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yom kipperJewish holidays are a time of celebration for all who believe in God. These holidays are celebrated with festivals that may last throughout days or longer. You will recognize the major holidays by the fact that they have Yom Tov, or “festival day” associated with them, especially the six that are biblically mandated. There are several holidays that are still observed by the Jewish community and they are the ones that virtually everyone has heard of. They are all a time when family comes together, and people savor foods and music while celebrating God.

Hanukkah

Although not written as part of the Hebrew Bible, this holiday still brings people closer together. One of the biggest stories from the books written about Hanukkah is that a one day supply of olive oil managed to burn for eight full days. It is celebrated around the time of year that some now call “Christmas”, and though it is not a huge celebration, people enjoy celebrating it. They set a specific type of candle up, the Hanukkah menorah and eat foods that have been prepared in oil. It is a reminder of the oil that burned so much longer than expected. People often play dreidel during this time and children are given money as gifts for Hanukkah gelt. The Dreidel Song and Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah are two of the most popular songs to be enjoyed during this time of the year.

Yom Kipper

The holiest day of the Jewish year is the day of Yom Kipper. It is a day that is devoted to reconciliation and atonement. During this time, the Jewish community will fast, not even allowing themselves to take a sip of water as long as they are healthy adults. Adults do not bathe, wear perfumes, or take part in a variety of other things. The sole purposed of it is to ask for atonement from God. It is only a single day holiday, but most feel that it is one of the happiest days of a year.

Fast of the Firstborn

HanukkahThis holiday is devoted to remembering how God killed an Egyptian firstborn and spared a Jewish firstborn. First born children attend a huge feast after they have fasted. It is a holiday which is followed by Passover, a week-long celebration during which all leavened foods are avoided. People must get rid of any breads or dough before Passover begins. Instead of eating normal bread, people will eat matzo, maror, and four cups of wine. If you live outside of Israel, you will spend a full eight days celebrating the Passover.

Other Important Holidays

holocaust remembrance dayAs stated, there are several very important days in the Jewish calendar year. Numerous holidays are celebrated with feasts, while others are celebrated through fasting. There is the Jerusalem Day, Israel Independence Day, Memorial Day, and the Holocaust Remembrance Day. On Remembrance Day, all public entertainment areas are closed to remind us of the loss of lives during the Holocaust. Not all of these holidays have food and music, but those that do are very significant times to rejoice for all Jews.

 

Attractive Yet Effective Church Upgrade

church stageA church is often a place in the community that has a dedicated group of people attending it. Most encourage their faithful attendees to spread the word about what they have to offer the community and how it can make a community stronger. Sometimes, this is enough to draw in newcomers, but often it takes the church doing a little more. For this, they may start with adding fun to the church and then take further steps to provide attractive yet effective church upgrades.

Upgrading Churches Draws a Crowd

church bandsSome of the most common types of upgrades for a church is generally the sound system and a stage where people can worship through sound. Some have also been known to set aside a “dancefloor” where people who feel moved by the music can stand, sway, and praise God in their own way. This live entertainment is usually effective at making people curious about the church.

Some churches may also upgrade their kitchen areas with a larger refrigerator, stove, microwave, and many tables. This provides them with more freedom to host pot luck dinners on a larger scale. Many churches also upgrade certain areas outside of their doors, where people within the community can see what fun they can have by simply going to church.

Making Church Fun

games at churchOne easy way to encourage more people in a community to join the church is to show that it isn’t all about praying with your head held low. For this reason, many churches select certain members to become church basketball and baseball leagues. They may host outdoor pot luck dinners to ensure that the smell of good foods will fill the neighborhood. Outdoor Bible study sessions are also frequently enjoyed by some members of the church. When outdoors, the may upgrade the lighting to include a mosquito lantern like this. With enough support for evening events, they may also add tiki torches and other things to the churchyard.

Fun for Entire Families

As a community, we have more fun if we know one another and support each other during struggles. However, before it can reach this point, a church must strive to appeal to everyone in their area. This means keeping it fun for everyone who may be curious or want to attend.

For kids, a lot of churches will provide bounce houses, Easter egg hunts, small kid carnival games, and a host of other fun activities for the kids in the neighborhood to take part in. They also put in a lot of effort during special holidays. They may provide food or toys for kids and families that need help with it. They may host holiday meals or provide lunches to children during the summer months.

Adults may not have as many fun options, but this does not mean that they won’t gain from attending a church in the community. They will get to know their neighbor, gain support from new friends, and so much more. Most are happy when upgrades take place because it does help the entire community become stronger and better. Are you ready to see how upgrading your church will help it to grow?

Tools Necessary for Worship

churchesWe all like to be prepared for things. It is just a part of who we are on the inside. It is a universal truth that we all feel it is important to have things with us when we set out on adventures. Faith is no different. It is this idea that pushes us to seek out other necessary tools for worship.

The Best Tools to Help You Worship

bibleYou may not think that it takes much to worship or have faith, but it does. You need a Bible and absolute belief in the fact that the creator exists. Without these two tools, your faith wouldn’t be as much a part of your life as it is. However, you may also feel that you cannot properly show your faith without going to a church. You may feel that in order to pray and rejoice, you must be with friends or family in a pew or doing good things for those in the community. A tool could also be the pastor who tells you about God and Heaven or Hell. Whether you feel that way or not, it may become very important for you to have those things. The thing is, your faith is best shown with these tools, but what about other aspects of your life? What tools do you use there?

