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April
28, 2002
Words of Blessing from Dr. Schuller
In September
of 1968, a great tower with a cross on top was opened and dedicated.
And the first thing to happen in that building was to offer
to America and to the world, a telephone counseling ministry,
America's first twenty-four hour crisis intervention, suicide
prevention, telephone counseling work, provided by members of
this church every hour, twenty-four/seven. So as members of
the family of God, for thirty-four years, we are Christ's people,
trying to do some good. The telephone number is 714 N-E-W H-O-P-E.
This morning
there's a special group of individuals here. Our New Hope Telephone
Counselors have been joined by online counselors (some of whom
are outside the United States of America and are serving on
this telephone counseling ministry through the internet on our
private chat room). Teenagers also are working in this ministry.
The telephone number for New Hope Teenline is 714-N-E-W T-E-E-N.
There are other counselors that couldn't be here today. Most
of our online counselors live in other states and other countries,
but they're participating with us. Hello.out there.through
this televised church service.
For thirty-four
years the lights never have gone out in this church. For thirty-eight
years, there's been a living human being in this church, in
the Tower of Hope. And they give their ears to strangers who
just need to talk or cry or get a new reason for living. These
counselors are the voice, of Jesus Christ. I want to say to
the counselors this morning, Thank you for answering God's call!
Thank you for fulfilling the dream of New Hope, to be a light
that never goes out, an eye that never closes, an ear that never
shuts, and a heart that never grows cold.
Commission
by Dr. Schuller, the 2nd
Will
all the New Hope counselors who are being installed or re-commissioned
this morning please stand. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDES) You can applaud
them, absolutely! (PROLONGED AUDIENCE APPLAUSE) We have asked
people on numerous times if they would be willing to give up
their time and energy to save a life. And these people responded
to the call by attending the class and receiving the training
to be able to handle suicide calls, calls with people in desperation,
calls with people who have to talk to someone. And these are
the individuals standing before you today who have responded
to that call to be used by God in a powerful and dramatic way.
And so it gives
me tremendous pleasure to be able to install you into this wonderful
position and to re-commission all of our current New Hope Counselors
for another year of ministry. And so we say with confidence that
you represent the body of Jesus Christ. Your ears that listen
are the ears of Christ. Your hands that help are the hands of
Christ. Your voice that comforts is the voice of Christ. And
your heart that cares is the heart of Christ. And so as you continue
to do God's work in answering all of the these calls that come
in on a regular basis, hundreds a day, may the Holy Spirit of
God continue to give you the wisdom, the endurance, and the confidence
to be able to give those individuals the words they need. To
give them grace and hope.
And
so I ask you as you stand before us today, Do you accept this
blessing and this challenge to be New Hope counselors? If so,
answer, Yes, truly with all my heart. (COUSELORS ANSWER, YES
TRULY WITH ALL MY HEART)
And
will you as a congregation, as members of this church, as elders
and deacons in this church, as teachers, Will you do whatever
you can to support these people that they might continue to
fulfill that special calling which they have been given by God
to help others? If so answer, Yes truly with all my heart.
(CONGREGATION RESPONDS, YES TRULY WITH ALL MY HEART)
Prayer from
Dr. Schuller
Let
us pray. Oh God in this whole wide world, these people who
are standing here being seen in two hundred countries, and Oh
God the whole world is calling Garden Grove, California seven
day a week, three hundred and sixty-five days of the year.calling
for encouragement and hope, calling for life. And these are
the persons that stand in a very elite community of healing
hearts. For they have been given a listening ear and a caring
heart and a tongue that speaks hope and love and gentle mercy.
So we pray for your blessing upon these counselors, all of them,
ministers of mercy to a world. Bless them. And bless this ministry
in its thirty-fourth year. Let it be continuing, twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week for another hundred years. In
Christ's name. Amen.
Closing
Words from Dr. Schuller, the 2nd
Amen.
You may be seated. Yes, you can applaud (AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)
and thank them for the tremendous gift and dedication!
If
you would like to join this elite group to be trained to be
able to help people, to be used by God, we have a new training
session, which is starting May 6th. So put it in
your brain, put it in your calendar, plan on coming. Make the
commitment to come out here. We will train you! We don't just
put you on the phone and say, Good Luck! You're trained. So
when the calls come you know what to do. You know how to deal
with the circumstances. So if you're interested in more information
on that you'll see a bulletin announcement on the front of your
bulletin. It's right here on the front of your program. Go
to the plaza after the service and make sure you participate.
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