What is a Thumon Weekend?

In Hebrews 11, we learn that Moses left Egypt, not fearing Pharaoh’s thumon. What is thumon? Thumon is a passionate and driven emotion. Pharaoh, the commander of one of the mightiest armies on earth, wanted nothing more than to kill Moses. Where did Moses find his strength to go forward? Faith. Moses was a man who had gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. At his high point, he was a prince of Egypt. At the low point, he was a fugitive on the run after killing a man. Then Moses met God on Mount Horeb and everything changed.

During this encounter, there were three questions asked that every person must ask in life. Who am I? Who are You? What do I do?

During a Thumon weekend, a trained facilitator will guide your church through discussion-based times of exciting exploration of these great questions of life. In addition, a team of men and women will come from neighboring communities and churches. The visiting team members may share personal testimonies of Jesus Christ or lead small groups. Throughout the years thousands and thousands of people have had their lives changed by the Lord by participating in renewal events. This event requires time, energy, organization and commitment, but the blessings for your congregation’s investment will far outweigh the costs.

How is the Weekend Structured?

Through the lives and testimonies of the visiting team of lay men and women, church members will see models of Christian commitment and openness. They will taste new experiences such as small group discussions, one-on-one prayer and testimonies by people like themselves. They will learn of the fulfillment of a life of prayer, fellowship, understanding the Bible and sharing their faith where they live and work. The weekend is devoted to living the Christian life as modeled in the First Century. It includes the preaching and teaching of the Word, prayer, fellowship, Bible study, testimony, caring, praise and worship.

How is the Weekend Implemented?

An LRM Coordinator will guide your church through the preparation process, the weekend experience itself and the very important follow-up. The visiting team members will be prepared to share and lead small groups during the weekend. A variety of opportunities for interaction will allow members of your church to listen and speak to each other and the team members about their faith. Members will experience an atmosphere of love and edification and will be enriched, challenged and motivated. Our underlying objective, as we bring this event to your church, will be to encourage your people in their faith.

How Will Members of your Church Participate?

Members of your church will be challenged to pray before, during and after the weekend for themselves, their pastor, the leaders and members of their church. They will be invited to take a role in the preparation, the weekend itself and the follow-up plans. Members’ homes will be needed to house the visiting team members for Friday and Saturday evenings and to host Saturday morning coffees. Volunteers will also be needed for promotion, communication, transportation and meal preparation. Leadership can be put in place to provide special programs for children and youth.

What Type of Preparation will be Necessary?

A Preparation Manual will organize and guide the church in its preparation steps. Committees will need to be formed to facilitate the planning for the weekend. Early involvement of your members will make the event more successful. The process of planning will be as important to the life of your church as the actual implementation of the event itself. If faithfully followed, you can expect the weekend to be a significant event in the life of your members. The coordinator may visit the church in advance to brief the church’s General Chairperson and the local committees and to answer questions. Preparation Manuals are sent to the church upon receipt of the registration form and fees.

Commitment

Leader Support & Congregational Commitment
To assure success, your Senior Pastor, lay leaders and the pastoral staff of your church must all take complete ownership in this event. They must outwardly anticipate the importance of the Thumon Weekend as a significant landmark in the life of the church. They also must commit their support to this event and its potential to change your church significantly. As the congregation is effectively made aware that the weekend will be a significant landmark in the life of your church, they will want to be involved in the event.
With commitment and involvement, their lives will be changed.

Spiritual Growth & Community Impact Survey
As part of your weekend, Lay Renewal Ministries provides our premier tool to help you evaluate the spiritual condition of your church. This tool includes a survey to be administered to your leadership team and another for your entire congregation. By using it, your leaders can prioritize target areas for spiritual growth. (An LRM representative will overview the results with you. A more in-depth consultation is available for an additional charge.) As you use the tool every year, you can see if your members are growing in their faith. An SGCIS packet will be included in your preparation materials.

Cost

Your weekend will include the following costs depending on the elements that you choose:

Registration Fee
The registration fee is used to cover LRM administrative expenses for promoting events, training coordinators and preparing team members. The registration fee schedule is based on your average worship attendance as follows:

50-250 in attendance…….$475.00
251-500 in attendance…..$800.00
501-1000 in attendance…$1200.00
1001+ in attendance……..$1500.00

Travel Expenses
The travel expenses for the facilitator(s) of this particular weekend will include travel and transportation to the church. This cost will vary depending on options available but will be confirmed with the church prior to final booking. Unless a special music, youth or children’s leader is requested, all other team members travel at their own cost and honorariums are not accepted.

Other costs will vary depending on the size of the church and the leadership personnel desired. Ordinarily, the team leaders and team members for the weekend will volunteer their time as they minister in your church for the weekend. In order to help those visiting team members traveling at their own expense, church members open their homes for housing over the weekend. This also serves to build a great sense of unity and family. The church leadership is encouraged to set a budget, with the help of the LRM Coordinator, which reflects good stewardship while allowing the work of God’s Spirit to be accomplished.

Free Will Offering
The registration fees that we charge for our events only cover a fraction of the on-going costs of the ministry. Therefore, we ask for a free will offering to support the on-going work of LRM. Your generous contributions through a free will offering during the weekend, and/or inclusion in your benevolence budget, will greatly enhance our ability to carry out our ministry in the future.

LRM Book Table
LRM can provide your church with a Christian Resource table to be made available to your membership during your weekend*. We will ship the books to your church. You will need to designate someone in your church to be responsible for selling the books, and sending the proceeds from the sales and the unsold books back to LRM after your event has ended. All of our materials are sold at a 20% discount. Your only financial outlay will be the return shipping costs of the unsold books. *If you have a local preferred Christian bookstore, it is acceptable to contact them about possibly using their resources.