A woman with a backseat full of toddlers and a heart full of troubles pulls into the parking lot of Christ Covenant Church in Shelby, North Carolina. Church members armed with water hoses and soapy buckets cheerfully wave her in. They swarm her car with sponges and chamois cloths, scrubbing and polishing. She watches them work through rolled up windows. They laugh and spray water. The soft drink they had passed through the window refreshes and revives, and she realizes how much she needed it. She lets down her guard a bit. She reaches in her purse for payment, wondering what she owes this curious group for its service. Oh, no charge, explains a smiling man. "It's like grace; it's free. We have the love of Jesus in us, and we're washing your car to demonstrate His love in a practical way." Suddenly she is crying, her head on the steering wheel. The youngsters whine and thrash. The man suggests she pull her car over to the side. He and his wife lean in, comforting her, hearing her heartbreaking story of a husband in trouble, of too many bills, of overwhelming responsibility. They pray with her. They talk about the plan of salvation. As words tumble forth, she reconnects with the Jesus she once knew, before life became so complicated. She may even come to services here, she says. She pulls away from the parking lot with a spotless car and a spirit of hope. Later that morning--a Sunday too beautiful to be inside--Dr. Jim Toole dispenses with a sermon and turns the service over to singing and testimonies. He participates in a pilot program sponsored by the North American Mission Board called "Kindness Explosions," a time to get outside the four walls of the church and practice servant evangelism. Following team visits to hospitals and homeless shelters and laundromats and housing projects, members of his church convene to share their stories. Some teams had canvassed neighborhoods, handing out light bulbs and telling recipients, "We want to share the light of Jesus with you." Others distributed flowers to patients, causing one elderly hospitalized man to weep at the sight of families and young people devoting themselves to lifting his spirits. Another team reports on their visit to a shelter; up pops a homeless man who has returned to the service to share how he was touched. He addresses the congregation in a strong, clear voice, thanking them for accepting rather than judging him. Finally, someone stands up and tells about the woman in the car. She had requested prayer for her husband, using his name. The assembly bows and Pastor Toole prays. His mostly Gen X congregation of students and twentysomethings, many of whom are beginning their careers at nearby textile mills, genuinely care about the plight of this woman. She is unchurched and possibly unsaved. Just the kind of person they want to reach with their kindness explosion. And getting out is fun for his young congregation. "The idea is to share the biblical concept of servanthood in a nonthreathening way with the hope of opening doors," explains Toole. "Our ultimate goal is to lead people to Christ." A place for everyone. Christ Covenant is an on mission church whose members are committed to deliberate and intentional efforts to reach people for the Lord in creative ways. But their purpose is more than do-goodism in the name of Christ; it is to share the plan of salvation and to win souls. On mission churches recognize needs in their community, evaluate and try options, step forth with action plans and support other such efforts. They take risks and stretch themselves. And they are enjoying a refreshing approach to evangelism. Most of the time, the plans succeed. Occasionally, they fail. Always, on mission churches are asking God to show them the way. "Our desire is to help churches form teams comprised of individual on mission Christians who want to see more church members excited about reaching their community for Christ," said Carol Baker, mission development manager at the North American Mission Board. She wants to help congregations develop an on mission strategy. "We want to be bombarded with success stories, or even plans that didn't work so well, so that we can increase our effectiveness as a resource," she said. She tells how congregations are mobilizing Christians to reach North America for Christ. Like the teams of on mission Christians, the churches are going through a process of: • awakening to God's desire for them to reach their communities for Christ and to meet the needs of those around them; • adjusting their strategies to serve and to remove roadblocks that might be keeping people from hearing the gospel; • activating people by equipping them with biblical principles and sending them beyond the four walls of the church; • advocating for other efforts that encourage more individuals and churches to be on mission with God and send church members to places and people beyond the local church. Teen-age skaters "make air," "rock ' n' roll" and "ride the wall" under Delaware's Route 141 viaduct where a massive skate park sponsored by Bethany and other groups draws youth for recreation and evangelistic Bible study. An in-line skater picks up speed and races up the steel-plated ramp onto the concrete pillar supporting a busy highway overhead. For an instant, he appears to defy gravity before careening down the post and onto the asphalt floor of the skate park. Another boy, this one out of high school, makes air by leaping over a ramp with his skates tucked under his lithe body. Others watch and wait their turn. Nearby, a 26-year-old missionary named Mario Hristov poises his skateboard at the top of a U-shaped ramp before reversing directions and zooming to the other side. After a few hours of skating with the kids, he will gather them for Bible study. He counts 62 boys in his flock, those who came forward in church and made formal decisions for the Lord. Looking much like his converts with bleached hair and baggy clothes, the Youth With a Mission-trained missionary relates how he cursed and rebelled against his parents as a teen before he was changed by Christ. He believes many of their parents are being reached through the program as well. The skate park was the brainstorm of Bethany and other churches who wanted to "reach out to youth in body, mind and spirit," according to Scott Adams, Bethany pastor. "We realized we had to go where these kids are, to meet them on their own turf." The churches funded construction of the project and its continued operation.
