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Have you ever wondered about the origin and meaning of some of the practices and rituals of the church? Have you ever paid attention to how the Lord's Supper is presented in traditional Black Baptist churches? Are there church protocols that are invisible until you cross one? Have you ever considered the features of Black Church funerals? These questions and considerations are carefully addressed in this easy-to-read exploration of the worship life in many Black churches.In First Sunday: Reflections on Ministry Experiences in the Black Church, Dr. Spann explores his own experiences growing up in the Pine Bluff Baptist Church in Karnack, Texas. From these experiences and others, he extrapolates themes and nuances that help to understand some of the whys behind what we do. Thomas Spann leads readers through detailed commentaries on the relationship between the Black Church and its community, the Lord's Supper, Special Days, and features of Black Church funerals. He offers a helpful study guide for personal use and for discussions in small groups.

Many and varied are daily devotional books for the calendar year. This book differs in that the reader can reflect on any one of forty sermonic meditations from week to week. This is not a time-driven book of devotionals. Any set of meditations in this book can be used as the basis of a small group Bible study.Thomas Spann's interpretations of many of the psalms in the Book of Psalms bear witness to the psalmist's concern for personal and social salvation as well as reflect God's deep and abiding commitment to help the weak and the oppressed. This book affirms that the Book of Psalms is rich with laments, calls for national thanksgiving, prayers of rescue, testimonies of deliverance, and sustained summons to praise God for God's mighty deeds.Most of these meditations or sermons were delivered at the St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church in Dallas during the church's weekly Wednesday night service of prayer and praise.Thomas Spann begins this book with reflections on Psalm 1 and concludes with a creative rendition of Psalm 150.

The title of this book is derived from traditional African American oratory. This collection of sermons comes out of Thomas Spann's fifty-plus years of preaching the gospel. These sermons witness to the liberating presence of God in a variety of human life experiences. Thomas Spann offers this book to the Church in the assurance that the "help" expressed in the preacher's sermon continues to be available to readers of these sermons. Thomas Spann believes that these written sermons can still offer comfort and challenge as the reader opens her or his heart to the living God. God's Word is never left void or without a witness. It is Thomas Spann's hope that additional insights will come to the reader of each sermon, whether in personal reflections or a vibrant study group. A study guide is included for personal reflection or small group discussion. The study guide is divided into the following sections: Text, Sermon, Personal Growth, Social Implications, Deeper Theological Considerations, and Further Study.

Have you ever given thought to more balance in Christian praise music in terms of the spiritual and the social? Have you ever desired fresh poetry and music that integrated current events and themes with traditional gospel claims? In this book Thomas Spann has given creative thought to balancing personal praise with prophetic proclamation in the form of poetry. Perhaps an interested and creative musician might be motivated to compose music to accompany these lyrics. These poems cover a wide range of social and personal life happenings, including: Juneteenth, protest marches, violence, and personal faith challenges. Thomas Spann hopes that these poetic offerings will inspire the reader to find her or his own poetic voice in the interest of uniting the two that belong together-personal faith and social justice. The book concludes with a piece, written in poetry and prose, that Thomas Spann considered as a potential title, The Grace of Something More.

This book is a discussion guide for church leaders on topics such as ecclesial stigmas, social justice, and research ministry. Out of his broad pastoral experience, Thomas Spann offers succinct counsel to seminarians and persons starting out in ministry on topics such as pulpit etiquette, confidentiality, and helping laity to claim their vocation as a ministry.Thomas Spann shares the leadership workshop notes that he used in guiding a church to deepen its analysis of its origin, mission, structure, and resources for planning for the future.Included in this book are creative vignettes that are intended to provide rich discussions on various aspects of the narrative behaviors of church folks. These fictional accounts give the reader an opportunity to engage the underlying theology and ethics in some of the practices and events.The book concludes with a helpful study guide on each chapter. The study guide may be used in personal reflection and in small study groups.

Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. Many congregations hold four-week study sessions on appropriate scriptures for the season. Saying Amen through Advent is written as an Advent resource for congregations that want to study scriptures and messages that highlight social implications of the gospel and call Christians to deepen their discipleship. Additionally, the book includes messages for the Christmas season. These messages may be used for personal meditation as well as in small study groups. After each Advent and Christmas message there is an opportunity for the reader to reflect on questions. There are several messages included for each week during Advent. As a multi-year resource, the book offers an opportunity for congregations to prepare Advent studies for up to four years. Saying Amen through Advent includes a helpful study guide.

Whether a preacher is just starting out in ministry or has been in pulpit ministry for several decades, this book is filled with creative ideas for enhancing this sacred oratorical art. Thomas Spann writes from the perspective that any preacher's current method or approach to preaching is fine, but can be enhanced. In this sense there is no judgment on any preacher's current method. Drawing on over fifty years in the gospel ministry, this offering is an attempt to provide insights and ideas to aid in next level preaching. Ideas in this book range from the use of poetic flair to social messaging of the gospel. With care and concern, Thomas Spann addresses unusual topics in the field of preaching, including: disavowing the joke about seminary/cemetery; progressive celebration; preaching as a physical act; perspiration and inspiration; and avoiding common errors in English. Using his African American religious experience as a broad background, Thomas Spann believes that this book is useful in a variety of denominational settings. The book concludes with four original sermons.