Life’s Tool Supply List

embracing natureWhen you and your church go out for a day of fun, you use tools to enhance the activities you are taking part in. A picnic in the park is not much of a picnic if you forget the baskets and blankets. A bird watching outing or a nature hike isn’t much fun without a good pair of binoculars. Camping in the woods with your church group to become one with nature isn’t going to be great if you don’t take the time to find a good tent, a dependable multi-tool, and other things to take along. For a respectable multi tool choice read this Surge VS Wave comparison. Either tool can be considered a real tool that you will depend on, even if for only a the most trying of times.

Which Tools Matter to You?

We encourage everyone to follow their own path. Your journey is what matters and the tools that you take along are what will make it more enjoyable. Along the way, you may also find that you need these things during one of life’s mishaps or you may be presented with an opportunity to help someone when they need it the most. This can further improve your faith and help you be the best person that you can be. Can you think of a better way to show your love? What tools do you think will make the most difference in your life? Both spiritually and in simply living life to the fullest?

Outdoor Gospel Sessions

outdoor church gatheringsChurches are something we often think about as being indoors. We imagine sitting in pews and listening to someone tell us about heaven and hell. We think about being bored at times and in some cases listening to loud music for such a small, enclosed place. Instead, what you should be thinking about is the outdoor gospel sessions that many churches are hosting. These are often the best sermons because it takes us out of the church and into the world where we can truly rejoice in living our life.

Taking Services to the Outdoors

nature's churchNature, whether sunny or stormy, is natural and beautiful. It is a piece of something tangible that we can touch, but not control. We simply know that it is all around us. It is the same thing that preachers preach each Sunday when they have a full group of people listening to their words. The belief that God is all around us. Something we can see, but not control. Something we simply have to just know is there for us, no matter what challenges we are facing. God and nature are both pure. This makes the outdoors a place where concerts can sing his praises and where baptisms can be held to signify the purity or a new beginning.

Preparing for Outdoor Gatherings

relaxing at church gatheringsOutdoor gatherings are less formal, but they do still require some effort. However, what you may need will depend on the event. For instance, for a baby baptism, you will want the water tank, chairs for the guests, a speaker with a quality microphone so that others can hear the blessings, and perhaps tables set aside for refreshments after the baptism. If you are hosting a concert, you will want the chairs, space to dance in, speakers, and other sound equipment, and a stage. You may also want to create a stage for the performances. To keep things as natural as possible in the great outdoors, you may want to consider building a wooden stage with stone steps like the ones you will find with gravel Greenville, SC. If you want to host outdoor food events, you may also be able to use the more natural stone and wood to build it.

Your Outdoor Faith Sessions

When you host an outdoor session, you will pull a larger crowd. People will love the open, casual, world that you are giving to them over a church any time that the weather outside is bright and sunny. They will be more open to bringing guests to the event that may not have ever been to your church in the past. It could provide you with more people who want to show up on other outdoor concert days as well as those days when you are spreading the word in the church. Since churches rely on people attending them, can you think of a better thing than drawing more? It can also help if you include the kids and perhaps put up bounce houses and slides for the fun of it after Sunday’s outdoor gospel gathering.

Building the Perfect House of Worship

beautiful churchEven before Christianity was accepted as a religion, there were places, and buildings, where people would go to worship. Even early Romans built beautiful temples where they believed that they could go and worship the Roman Gods. Often, during certain eras, these temples were made of marble, silver, and even a little gold. They wanted the Gods to look favorably upon them and therefore, made their “churches” as beautiful as possible. Today, we generally do not use marble and gold to build our church, but it is still important that we put effort into building the perfect house of worship.

Designing the Perfect Church

stained glass beautyBefore you build a church, you must first have a plan. Most all churches have a kitchen and dining area, smaller rooms for Sunday school, a daycare area for parents of small children, and of course; the main area. They may also have a choir area, but often that it is simply built in the main area. Many churches have stained glass windows. Statues, pews, and more are all made of different types of material. There are people who set out specifically to design and build beautiful places of worship. However, if your dream is to have a church built, you can do so with a simple build, since we now know that a place of worship can be built anywhere.

Today’s Churches

large church muralThere are many old, wooden churches around, but most people choose to build them out of concrete and bricks. For this reason, places like R&D Masonry INC. are also good choices for people who can build a church that will last through many years as a gathering place for those who need a place to celebrate their chosen religion. A good masonry company can come up with a plan, lay the foundation, and build a beautiful worship area for all.

What Makes a Good Church, Great?

Even though there are simple churches that are made with bricks and stones that have a sign out front, we still often look at a church with the idea that the more beautiful and the bigger that it is, the more love you will find within its walls. Again, this can be traced back to those first temples that were built B.C. and early A.D. The smaller churches may be perfect gathering places for a small congregation, but the larger churches that can fill the pews each day are still setting the bar high. They often do more for the community that they are in and have more people showing up on Sundays. These larger, more spectacular churches are the ones that draw attention to themselves. People who may not live locally or may be looking for another church may stop in to these larger churches to see if it is as beautiful on the inside as the outside. From there, it will be on the preacher and the entire congregation to make people want to return. In this, even a small church can stand out above the rest.