A woman with a backseat full of toddlers and a heart full of troubles pulls into the parking lot of Christ Covenant Church in Shelby, North Carolina. Church members armed with water hoses and soapy buckets cheerfully wave her in. They swarm her car with sponges and chamois cloths, scrubbing and polishing. She watches them work through rolled up windows. They laugh and spray water. The soft drink they had passed through the window refreshes and revives, and she realizes how much she needed it. She lets down her guard a bit. She reaches in her purse for payment, wondering what she owes this curious group for its service. Oh, no charge, explains a smiling man. "It's like grace; it's free. We have the love of Jesus in us, and we're washing your car to demonstrate His love in a practical way." Suddenly she is crying, her head on the steering wheel. The youngsters whine and thrash. The man suggests she pull her car over to the side. He and his wife lean in, comforting her, hearing her heartbreaking story of a husband in trouble, of too many bills, of overwhelming responsibility. They pray with her. They talk about the plan of salvation. As words tumble forth, she reconnects with the Jesus she once knew, before life became so complicated. She may even come to services here, she says. She pulls away from the parking lot with a spotless car and a spirit of hope. Later that morning--a Sunday too beautiful to be inside--Dr. Jim Toole dispenses with a sermon and turns the service over to singing and testimonies. He participates in a pilot program sponsored by the North American Mission Board called "Kindness Explosions," a time to get outside the four walls of the church and practice servant evangelism. Following team visits to hospitals and homeless shelters and laundromats and housing projects, members of his church convene to share their stories. Some teams had canvassed neighborhoods, handing out light bulbs and telling recipients, "We want to share the light of Jesus with you." Others distributed flowers to patients, causing one elderly hospitalized man to weep at the sight of families and young people devoting themselves to lifting his spirits. Another team reports on their visit to a shelter; up pops a homeless man who has returned to the service to share how he was touched. He addresses the congregation in a strong, clear voice, thanking them for accepting rather than judging him. Finally, someone stands up and tells about the woman in the car. She had requested prayer for her husband, using his name. The assembly bows and Pastor Toole prays. His mostly Gen X congregation of students and twentysomethings, many of whom are beginning their careers at nearby textile mills, genuinely care about the plight of this woman. She is unchurched and possibly unsaved. Just the kind of person they want to reach with their kindness explosion. And getting out is fun for his young congregation. "The idea is to share the biblical concept of servanthood in a nonthreathening way with the hope of opening doors," explains Toole. "Our ultimate goal is to lead people to Christ." A place for everyone. Christ Covenant is an on mission church whose members are committed to deliberate and intentional efforts to reach people for the Lord in creative ways. But their purpose is more than do-goodism in the name of Christ; it is to share the plan of salvation and to win souls. On mission churches recognize needs in their community, evaluate and try options, step forth with action plans and support other such efforts. They take risks and stretch themselves. And they are enjoying a refreshing approach to evangelism. Most of the time, the plans succeed. Occasionally, they fail. Always, on mission churches are asking God to show them the way. "Our desire is to help churches form teams comprised of individual on mission Christians who want to see more church members excited about reaching their community for Christ," said Carol Baker, mission development manager at the North American Mission Board. She wants to help congregations develop an on mission strategy. "We want to be bombarded with success stories, or even plans that didn't work so well, so that we can increase our effectiveness as a resource," she said. She tells how congregations are mobilizing Christians to reach North America for Christ. Like the teams of on mission Christians, the churches are going through a process of: • awakening to God's desire for them to reach their communities for Christ and to meet the needs of those around them; • adjusting their strategies to serve and to remove roadblocks that might be keeping people from hearing the gospel; • activating people by equipping them with biblical principles and sending them beyond the four walls of the church; • advocating for other efforts that encourage more individuals and churches to be on mission with God and send church members to places and people beyond the local church.
