Made by God: can you craft God’s Word into a winning sermon?
Preachers are invited to submit 1,500 words on the theme of Made by God to Sermon of the Year 2020. Get scribbling as entries must be sent to editor@lwpt.org.uk by midnight, Sunday 23 February 2020.
Calling all preachers and wanna-be-preachers from across the UK as Preach magazine launches the Sermon of the Year event for 2020. The event is open to everyone, of all denominations and none. Entries are welcome from those aged 18 or over – in 2019 the youngest entrant was 18 and the oldest was 87. Experience is no barrier either – you may be writing your very first sermon or your 500th sermon or you’ve lost count. You are all warmly invited to take part.
The theme Made by God is inspired by our original remit from God to be guardians of creation, it is equally inspired by the many people of faith who speak out and take action today to protect our world. The words ‘Made by God’ will mean different things to different preachers, and we look forward to reading the diverse and thoughtful entries. The Sermon of the Year aims to celebrate and encourage the craft of preaching.
To enter, all you have to do is write a 1,500 word sermon on the theme Made by God and submit it before midnight, Sunday 23 February 2020.
Each entry will be identified by number and not by name, this keeps the adjudication process anonymous and unbiased. We recommend that you check out the guidelines before you start writing! The guidelines set out the six areas in which each sermon will be assessed. Well – bear with us – there has to be a process of selection, even though we also believe that there can never be a ‘best sermon’ and that even the least sermon-like preach will be powerful in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
What happens next? The top four sermons will be preached at a live event in London and judged on the spot by an expert and friendly panel of judges. The annual finals always respect the Word of God, invite the presence of the Holy Spirit, and are a blessing to those preaching, and those being preached to. They are joyful. Last year’s winner, Clare Masters, sums it up, ‘Being selected as a finalist was a great surprise, and the final was an amazing evening with Preach magazine proclaiming God’s love’.
For the live event, we are taking over the community area of The Centre and the Grade II listed church of St Paul’s, Hammersmith (London W6). Join us there from 6pm on Thursday 25 June 2020.
At the event, you will find preaching resources including the top ten sermons from previous Sermon of the Year events. The top entries from Made by God will also be published in a book which will be available to purchase at St Paul’s.
Advance discounted tickets for the event final are available now at www.preachweb.org/sermonoftheyear/tickets
For more information, visit www.preachweb.org/sermonoftheyear
To receive four copies of Preach magazine a year, join the membership scheme at www.lwpt.org.uk/membership
Contact for further information: Louisa Lockwood, Editor, Preach magazine, editor@lwpt.org.uk
About Preach
Preach is the quarterly membership magazine for all those who preach. Written by preachers, for preachers it is cross-denominational in outlook and content. Each edition covers a theme to help preachers explore current issues and to provide resources for preaching. Topics in 2019 included Politics, Single Living, Words we Use, and Changing Minds (women’s voices). Each issue includes features, interviews, columnists and book reviews alongside regulars like How I Prepare and Films to Preach About. Preach is produced by LWPT.
About LWPT
LWPT is Christian charity which provides resources, information and support to preachers. Established in 1849 to assist Methodist and Wesleyan preachers and their families, the charity has reached out to all denominations since 2005. Our focus is to provide information and resources. These include www.preachweb.org, Preach magazine, Ichthus – our newsletter, and Bible Month – a study course series. We run Sermon of the Year – an annual, nationwide event to encourage and celebrate excellence in preaching. We also actively encourage student preachers to take up ministry and twice a year offer grants to help with their course fees and study materials.