The Jack P. and Doris T. Lowndes Sermon Competition, sponsored
by the Lord’s Day
Alliance, is named in honor of the Lowndes who faithfully served
as executive director
and administrative assistant respectively from 1992 to 2000 of
the Boston Theological Institute.
Theme
The theme is “Sabbath/Sunday and a Society of Greed or Abundance
and Jesus’
Teaching about Money” using the passages Exodus 20:17 and
Matthew 6:19-24.
Purpose
The purpose of the competition is to encourage preparation and
delivery of a
sermon for a local Christian congregation that highlights the
importance of
Sabbath in the life of Christians.
Eligibility
Practicing parish ministers, whether student pastor or full-time
pastor, who have
preaching responsibilities on a regular basis are eligible to
submit an entry.
Dates
Manuscripts and audio recordings of the sermon must be postmarked
by
November 30, 2009. Winners will be notified by February 15, 2010
and
announced publicly in the spring issue of Sunday magazine. The
first-place
winner will be invited to attend The Lord’s Day Alliance's
2010 Seeking Sabbath
conference to deliver this sermon.
Awards
The following awards will be given for the top three sermons:
• $1,250 first prize
• $1,000 second prize
• $750 third prize
• Travel expense will be provided for the 1st place award
recipient to attend
the 2010 Seeking Sabbath conference.
• The award-winning sermon(s) will be printed in Sunday magazine
Rules
1. Sermons must be the original work of the submitter and must
not have been
published previously. Though copyright of the sermon will remain
the property of
the preparer, The Lord's Day Alliance will have initial rights
to publish and print
the sermon and any further use of the sermon in print will acknowledge
the Lord's
Day Alliance's Jack P. and Doris T. Lowndes Sermon Competition
as the source
of inspiration for the sermon.
2. The sermon must use the theme “Sabbath/Sunday and a Society
of Greed or
Abundance and Jesus’ Teaching about Money.”
3. The length of the sermon should be 2,500 words or less.
4. All quotations must be documented.
5. Participants should submit a double-spaced printed copy along
with an audio copy
of the sermon. The audio copy does not need to be professionally
made, but
should adequately record the sermon for the judges to clearly
hear.
6. Winners will be contacted by the Lord’s Day Alliance asking
them for an
electronic copy of their sermon for publication.
Judging
Sermons will be judged on the basis of the following:
o Biblical accuracy.
o Originality.
o Timeliness of topic.
o Quality of sermon construction.
o Ability to motivate/inform/call to action.
Presentation of Awards
Awards will be presented at The Lord’s Day Alliance's 2010
conference Seeking
Sabbath.
Submissions
• Include a brief cover letter giving any significant background
about the sermon.
• Include a brief biographical sketch.
• Include your mailing address, telephone number, fax number,
and E-mail address.
• All entries should be mailed to:
Lowndes Sermon Competition
c/o The Boston Theological Institute
210 Herrick Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459
tnorton@ldausa.org
(617) 527-4880 or (404) 693-5530