Teen-age skaters "make air," "rock ' n' roll" and "ride the wall" under Delaware's Route 141 viaduct where a massive skate park sponsored by Bethany and other groups draws youth for recreation and evangelistic Bible study. An in-line skater picks up speed and races up the steel-plated ramp onto the concrete pillar supporting a busy highway overhead. For an instant, he appears to defy gravity before careening down the post and onto the asphalt floor of the skate park. Another boy, this one out of high school, makes air by leaping over a ramp with his skates tucked under his lithe body. Others watch and wait their turn. Nearby, a 26-year-old missionary named Mario Hristov poises his skateboard at the top of a U-shaped ramp before reversing directions and zooming to the other side. After a few hours of skating with the kids, he will gather them for Bible study. He counts 62 boys in his flock, those who came forward in church and made formal decisions for the Lord. Looking much like his converts with bleached hair and baggy clothes, the Youth With a Mission-trained missionary relates how he cursed and rebelled against his parents as a teen before he was changed by Christ. He believes many of their parents are being reached through the program as well. The skate park was the brainstorm of Bethany and other churches who wanted to "reach out to youth in body, mind and spirit," according to Scott Adams, Bethany pastor. "We realized we had to go where these kids are, to meet them on their own turf." The churches funded construction of the project and its continued operation.
Mario Hristov grew up in Bulgaria and learned about Christ from a buddy he met in the army. When Mario finished his military commitment, he went to missionary and leadership training sponsored by Youth With a Mission. "God gave me a vision for reaching skaters. I shared it with an American who became my link with the churches in Delaware."Newport's Bethany Baptist is part of an alliance of churches who wanted to share the gospel with skaters who had been using their church parking lots, sometimes becoming too rambunctious, occasionally defacing the property and littering it with cigarette butts and beer cans. When the churches heard about Mario's training for reaching skaters, they sponsored his way to America. Building the skate park required a large commitment of time and money from church people who cooperated on the project with Newport city officials. Mario thinks the effort was worth it. "I see kids from broken families, kids without much direction in their lives. Like me before I turned my life over to Jesus, their skateboard is their god. Now they're learning a new way of life. We talk openly about their problems and how God helps them. Some of them throw their energy into skating to escape a bad situation at home, like an alcoholic parent. They can relate to me because I skate with them and dress like they do. "Besides our Bible studies at the skate park, we have activities at church. When the parents drop them off and pick them up, they see changed kids. It makes the parents stop and think too. It's a good witness to the whole family." Children giggle at clowns, get their faces painted and wobble on moonwalks throughout the spacious grounds of Eastside Baptist, located in an upscale Atlanta suburb. Nearby, their parents enjoy live, continuous entertainment, including music and skits depicting Christ's resurrection. Several couples huddle with Eastside members trained to share the gospel with residents from the church's neighborhood who have turned out for Eastside's first old-fashioned block party. Planners are thrilled that the neighborhood folk outnumber the church members. Of the total 1,700 attendees, 500 are Eastside members. Good news about the block party's turnout and response travels fast throughout Eastside's property: hot dogs are in short supply, and several guests have made decisions for Christ. Members joke about eating half a hot dog so guests can consume a whole one. But as a church committed to reaching out to its neighboring community, Eastside's shortage of food is small sacrifice to make for the result of winning souls. Susan Frost, director of women's ministries, got the idea from a similar event conducted in a low income housing project. "I saw the response there and realized how--with the proper tools and training--people can share the gospel in an entertaining, non-threatening environment," Frost said. She has seen how block parties work well for sharing the gospel with people in all socio-economic categories. She has even known the concept to work in a yachting community. On this day, as church neighbors arrive for Eastside's Saturday event, they are given Bibles marked for easy reference to the plan of salvation. Using the book, called the Here's Hope New Testament, church members point out key verses, a method of personal evangelism which, Frost explains, "is less intimidating. Many unsaved, unchurched people assume they will have to read the whole Bible to learn why God sent Jesus to die for their sins. This gets them directly to the pertinent verses and, we hope, whets their appetite to learn more." Lisa Travis coordinates Faith's 16 mission ministries. She tells many success stories. A favorite illustrates the on mission principle of helping others discover their gifts and personal style for sharing Christ. That style is often influenced