Self-Development of People Sunday

March 2, 2008

Celebrate the ministry of Self-Development of People.

Once a year, Presbyterians gather on a particular Sunday morning to celebrate the ministry of Self-Development of People. Use the resources and suggestions below as you interpret the ministry of Self-Development of People in your congregation. Download this flier to print.

• Ten ways to celebrate Self-Development of People Sunday
• SDOP Wallet Card
• Self-Development of People hymn contest
• Worship resources for SDOP Sunday
• Free print resources

Ten ways to celebrate Self-Development of People Sunday

1. Use the Self-Development of People bulletin. Note that there are also five Self-Development of People bulletin inserts which will be available in early February. Four of the inserts highlight Self-Development projects here in the United States; the fifth highlights a Self-Development project in the Dominican Republic.
2. Invite a representative from one of the projects funded by Self-Development of People to worship. Ask that person to do a Minute for Mission and/or to speak in Sunday School classes and/or at a congregational dinner.
3. Ask a member of either the Presbytery/Synod or the national Self-Development of People Committee to preach or to do a Minute for Mission. You could also invite a SDOP staff person.
4. Share a story with your congregation from Stories That Make a Difference 2008. It has eleven stories about Self-Development of People projects both here in the United States and around the world. Order it free from The Presbyterian Marketplace. You can also order the 2007 issue of Stories That Make a Difference.
5. Preach a sermon on Self-Development of People’s ministry. Note that the booklet Self-Development of People: Sermons and Liturgy has five sample sermons and other worship resources. Stories That Make A Difference provides SDOP project examples that can be used as illustrations.
6. Use the Self-Development of People worship resources.
7. Sing the hymn “Justice Is A Journey Onward,” written by Jane Parker Huber. Download a copy.
8. Have copies of the Self-Development of People Children’s Bulletin Insert available for the children in your congregation. These are free and will be available in early February from The Presbyterian Marketplace.
9. Display Self-Development of People posters at key locations around your church building. Order them free from The Presbyterian Marketplace.
10. Commission everyone in worship to take “SDOP Wallet Cards” with them, and to give one to a prospective SDOP Applicant. The wallet cards can be ordered free from The Presbyterian Marketplace.

SDOP Wallet Card

The Self-Development of People program is summarized in a small brochure folded to the size of a standard business card. Order your SDOP Wallet Card, PDS #25422-07-001 from Presbyterian Marketplace.

On Self-Development of People Sunday, why not give one to every member of your congregation? Ask each person to give theirs to someone might be interested in applying for a grant. Help SDOP “get the word out” to economically poor community groups who control their own program, and who will benefit directly from it!

Self-Development of People hymn contest

Self-Development of People is looking for a new hymn. While we will, of course, continue to use the SDOP hymn with text by Jane Parker Huber, “Justice Is A Journey Onward,” which was written in 1996, we’d also like to have another hymn with a text relating to Self-Development of People.

We’re having a hymn contest, and the winner’s hymn text will be featured in this Self-Development of People Sunday Resource flier next year, so that congregations across the country can sing the new SDOP hymn on Self-Development of People Sunday in 2009.

We are looking for new texts that can be sung to familiar tunes. Four different verses are required. Hymn texts must be thematically consistent with the ministry and program of Self-Development of People. Hymn texts previously published or currently entered in other contests should not be submitted.

Submissions must be received by July 1, 2008, and should be mailed to Self-Development of People Hymn Contest, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Please send ten copies of the text with the title of your entry and the name of the hymn tune to which your text is set. The entrant’s name must not appear on these copies. Please provide a cover letter with your name, address, email, telephone number and the title of your entry or entries.

The judges, who are persons affiliated with the Self-Development of People ministry, will arrive at their decision by October 1, 2008, and their decision is final. The author’s name and winning hymn text will be announced in the Self-Development of People Sunday Resource flier next year, so that the new hymn can be used on Self-Development of People Sunday in 2009.

Copyright (if any) for the winning hymn will be retained by the author, but the author must agree to permit the use of this hymn by Self-Development of People and by the congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in perpetuity.

Worship Resources for SDOP Sunday

Call to Worship:

Leader: As we gather in God’s house on Self-Development of People Sunday, we give thanks for our blessings and for the opportunity to share them in God’s name.

People: We give thanks for the spirit of generosity and partnership embodied by Self-Development of People.

Leader: Let us always work for the empowerment of those whose needs are great.

People: Where there is poverty, hunger, injustice or oppression, we are called to serve.

Leader: We pledge to partner with those who seek better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

All: With God’s help, we can find ways to make the world a better place for all people.

Invocation

God of Love, your compassion extends to all people — the sinful and the devout, the poor and the wealthy, the humble and the powerful. As we gather in Christian love, let us care for one another and work for the empowerment of those within our faith community and in communities of need both near and far. We pray that all may know the justice that flows from your abiding love and the hope that comes from your healing grace. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Hymn Possibilities

The Self-Development of People Hymn – Justice Is A Journey Onward. Download a copy.

From The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990):

#319 Spirit
#343 Called As Partners in Christ’s Service
#354 Guide My Feet
#367 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love
#369 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me
#417 Cuando el Pobre (When A Poor One)
$525 Here I Am, Lord

Charge

As you go out into the world,
Strive for justice,
Pray for peace,
Work for the empowerment of those
who are oppressed,
And serve God in all that you do.

Benediction

As you leave this place, may God’s grace be with you, calling you to care for those who suffer; May the presence of the risen Christ fill you with compassion for those in need; May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit empower you and all people to do God’s work in the world.
Amen.

Free print resources

Self-Development of People: Sermons and Liturgy, PDS# 74350-06-010
Wallet Cards, PDS# 25422-07-001
Stories That Make A Difference 2007, PDS# 74350-06-008
Stories That Make A Difference 2008, PDS# 25422-07-003
Community Booklets (FAQs) in English, PDS# 74350-06-005
Community Booklets (FAQs) in Spanish, PDS# 74350-06-006
Summary Info Sheets in English, PDS# 74350-05-008
Summary Info Sheets in Spanish, PDS# 74350-05-009
Children’s Bulletin, PDS# 74350-05-012
SDOP Poster Celebrate Hope, PDS# 74350-05-005
Bulletin Cover Celebrate Hope, PDS# 74350-05-007
Sharing our Blessings Video, PDS# 74350-02-010
Sharing our Blessings CD, PDS# 74350-02-011
Bulletin Insert U.S. Northeast Story, PDS# 25422-07-004
Bulletin Insert U.S. South Story, PDS# 25422-07-005
Bulletin Insert U.S. Midwest Story, PDS# 25422-07-006
Bulletin Insert U.S. West Story, PDS# 25422-07-007
Bulletin Insert Dominican Republic Story, PDS# 25422-07-008

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