Many worldwide are grieving with the people of Paris who suffered such a tragedy last week at the hands of Muslim extremists.

Hundreds of pastors, dozens of political activists and three presidential contenders converged on the first-in-the-nation caucus state Thursday and Friday to pray for the spiritual salvation of the United States of America.

Last week, Church of God General Overseer, Mark L. Williams, announced that the theme for the 76th International General Assembly will be “GO!” Williams cited scripture from Matthew 28, which refers to the Great Commission, “GO and make disciples of all nations.”

OurPrayer, a community of prayer operated by Guideposts, provides prayer support to millions of people each year seeking caring hearts to lift their concerns. With more than 3,000 volunteers donating their time and talent to pray for the millions of requests received, OurPrayer provides a unique and compassionate ministry to reach out and lift those in need. While Guideposts’ OurPrayer provides that service each and every day, Thanksgiving Day of Prayer is special.

Since 2010, churches have provided an alternative to frenzied Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Continuing this new tradition, churches in Houston, The Woodlands and Seattle are preparing service projects that honor Christ at Christmas on November 27. These churches ask families and individuals to celebrate Bless Friday® as an alternative to Black Friday.

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks that shocked Paris Friday night, a team of chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is headed to France’s capital city to offer emotional and spiritual care.

Since its inception, Operation Compassion, an independent benevolent organization with roots in the Church of God, has felt a strong need to work through networks of partners in order to maximize efforts without duplicating services of other charities. Many times Operation Compassion takes the lead role, at other times they work in the background. The most important thing is accomplishing the goal of each project to help alleviate some of the sting of extreme poverty.

The sad reality is that young people are not impervious to the suffering and anguish brought about by tragedies. From broken relationships to traffic accidents, they are faced with real and painful struggles as they are trying to navigate the changing world around them.

Recognizing this, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has released Sharing Hope in Crisis Student Training, a new online program which provides practical help to prepare Christian students (ages 15−19) to share God’s hope with friends, neighbors, and anyone who is suffering—whether in the aftermath of a disaster or from the tragedies of everyday life.

Sharing Hope in Crisis Student Training draws upon years of ministry and crisis response from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, the international network of chaplains who have been specially-trained to offer emotional and spiritual care following natural and man-made disasters. The organization has held several student training events across the country, but this is the first time that same material is available to everybody regardless of location.

“When life falls apart, it’s so important to be there for your friend, to love them and help them see that God loves them too,” said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. “We want to equip our students so they don’t need to hide from their friends, but can instead show compassion and walk alongside them as they struggle through the valley.”

Sharing Hope in Crisis Student Training focuses on four key areas:

1. When Crisis Happens: Understanding how a traumatic event affects the way people comprehend things and alters their perspective.

2. Good News: Sharing the Gospel in a way that brings hope, not more pain or guilt.

3. Good Communication: Utilizing questions and good listening skills to help others.

4. Sharing Hope: Understanding the right things to say and do, in order to let healing begin.
The class can be found at BillyGrahamOnlineTraining.org. It consists of eight self-paced lessons, and costs $40. Students have three months to complete the program. The program is all-inclusive, with no additional books or materials required.

Sharing Hope in Crisis Student Training is the latest offering added to the BGEA’s online evangelism training ministry. It joins the traditional Sharing Hope in Crisis course, Schools of Evangelism Online, and ReIgnite (the online version of the Christian growth and evangelism course taught in cities holding BGEA outreaches).

About the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available.

(Source: Christian Newswire)

Thanksgiving is coming – but instead of focusing on blessings of family and the tastes and smells of the season, too many Christian women struggle with unbearable loads and heartache because they rely on what they can achieve on their own, according to Christian author and speaker Kimberly Atkins.