Participative Ministry

St. Paul A.M.E. Church is a participatory ministry

We believe that our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is nurtured through the active involvement of the laity. They are active in providing leadership in our youth ministry, in our jail ministry, in our outreach ministry and through the various auxiliaries of the church. We have evening worship at 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of every week, in addition to the daily mid-day worship at 12 noon, Monday through Saturday. Christian Women supporting women meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Christian Men supporting men also meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Our ministry is designed to impress on men, women and children that life cannot be well with us unless it is Christ centered. Our priority in life is to discover God's will in our lives and then work toward the accomplishment of it under the leadership of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who provides leadership to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Christian Sabbath must be properly observed and that can only be done through the worship and praise of Almighty God throughout the day on Sunday, so our worship starts bright and early at 8 a.m. in which we gather together for Christian Fellowship with a full breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast and grits and coffee and orange juice and sweet rolls and sometimes hash browns. But, it is not simply a breakfast of that sort but more important is, we are fed with the word of God by one of the lay people. Every member of our church is expected to grow and develop to the point they are able to give a message on the love of God and His saving grace. Lay people speak in the early morning fellowship breakfast and in the 7 p.m. evening worship service. So, throughout the day the ministry of the word is shared with the membership. The pastor teaches the adult Sunday School class which is the largest class in the Sunday School, and he teaches the evening Bible studies at 5 and 6 p.m., on most Sundays. On some Sundays the lay people conduct Christian Education workshops and institutes on a variety of subjects such as the Ten Commandments. We are told to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Therefore we believe that the church must be open throughout the day on Sunday, with meaningful activity, led by the pastor, that will enable the membership to keep the Sabbath day holy. So, we teach that our Christian Sabbath day is NOT for ball games and ball parks. It is not for picnics and backyard entertainment of friends but, it is for the purpose of engrossing ourselves in the word of God in our efforts to discover the will of God in our lives, and how we might utilize to the best of our ability, those skills and talents and abilities He has endowed us with to His glory, honor and praise. We believe if our Sundays are wasted on worldly activities that have nothing to do with our salvation that not only do we waste our Sundays but we lose our salvation. We also believe that locked church doors after the morning worship results in spiritual lethargy and ultimately the loss of the soul, especially of those who would dare lock out God's children, preventing them from being fed on His word. We believe that most if not all of the ails of this world can be attributed to failure of people to daily engage in the worship and praise of Almighty God and the study of His word. We believe that our Lord Jesus warned us about the danger of the neglect of His word when He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." The word "pastor" springs from a Latin word which means "to feed." Remember how our Lord Jesus questioned Peter? He said, "Peter do you love Me? Feed My sheep." The only way a pastor can show his love for Christ is through the daily and all day feeding of the flock of God on Sundays. We believe that those who fail in that fail God and shall not be numbered among the saved. The scriptures referred to, among others, convince us that it is right, appropriate and expected by God that we keep His House of prayer open, SEVEN days a week and ALL DAY on Sundays, and NOT FOR banquets, bar-b-que, bake sales, bazaars or any other worldly nonsense designed to raise money, but for the study of the Word of God. The AME Church believes in tithing and when that is done, led by the pastor, all of our needs are supplied by Almighty God, and we are able to focus on His word. And, as we focus on His word, we develop the greatest love and appreciation for God and of God and we cheerfully give of our substance for the support of the church. There is not a Christ loving congregation anywhere in this world that needs to sell anything to meet their needs. A long time ago, Abraham said, "God will provide." And, He is still providing for those who trust Him. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all that you need will be provided. And, all of the people of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in the City of Madison, Wisconsin say, AMEN! They say AMEN as they clean the church, free of charge; as they perform the secretarial services, free of charge; as they cut the grass and shovel the snow, free of charge; as they direct the choir and play the piano, free of charge; as they paint and repair whatever needs to be done around the church, free of charge; as they cook Sunday after Sunday, free of charge, so that the pastor is the only person paid for the services he renders, that he might be able to render those services, unencumbered by a need to work a secular job for the support of his family and himself. We sometimes have to wonder how often must the Lord drive the merchandisers out of the church before they discover they are not welcome in that activity. And all of the people of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in the City of Madison, Wisconsin say, AMEN! Several weeks ago we started our Evening Sunday School at 5 p.m. on Sunday Evenings. It is simply great. We study the New Testament Sunday Morning and the Old Testament Sunday Evening. The intent and purpose of the evening Sunday School is to give the entire congregation some meaningful activity to participate in Sunday evenings. If I tell the congregation to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy, I have the responsibility to make sure there is activity available to them to help them keep it holy. If I fail in that, what I say about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, for me, would be just empty words. We have teachers for classes of all ages. Look at the First Psalm. "Blessed IS the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Those blessings specified in the 3rd verse are promised to the "lover of the word of God." As pastors, we are supposed to help people fall in love with the word of God. That's what our Sunday Schools are all about. They are intended to provide the congregation with more and more understanding of the word of God so that they fall in love with it and reap the blessings that are for those who delight in the word of God and meditate on it under pastoral care and instruction, both in the morning and evening, or as the Bible says, "...in His law doth he meditate day and night." Unexcited and unenthused pastors who are uninterested in the study and teaching of the word of God, throughout the day on Sunday and throughout the week, are a curse to the people of God and those curses ought to be rejected in the name of Jesus so that they shall trouble the Church no more. CLICK HERE

