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 ...