FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pamela McClure, 615.595.8321
Pamela@mmpublicrelations.com
Food for the Soul: Hundreds of Churches Focus on Friendship
Group’s New Friendship Initiative Supported by 2005 Gallup Poll
It seems that food for the stomach may also feed the soul. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, church satisfaction is at its highest for those who share meals with others in their church. As a result of this research, hundreds of local congregations are formalizing their ‘food and friendship’ focus via a multigenerational resource called Friendship First (Group Publishing, June 2005). Friendship First was developed by Group Publishing to facilitate meal-sharing and friendship-building at all age levels in a typical church including children, teenagers and adults. Hundreds of churches are already planning to implement the Friendship First program.
Participation of varied congregations, from all regions of the country, in the Friendship First program affirms the notion that friendship is a universal need—and a need that can be met by local congregations. “The connections we’ve discovered between human friendships, spiritual maturity, church satisfaction and even feelings of intimacy with God are absolutely remarkable,” comments pollster George Gallup, Jr. The connection is also clear in relation to church growth, adds Thom Schultz, founder of Group Publishing, which has produced church resources and training events for more than 30 years. “We have noted that churches that focus on developing friendships among members are the churches experiencing the most growth – both in numbers and spiritual growth among members.” These statistics led to the development of Friendship First, which equips local churches to become greenhouses for friendship.
Friendship First is a 13-week small group resource (including workbooks for leaders and participants plus a DVD element) which invites members to ‘go deeper’ with one another and with God. The anchor of each Friendship First meeting is a creatively shared meal. Small groups meet weekly (approx. 8 members per group) to share a meal and talk about the meaning of friendship—including their relationships with one another and with God. All elements of a meeting, from the meal served to the questions and activities that follow, are connected to a single weekly theme. As an example, on the evening that the group discusses ‘don’t judge others on their appearances’ the centerpiece of the meal is a beautiful white-frosted cake. This ‘cake,’ however, is not what it seems since the ‘frosting’ is made of mashed potatoes and the ‘cake’ interior is meatloaf. From this unexpected menu item, the discussion questions and activities focus group members on how this applies to friendships in real life—as well as their personal friendships with God.
The product development team at Group Publishing, which includes Group founders Thom and Joani Schultz, examined the ‘friendship factor’ carefully as the Friendship First resource was forming. Consultation with the Gallup organization helped confirm the incredible power of friendship within local congregations. According to a 2005 Gallup poll commissioned by Group:
· Church satisfaction is 15% higher among those who have a best friend at church
· Those with a best friend at church are 20% more likely to say that faith is involved in every aspect of their lives
· Those who often shared a meal with fellow church members during the past year were 21% more likely to report being highly satisfied with their churches
The Friendship First resource is packaged as a church-wide kit (for all age levels) as well as in stand-alone kits for specific age groups (children, teenagers, adults). In conjunction with the launch of Friendship First, Group is introducing daily one-minute radio spots featuring Thom and Joani Schultz. Each daily segment (called “The 1 Thing”) will offer a practical tip for deepening one’s friendship with God and others. “The 1 Thing” radio feature launches September 12 and is distributed by the Ambassador Advertising Agency, 714-738-1501.
A worldwide publisher, Group Publishing produces interdenominational resources for all ages and conducts regional and national conferences for church leaders. Group is recognized as a top Christian workplace, winning the first-place award for large media organizations in a study conducted by Christianity Today magazine. For more information, visit www.group.com.
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FRIENDSHIP FIRST
Available summer 2005
For the Entire Church:
Friendship First Church-Wide Kit: ISBN 0764431080, $199.99
Individual Kits by Age Level:
Friendship First Children’s Kit: ISBN 0764431110, $59.99
Friendship First Youth Kit: ISBN 0764431102, $69.99
Friendship First Adult Kit: ISBN 0764431099, $69.99
Hardcover Book:
The 1 Thing: What Everyone Craves—That Your Church Can Deliver
By Thom and Joani Schultz, ISBN 0764427288, $12.99
For review copies, or interviews with Thom and Joani Schultz,
contact
Pamela McClure, 615-595-8321, Pamela@mmpublicrelations.com