by personal experiences. Terry and Julia Harmon had lost their house and were ready to call the streets their home when they came across the mission ministries of Faith. They spent the night in facilities provided by the Brinkley Heights Alliance (in which Faith participates), a ministry combining spiritual counseling and life helps such as food and clothing. "Everyone who comes through the door is given the opportunity to learn about the Lord even before they receive free clothes or whatever they may have wandered in for," explains Travis. "Our priority is spiritual food first, then food for the stomach." After the Harmons got back on their feet, they became leaders in the ministry. Terry started as a bus driver gathering children for backyard Bible studies, and he helped to coordinate Project Memphis, a kids' summer program which is conducted in city parks. Julia, a native of Panama, started as one of the church helpers and gained enough confidence to reach out to Hispanic immigrants. They're now putting all their energy into the Hispanic ministry. "They became grounded with us and went on to develop their own ministry," adds Travis. "That's the kind of result we can celebrate." Rev. Danny Sinquefield says, "Faith members are willing to do whatever it takes for the kingdom, a mindset we are intentionally developing and putting feet to." One stretching experience for his own family was a three-month stint at Eudora Baptist Church providing Sunday school leadership, staffing the nursery and providing choir members. His wife and three sons participated as the once-dying congregation came back to life. "So on Sunday mornings for three months, I went to the pulpit at Faith while my family ministered at Eudora. It was a wonderful opportunity for my wife and sons to be missionaries right in our own community."
Mario Hristov grew up in Bulgaria and learned about Christ from a buddy he met in the army. When Mario finished his military commitment, he went to missionary and leadership training sponsored by Youth With a Mission. "God gave me a vision for reaching skaters. I shared it with an American who became my link with the churches in Delaware."Newport's Bethany Baptist is part of an alliance of churches who wanted to share the gospel with skaters who had been using their church parking lots, sometimes becoming too rambunctious, occasionally defacing the property and littering it with cigarette butts and beer cans. When the churches heard about Mario's training for reaching skaters, they sponsored his way to America. Building the skate park required a large commitment of time and money from church people who cooperated on the project with Newport city officials. Mario thinks the effort was worth it. "I see kids from broken families, kids without much direction in their lives. Like me before I turned my life over to Jesus, their skateboard is their god. Now they're learning a new way of life. We talk openly about their problems and how God helps them. Some of them throw their energy into skating to escape a bad situation at home, like an alcoholic parent. They can relate to me because I skate with them and dress like they do. "Besides our Bible studies at the skate park, we have activities at church. When the parents drop them off and pick them up, they see changed kids. It makes the parents stop and think too. It's a good witness to the whole family."
Children giggle at clowns, get their faces painted and wobble on moonwalks throughout the spacious grounds of Eastside Baptist, located in an upscale Atlanta suburb. Nearby, their parents enjoy live, continuous entertainment, including music and skits depicting Christ's resurrection. Several couples huddle with Eastside members trained to share the gospel with residents from the church's neighborhood who have turned out for Eastside's first old-fashioned block party. Planners are thrilled that the neighborhood folk outnumber the church members. Of the total 1,700 attendees, 500 are Eastside members. Good news about the block party's turnout and response travels fast throughout Eastside's property: hot dogs are in short supply, and several guests have made decisions for Christ. Members joke about eating half a hot dog so guests can consume a whole one. But as a church committed to reaching out to its neighboring community, Eastside's shortage of food is small sacrifice to make for the result of winning souls. Susan Frost, director of women's ministries, got the idea from a similar event conducted in a low income housing project. "I saw the response there and realized how--with the proper tools and training--people can share the gospel in an entertaining, non-threatening environment," Frost said. She has seen how block parties work well for sharing the gospel with people in all socio-economic categories. She has even known the concept to work in a yachting community. On this day, as church neighbors arrive for Eastside's Saturday event, they are given Bibles marked for easy reference to the plan of salvation. Using the book, called the Here's Hope New Testament, church members point out key verses, a method of personal evangelism which, Frost explains, "is less intimidating. Many unsaved, unchurched people assume they will have to read the whole Bible to learn why God sent Jesus to die for their sins. This gets them directly to the pertinent verses and, we hope, whets their appetite to learn more."
