The next time you have guests, make the visit a faith-sharing opportunity.

By Linda Ebert

The hearth fires are still glowing and Christmas carols ring in our ears as the holiday season winds down for another year. Reflecting on our family's two traditional Christmas outreaches, my husband, Mike, and I hope they will usher in eternal changes during the New Year.

Our children, Brandon, 5, Brianna, 4, and Justin, 18 months, have just hosted their (second) annual "Happy Birthday, Jesus" party for neighborhood children. Everything from "Pin the Tail on Mary's Donkey" to a felt storyboard sharing the Christmas message gives our family an opportunity to share with these precious (and energetic!) children and their families the true meaning of Christmas.

We also have hosted our eighth annual "It's A Wonderful Life" party featuring Frank Capra's classic film starring Jimmy Stewart. After pre-screening hors d'oeuvres, it's time for the movie trivia contest. Mike introduces the game, then he briefly shares that what makes our lives wonderful is the personal relationship we have with Jesus Christ.

"If you would like to talk more about knowing God personally," Mike explains, "just mark an 'X' at the bottom of your trivia quiz before returning it." Most of the time, that simple, 60-second mention leads to at least one conversation with a non-believer during the party.

We find it's more intentionally evangelistic if we include both Christians and non-Christians. Prior to the party, we ask our Christian friends to look for opportunities to bring up spiritual issues during the course of the party.

Many families love the holiday season and all the creative, evangelistic opportunities that naturally occur during this festive and religious time of year. But don't pack up your on mission focus when the Christmas decorations get packed away. No matter the size of a person's home or family structure, God desires for us all to be on mission-minded throughout the year!

One of our first New Year's activities is to gather a group of Christian friends to pray for our neighborhood and non-Christian friends. For a successful outreach, prayer must be the foundation. There are many creative ways to integrate prayer into your party planning. For the "It's A Wonderful Life" party, a prayer commitment can be a part of the RSVP for Christian friends. As you address invitations, take the time to pray for each guest you invite.

Another wonderful time for prayer —especially if you have children—is to focus on party guests while preparing food. Whether you pray while driving to the grocery store or as you bake the treats, pray for each guest individually and specifically ask for God's blessing on each aspect of your outreach.

Brandon and Brianna help prepare the goodie bags for their Christmas party. As we stuff each bag, we specifically pray for the child who will take it home. Once the prayer base is covered, determine whom to invite and what kind of outreach might best connect with them spiritually. This can be an eye-opening time as you realize your list consists mainly of friends who already have a relationship with God! Ask God to expand your sphere of influence to include many who have yet to meet the Savior.

When I was a single woman living in the Philadelphia area, Mug-'n'-Muffin parties were an effective way to reach other women. Friends brought muffins to share and their favorite mug. After a time of catching up on news, we discussed topics such as "Finding the love of your life" or "From frazzled to freedom." A three-minute testimony could be included to complete the gospel message.

Today we live in a subdivision with quite a few stay-at-home moms. When a friend of mine who sells cosmetics came to visit, we decided to have a makeup party with a spiritual twist for the ladies in the neighborhood. We called it Outer Beauty/Inner Beauty. Two home-schooled teens watched the little ones while the moms (and grandmas!) enjoyed being pampered.

As we waited for our facial masks to dry, I briefly shared about "Beginning Your Journey of Joy," a "Four Spiritual Laws"-based booklet geared toward women. Since many of my neighbors have some religious background, I mentioned that I thought it might be of interest to them and included it in their makeup gift bag. The ladies who attended not only had a great time socializing and being pampered, but left with the gospel message and the knowledge that our family is committed to Christ. We laid more than one kind of foundation that morning!

Be Available

Makeup is the last thing on a man's mind, but the guys might be ready for some pizza or chili while watching the Super Bowl. During halftime, you could share an action-packed evangelistic football video, Spirit of the Game. Casually let the guys know that faith plays a part in your life as well and that you're around if they ever want to talk.

A neighborhood Bible study is also a great way to introduce friends to Jesus. We're part of one right now that includes Christians and non-Christians. Each month a different couple hosts the group. Some friends of ours opened their home after advertising in the neighborhood newsletter. They use a Bible study series called TouchPOINTS.

The material is geared toward people who don't know Christ or have questions about their relationship with God. Study topics include "Is the Bible really true?," "Happiness is..." and "Choosing what is right in the workplace." Neighbors who may never set foot in a church have come to their home and now have a chance to consider spiritual issues in a non-threatening setting. At our friends' home, a young neighbor accepted Christ after the very first meeting!

Being available and truly hospitable just naturally draws others to your home and family. When we were newlyweds, the common link we shared with neighbors in our apartment complex near Washington, D.C., was cockroaches.

During the work day we helped plan large fundraisers for a Christian ministry and attended extravagant gatherings at the National Press Building where Mike worked. It was hard to imagine how God could use our small, roach-infested apartment after work hours to draw others to Him. But after readjusting our focus, we realized God had placed a group of latchkey children all around us—children we met while the apartment was being fumigated!

Mike's outreaches took place while working on cars with the guys. One boy, Brian, especially enjoyed just talking with Mike since his father was no longer around. His sister, Andrea, and a handful of other 7- to 8-year-old girls dropped by often to bake or just hang out until moms or aunts came home later that night. We had so many times to share God's love with them. Brian and Andrea brought their mom and grandma for dinner one night. We had a chance to talk about Jesus right in the middle of our kitchen (and the cockroaches stayed away!).

Your evangelistic outreach might just be "availability" and the offering of a warm home to kids who leave school to come home to an empty house. Encourage your children to look at friends' needs through God's eyes.

Be Creative

As our children grow, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" parties may not be most effective. Instead, imagine having a group of giggling, 11- and 12-year-old girls over for your daughter's evangelistic Valentine outreach.

Possibly an older teen from the youth group could present an evangelistic talk based on "True Love Waits" and Josh McDowell's "Why Wait?" material followed by a sleep-over.

With basket/makeup/kitchenware/memory book parties so popular now, you could have one while also including an evangelistic message. Invite friends over for a basket party and offer a talk entitled "Are you a basket or a basket case? A biblical perspective on reducing stress." A kitchen party might include a topic such as "The recipe for happiness."

God has blessed you with a home that can be used to introduce people to our Savior. Take time to listen to God's leading, ask for His creativity and guidance. The possibilities and eternal impact are endless when we're ready to be on mission!

Linda Ebert is a homemaker, mother of three and freelance writer. She has been on staff with the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Focus on the Family and Campus Crusade for Christ.