The terms of membership

in the A.M.E. Church are set forth in the Book of Discipline of the A.M.E. Church, but in brief, one must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the whole world, submit to baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and be willing to abide by the rules of the A.M.E. Church. We are a part of the "World Reaching Ministry of Jesus Christ" who told His disciples, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...." We believe all of your spiritual needs can be satisfied through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which can be nourished through membership and active involvement in our church. Sermonic Notes are provided the membership every week the pastor preaches. The following notes are from a sermon he preached on Sunday, March 15, '98. This sermon is entitled, "Do Whatever Good You Do, In The Name of Jesus" (Acts 5:38-42) The disciples were commanded to cease speaking in the name of Jesus. The reason was, the enemies of our Lord were uncomfortable with the results of the apostolic preaching. People were being won to Christ. The two forces of this world were colliding. God was blessing the gospel message and the ministry of the Church. Satan was opposing, with all of the threats and hostility he could muster. Satan knew from whence the power of the Church comes. He knows from whom we draw our power and how we access it. The power of the Christian Church is in the name of Jesus. So then, we don't only preach, but we preach in the name of Jesus. We don't simply teach, but we teach in the name of Jesus. The success of our work is in the name of Jesus. In His name, devils are cast out. In His name victories are won. In His name success is achieved. In His name, everlasting salvation is ours. Some have turned away from the right way. They believe that the goal, toward which we strive can be achieved through politics. Some believe that it can be achieved through social programs. Some believe that the goal of uplifting humanity can be achieved through more and more government dollars being dumped into a bottomless abyss. All of them, of course, are in error. The uplift of humanity comes through the preaching and teaching and hearing and doing of the word of God, as proclaimed through the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No, the disciples would not cease and desist from their preaching of the gospel. They would continue to shine that light in a world darkened by sin, that the lost might be found, that the blind might see, that the down trodden might be drawn to the Savior. It is no wonder the adversary sought to stop the preaching of the gospel. All other messages, regardless of how full of love they might seem, were powerless to recover the lost. All other messages, regardless of how relevant they might seem, were ineffectual in meeting man's greatest need. All other messages would stop woefully short of breaking the fetters that bind men and women in a lifestyle that results in their eternal ruin. God chooses to depend on us to stay on course, to continue preaching and teaching that message which brings light into our minds, hope into our hearts and truth into our souls. Let us be faithful to our God who empowers us to do His will, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! To download a free Sunday School lesson, click on Pastor Thomas' Email link and simply request the current weeks Sunday School lesson written by Pastor Thomas. His Email address is: http://www.pastorgeot@aol.com. Pastor Thomas' book, "See You Next Sunday" can be read on line at: http://www.hometown.aol.com/pastorgeot. It is an unforgetable reading experience. Print it and pass it on to your loved ones.