Lisa Travis coordinates Faith's 16 mission ministries. She tells many success stories. A favorite illustrates the on mission principle of helping others discover their gifts and personal style for sharing Christ. That style is often influenced by personal experiences. Terry and Julia Harmon had lost their house and were ready to call the streets their home when they came across the mission ministries of Faith. They spent the night in facilities provided by the Brinkley Heights Alliance (in which Faith participates), a ministry combining spiritual counseling and life helps such as food and clothing. "Everyone who comes through the door is given the opportunity to learn about the Lord even before they receive free clothes or whatever they may have wandered in for," explains Travis. "Our priority is spiritual food first, then food for the stomach." After the Harmons got back on their feet, they became leaders in the ministry. Terry started as a bus driver gathering children for backyard Bible studies, and he helped to coordinate Project Memphis, a kids' summer program which is conducted in city parks. Julia, a native of Panama, started as one of the church helpers and gained enough confidence to reach out to Hispanic immigrants. They're now putting all their energy into the Hispanic ministry. "They became grounded with us and went on to develop their own ministry," adds Travis. "That's the kind of result we can celebrate." Rev. Danny Sinquefield says, "Faith members are willing to do whatever it takes for the kingdom, a mindset we are intentionally developing and putting feet to." One stretching experience for his own family was a three-month stint at Eudora Baptist Church providing Sunday school leadership, staffing the nursery and providing choir members. His wife and three sons participated as the once-dying congregation came back to life. "So on Sunday mornings for three months, I went to the pulpit at Faith while my family ministered at Eudora. It was a wonderful opportunity for my wife and sons to be missionaries right in our own community."
David Sheppard knows that local men--many of them hunters and fishermen--like to get together and swap stories. As the owner of a store for sportsmen, he often turned conversations about equipment into opportunities to witness for the Lord. So it was natural for Sheppard to think of a wild game dinner to kick off Highland's revival services. Held the evening before the first service, the dinner was sponsored by the church men's group, Body Builders. Men feasted on venison and dove and filleted bass cooked on grills behind the church. After dinner, they heard the gospel and were encouraged to bring their families to the upcoming revival. The event preceded what has now become Highland's most effective outreach effort yet. The result of the 10-week revival: 1,250 decisions for Christ. Rev. Bart Terry, associate pastor, says his church is using a new model for revival services. "We call it 'the Paul model.' Evangelists come and plant themselves for a while. Over a protracted period of time, people who come have time to react, reflect and respond to what they hear and experience," explains Terry. "They go home and tell people in their neighborhoods and workplaces, and soon those people start coming. In the model we used before, a three- to four-day revival, there wasn't enough time for the momentum to develop. "Looking back, I think we expected this to last two weeks in February, maybe three at the most. But God performed a miracle. And what we're seeing is what I believe evangelism has always strived to be--multiplication instead of just addition."
Ralph and Judy Jackson of Bartlett, Tennessee, members of Faith Baptist Church's on mission team, are semi-retired from engineering and nursing. Both keep their hands in their professions mostly to stay licensed and current, because they consider their full-time occupations to be missions work for Faith Baptist. The Jacksons volunteer at the Brinkley Heights community center, where low income people drop in for food, clothing and minimal health care. They receive spiritual counseling as well. Judy checks blood pressure ("We note their BP reading on a tract advising them how to stay healthy physically and spiritually"). Consistent with the goals of on mission church teams, Ralph talks to them about their spiritual lives ("I ask directly, 'Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?'"). The Jacksons continued their involvement in missions when they no longer had to depend on full-time jobs for an income. They personify the intentional on mission lifestyle of church team members. Says Judy: "Ten years ago I had heart trouble, but the Lord spared me. I began to ask myself why. How could I use my training as a nurse to serve Him? Soon after I prayed about it, I read an article on the church-sponsored health center and recognized the opportunity to serve there. I called about it immediately." Says Ralph: "I've found that it's hard to witness to engineers, guys like myself who rely on facts and figures. But that's the professional group I'm committed to reaching. One engineer I talked to about the Lord was a man I worked with for 12 years. When I first started witnessing to him, he laughed at me, right to my face. But, by the end of our working relationship, his attitude had changed so much that he admitted he had begun praying to God--and sometimes even about me and my family!"