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300. Background Information for 1982-1988 Sources
đź“„ 3 pages This document provides background information and historical context for the sources in the 1982-1988 time period.
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301. Working Together as Leaders
🔊 22:03 Clem Walters gave this talk at a 1981 South African leadership conference. Using a People of Praise coordinators’ meeting as a model, he offered practical teaching on how to run a meeting of leaders and advice on why and how to make decisions by consensus.
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304. Training Daughters and Relating to Sons
🔊 50:25 In this talk, given at a 1982 women’s retreat, Julie Walters spoke from her own experience of raising her children. With Scripture, stories and examples, she discussed a mother’s special role in training her daughters to become women of God and the obstacles that get in the way of fulfilling that responsibility. She…
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305. The Resourceful Christian (excerpt)
đź“„ 14 pages In this book excerpt, Kerry Koller teaches readers how to be provident and resourceful Christians and how to live in a way that prepares them for changes in the economy. He explores scriptural principles regarding money and possessions and warnings about the pursuit of wealth. God’s provision for us sustains us and…
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306. Showers: A Case Study in Decision-Making
đź“„ 12 pages This source presents several documents that show the progression of how guidelines for community wedding and baby showers came into being. Among other documents, it includes a memo from the handmaids to the coordinators and the coordinators’ final approval of shower guidelines based on the handmaids’ input. Although the information about showers…
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310. Idolatry
🔊 15:27 In this 1983 talk given at a South Bend community meeting, Paul read Romans 1, explaining all the sins and wrongdoing that result from denying God’s authority. Sexuality, riches and power are areas of particular concern where people can easily fall into idolatry. Paul discussed antidotes to these three forms of idolatry.
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313. 1984 Letter to Coordinators
đź“„ 3 pages This introductory letter to the coordinators from Paul DeCelles outlined the topics they would be discussing at an upcoming meeting. He and the head coordinators were introducing proposed changes to the structure and government of the People of Praise such as term limits, a more defined leadership structure and a way of…
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314. First Elections and Appointments
đź“„ 4 pages This is an excerpt from Vine & Branches published in 1985 to bring the community up to date on the election of and terms of office for new leaders, including the seven-member board of governors, the principal branch coordinators, area coordinators, handmaids and the overall coordinator.
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315. State in Life Decisions
đź“„ 11 pages In this text version of a talk given in 1985 in Servant Branch, Nano Farabaugh taught people how to assist others in praying through a state-in-life decision. She described the different states of life and the benefits of praying about and making a clear decision.
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316. How to Head your Wife
đź“„ 4 pages This outline provides practical and specific instruction for how husbands should head their wives, looking to Christ as the model. Headship in marriage should provide support, care and freedom for the wife.
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317. Working Women
🔊 61:20 In 1986, women in the People of Praise were encountering a new reality and new challenges, with more of them working outside the home. In this talk, Jeanne DeCelles offered practical wisdom and a large dose of humor to address very real problems and their solutions. She emphasized the importance of observing the…
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318. Pastoral Care: Expressing God’s Love
🔊 50:15 This talk, given by Paul DeCelles at an area leaders’ retreat in Servant Branch, offered instruction for pastors. Although Paul was specifically addressing heads of men’s groups, what he said applies to all pastoral care. He explained different phases of interaction, moving from teaching and learning to friendship. The health and vitality of…
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320. Cathedral-Building
🔊 14:51 In this talk, given at a 1986 South Bend community meeting, Paul DeCelles used cathedral-building as an image for building Christian community in the People of Praise. It is a long-term project requiring the investment of time and resources. It involves many people working together, putting aside personal style and preference for the…
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321. Men’s and Women’s Roles (1986)
📄 8 pages This document is an outline covering topics related to the roles of men and women. It examines the state of men’s and women’s roles in modern (1986) culture, God’s plan for humanity in this area, roles of men and women in marriage and in family, and scriptural models for men and women.
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322. Traditions and Customs in the POP
🔊 46:32 Kevin Ranaghan explained numerous customs that had developed in the South Bend branch by 1986: celebrating the Lord’s Day, norms of dress at community meetings, respect between men and women, special events, holidays, courtship, etc. Customs and traditions like these are important both to express and perpetuate the identity and values of a…
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323. The Use of Our Time in Families
🔊 54:29 Kerry Koller gave this talk at a meeting for coordinators and mission branch leaders. He started with the assumption that we want a culture in our families consistent with People of Praise culture. In particular he analyzed the way time is used, with a focus on the problems of spending too much time…
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324. Purposes of Pastoral Care
đź“„ 4 pages In this document, Paul DeCelles corrected misconceptions about headship and submission. He explained two goals of pastoral care: to assist us in becoming free individuals and to build unity of mind and heart in the body. This is a manuscript for a talk and seems to end abruptly. We don’t know whether…
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325. How Children Fit into the Community
đź“„ 6 pages This document is a set of guidelines on how children fit into the People of Praise. It includes topics such as: who has responsibility for the children, whether children are members of the community or not, the environments of our children, community standards for raising children and the delicate interaction of parental…
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326. Our Goals and Objectives
đź“„ 11 pages This source consists of several documents. The first document is the board of governor’s 1988 formulation of the goals and objectives of the People of Praise. The second document is a transcription of a talk dating from 1986 or 1987. We have not found the recording from which this transcription was made.…
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329. Discernment of Spirits
🔊 63:03 In this talk, given at the 1988 Singles Conference, Paul DeCelles quoted the Spirit and Purpose: “We oppose in earnest the activities of Satan . . . ,” He then taught how to do that, how to understand the different movements in the soul (consolations and desolations), their purpose and how to leverage…
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330. Comments on Ecumenism
🔊 3:31 Paul DeCelles gave these brief comments at the 1988 Singles Conference, explaining the ecumenical origins of the People of Praise and encouraging the 200+ single people in attendance to place a very high value on our commitment to ecumenism.
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331. Aging Gracefully
🔊 35:08 In this 1988 women’s retreat talk, Jackie Curran explained the advantages and disadvantages of growing old. She addressed topics of weakness, isolation, giving up possessions and giving in to being served. Her main idea was that, as we age, the best place to be is in Christian community. The talk ended with an…
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332. Integrating Life and Work: The Matrix
đź“„ 15 pages This paper is a retrospective and informative commentary on the first sentence of our Principles of Structure and Government: “The People of Praise is structured according to branches and program offices for its life and work respectively.” To integrate our life (being) and work (doing) we used what is called a “matrix”…