small pad of post-it notes (1 inch X 2 inches). When I see a quote, thought, illustration or some information I want to remember, then I jot down the thought in couple of words on the post it note. I write it at the top of the note and stick it in the book so that the note (with the information I wrote down) is sticking out of the top of the book. When I go back to find my thought, I can just look through those little notes sticking just over the top of my book without having to flip through the whole book to find my mark I left earlier.

"When I get the chance to file these thoughts, illustrations, stories or information in my BI program, then I just remove the post it notes. For me, this idea saves time. Also, the post it notes will not damage the book at all like tape does. Hope this could be of some help."

[5] ***Contact Info***

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