Evangelism

Commission Possible, Summersville, WV

September 19-20, 2008

                                  brochure & registration

                  register on-line

Gen. Bd. of Discipleship site for Evangelism

Visitation Evangelism insert

Rev. Amy Shanholtzer 

Director of Evangelism & Congregational Development

Standing room only

     I forgot how important timing is to getting a table at the Blossom Dairy.  When we broke from our meeting, we chose the traditional noon hour to walk down the street to the busy eatery for lunch.  I guess you can tell something about what they have to serve from the size of the line at the door.  It took a bit for them to clear a table for five.

Shortly we were seated and continued our meeting over a delicious and quickly served lunch.  Friendly wait staff cleared the dishes from our table. In short order, the check was delivered to our table. Then, we got into the line to pay our bill. The line to pay the check was incredibly long.  I suppose all those people standing in line to pay wanted to get back to their offices to work. No one seemed impatient to pay.  The meal was well worth the wait, before and after.

As I stood there, I began to chat with the fellow behind me. I found out he is a lawyer.  He wisely observed, “I can only wish that my business was like this, with people standing in line to see me.  If I knew my restaurant would be so successful, I would get a new job!”

His comment made me think.  I thought about a man that drew large crowds.  I thought about a man so surrounded by crowds that one woman was happy just to touch the hem of his robe.  I thought about a man surrounded by 5,000 men (more if you count women and children) who stayed to hear the whole sermon.  I thought about a man around whom a crowd gathered on the shore such that he had to push out from the shore on a boat to deliver a message.

For people who are hungry to fill the emptiness of their souls, I can’t think of a better place to find food than the Body of Christ. The challenge is to find a way to deliver the message such that people don’t mind standing in line to get in, to be served or even to leave. I know we can do that.  I know that we can invite this world to the Lord’s Table and host the meal as well as any five star restaurant. I know that we can.

The question seems to be whether we will serve the correct audience. Do we exist to serve the already convinced or will we choose to serve those seeking to fill a spiritual hunger?

We have the model of Jesus to follow as we seek to serve those outside of our churches – a kind and compassionate person who reached out to all and stopped at nothing, even offering his life so that we could receive God’s unconditional love. I pray that we can find that way together as the United Methodist Church in West Virginia and Garrett County, MD.

     Please place Commission Possible on your calendars for September 19-20, 2008.  You will be receiving more information shortly on the excellent speakers and musical leadership that will be joining us as we learn how to more effectively reach our communities for Jesus.  My prayer is that one day soon, it will be standing room only in churches all over our Annual Conference.