Outreach is a vulnerable thing, which is why most of us don’t do it as much as we should. Sometimes we even make fools of ourselves. In light of this week’s featured resource, Evangelistic and Newcomer Ministry, we’re holding a story contest here on Off the Agenda.
Tell us in 200 words or less about one of your most humbling outreach experiences that, in hindsight, is also pretty funny. If we pick it as a top-five entry, you’ll get a free copy of The Church Leader’s Answer Book (Tyndale), a comprehensive reference guide for ministry. Plus, with permission, we’ll publish your story on the blog. Send your entries by e-mail here.
Now, we should clarify the spirit of this contest. We don’t want to discourage anyone, and we certainly don’t want to make light of our call to spread the gospel. Rather, we hope this exercise helps us laugh at our anxieties and shortcomings–”jars of clay” indeed–and reminds us that we’re hardly alone.
Our editor Drew volunteered to kick off the contest with an anecdote of his own:
My wife and I were trying to think of creative ways to reach out to our neighbors. We had invited them to church several times, but they never came. That winter our church announced there would be a Santa Claus for the kids at the Christmas service. This is perfect, we decided. Our neighbors had two young children. Besides, it seemed like a service with old Saint Nick was the perfect way to get them to church without offending their secular sensibilities.
But when my wife extended the invitation, their response surprised us. “I’m sorry,” the wife replied. “We don’t believe in Santa Claus. We tell the kids their presents come from Jesus.”
The deadline for entries is Monday, March 16. Don’t be shy!
