|
|
|
Sample Excerpt: Press-Release for Education Seminar Announcement
Mooresville, NC, September 15, 2003:
The Cove knows a good thing when it sees it.
As a church that values aggressive strategies focused on reaching the "unchurched," the Lake Norman-based Cove is hoping to continue riding the wave started by Rick Warren's mass-market bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life, with a new spiritual growth campaign this October titled "40 Days of Community."
Last year, The Cove, along with fourteen thousand other U.S. churches, participated in a similar campaign, "40 Days of Purpose," launched by the California-based Saddleback Church where Warren is Founding Pastor.
"The Purpose Driven Life has sparked a type of movement that has burst outside the walls of the church," says Rick Carney, Executive Pastor at The Cove. Rather than being hidden in the average Christian bookstore, mass-market stores such as Barnes & Nobel, Wal-Mart and Costco displayed the book prominently at their entrances. The book has sold over 16 million copies and spent 16 weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Carney says people who have read the book are still intrigued enough to want to find out more, even if they might not understand every principle in it. So, churches like The Cove are giving them an opportunity to do so with 40-day campaigns involving Sunday messages and small-group studies centered around the book's principles.
This fall will be step two in what Warren is calling a "trilogy of campaigns" designed to move churches into implementing God’s five purposes in the world. Warren says "40 Days of Community" moves people from focusing on God’s purposes in their personal lives — “What on earth am I here for?” — to focusing on God’s purposes in their church and community — “What on earth are WE here for?”
“The campaign will water the seeds of the purposes that were planted in people’s lives through 40 Days of Purpose,” Warren says. "It’s a necessary step for maintaining healthy, balanced, purpose-driven lives."
“The primary focus of this campaign is on fulfilling God’s five purposes together by deepening the sense of community within the church and reaching out to the community around the church,” he says. Warren identifies these five purposes as worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission.
"For society in general, we're spiritual beings, so we're looking for spiritual answers," says Carney. "Warren's book became a huge seller because people are looking for that answer."
For information about The Cove Church and "40 Days of Community," visit the their website, www.covechurch.org, or call 704-664-1885.
About The Cove
Founded in 1999, The Cove is a Christian church where the message of Jesus is presented in a non-religious setting. With music you can relate to and talks that are simple, straightforward, and relevant to your everyday life, our services are easy to understand, even if you've never been to church.
The mission of the Cove Church is to:
Introduce our friends to Jesus
Learn to Follow Him and
Celebrate His presence in our lives while
Connecting with each other
Helping others
With three identical services to choose from, we're sure you'll be able to find one that fits your schedule!
Saturdays @ 5:30 p.m.
Sundays @ 9:15 & 10:45 a.m.
The Cove Church is located in Mooresville, North Carolina. Only a few miles from Interstate 77 at Exit 33, The Cove Campus is located on 197 Langtree Road.
###
|
|
|
|
|
