When is the event?
The second week of October, 2003.  There will be 4 nightly events running from Thursday through Sunday, October 9-12th (Columbus Day Weekend).  Each night will have a different theme, featuring music, messages, and testimonies of people here in Streator.  Saturday night, October 11th, will be designated as Youth Night.

Where will it be held?
The event will be held at the Streator High Auditorium.  This is a neutral setting for a city-wide event, and also has the seating capacity to accommodate at least 800-1,000 per night.  We also plan to broadcast much of the event live on WWGN 88.9FM to reach as many in the community as possible.

How will it be promoted?
We plan to broadcast much of the event live on WWGN 88.9FM (based in Ottawa), with day-time interviews to build interest and reach those not attending.  We also hope to offer articles to the newspaper leading up to and during the event to build interest and reach those not attending.  In additions, we plan to use billboards to advertise the event and stir conversations the month prior to the event.  Finally, the website we've created for the event, www.weekofhope.com, will allow us to use the written testimonies to have impact long after the event ends.

What kinds of testimonies will be presented?
Testimonies that show the power of Christ to change lives and power to give eternal life.  The testimonies are intended to focus on three main points:  life before Christ, the decision point that led to faith in Christ, and life since Christ.  The testimonies are to focus on Jesus, backed up with biblical references, not the glorification of sin. These will be submitted in writing from local church members and pastors to the program committee.  

Will you provide help in writing testimonies?
For those desiring help in writing their testimonies, we are providing an outline from Campus Crusade's "5 Steps to Sharing Your Faith."  We also plan to offer some training events to help people write their testimonies in a way that draws others to Christ also.  Testimonies that aren’t shared on stage can be shared in churches, on the website, radio or newspaper.

Who will provide the program?
We plan to draw upon the numerous talents of those living in the Streator area for the music, messages and testimonies. We're creating a city-wide praise and worship team for each night as well as a city-wide choir for the closing night celebration. There will be several opportunities for special music, drama and other activities throughout the weekend.

What is the general format for the nightly meetings?
This will vary each night based on the night's theme, but will last approximately 90 minutes and include some of the following elements.

Welcome & Prayer
Opening Worship
2-3 Testimonies
Special Music
Drama/Video
Message
Invitation and Response
Closing Worship

What kind of follow-up will be provided?
The invitation will be to encourage people to put their faith in Christ.  The follow-up team will distribute response cards at the event, which will include an area to indicate people's church or denominational preference for follow-up.  The team will then distribute these cards to the churches as indicated for additional follow-up.

What type of prayer events will precede the "Week of Hope"?
We are planning monthly and other city-wide prayer events prior to the meetings.  We also hope to implement a 1:1:1 prayer for 30 days prior to event, encouraging people to pray for 1 person at 1:00 pm daily for 1 minute.  We will also have follow-up counselors available at the event itself to pray for needs those requesting prayer.

How will the event be organized?
The Streator Area Ministerial Association is organizing the event as a city-wide outreach.  The team leaders represent a broad spectrum of churches in the area, as listed below:

Steering Team (SMA Executive Committee): Eric Elder, (Eric Elder Ministries), Ron McKee (Church of the Nazarene), Brian Beck (Primitive Methodist Church), Tammy Johnson (Salvation Army), Ray Rickert (First Baptist, ret.)
Prayer Team: Brenda Onasch (Open Bible Church), Ray Rickert (First Baptist)
Program Team: Eric Elder (Eric Elder Ministries), Bill Neibuhr (Open Bible Church)
Music Team: Kent Sanders (Central Church of Christ), Richard Lewis (First United Methodist)
Media Team: Ron McKee (Church of the Nazarene), Dan Hennenfent (WWGN 88.9 FM Ottawa)
Youth Team: Darin Hansen (Central Church of Christ), Chris Moore (First Baptist)
Follow-up Team: Carol Bicknell (Salvation Army), Tim Hughes (Central Church of Christ)

Members and clergy from other churches are welcome and invited to participate on these teams.

How will the event be funded?
We plan to raise the bulk, if not all of the funding prior to the event to avoid placing an undue emphasis on funding at the event itself.  Contributions will come from participating churches (suggesting that at least 10 churches give $500 each, with others giving more or less as able).  Additional funding will be provided from existing SMA outreach funds, Thanksgiving Service and Good Friday Service offerings, and donations from individuals.

What benefits are anticipated as a result of this event?
- Many will put their faith in Christ, receiving for themselves His life-changing, life-saving power. 
- the publicity generated by the event will provide natural opportunities for believers to share how their own lives have been impacted by Jesus Christ
- believers will be equipped to share their testimonies in a meaningful way
- prayer for the city of Streator will be intensified
- the local churches will be strengthened
- the power of darkness will be overcome in people's personal lives as well as the entire Streator area: