The year 2019 has been declared by the leadership of each of the eight conferences of the Southern Union as the Year of Lay and Pastoral Evangelism. It has not been suggested or intended that this year should be the only year that we will intentionally introduce Jesus to people, and/or summon them into a saving relationship with the Master. However, it is to sustain the posture of executing the Gospel Commission perpetually through the overall operation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in this area of the North American Division of the World Church.
I strongly appeal to you and urge you, my fellow believers, to avoid being victimized by a single person’s method for reaching people. Utilize what God has given you to fulfill the Gospel Commission through your personal zeal and innovation. You may be unable to conduct a full-fledged evangelistic series due to varying circumstances; however, daily point people to Jesus as you are led by Him.
It has been a most exciting journey this year for the Southern Union administration to partner in our quest to evangelize the cities of Athens, Georgia, and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Pastors Frank Harrell of the Snellville-Athens, Georgia, district, and Sherwin Callwood of the Fayetteville (Abney Chapel), North Carolina, church, prepared their congregations to minister to their surrounding communities through the “System for Survival in the 21st Century” evangelistic series. One hundred and eighty-eight beautiful men, women, and children were added to the Seventh-day Adventist Church through baptism and profession of faith. Both congregations were revitalized and strengthened in their individual and composite journeys with Jesus.
The Atlanta West End Church of the South Atlantic Conference, the Lauder Hill Church of the Florida Conference, and the Market Street Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, also of the South Atlantic Conference, are the next three evangelistic sites for the System for Survival series this year.
Beyond the Union-wide schedule of public evangelistic activity are a battery of meaningful personal-journey stories of persons who transitioned from challenging life circumstances without Christ to a joyful, liberated life with Christ. The greatest outcome of all is to experience the restorative power of God in one’s own life as she/he leads another to Jesus Christ. My salvation is borne out of my quest to introduce others to Jesus Christ. Wow, what a deal! I find my own healing, material blessings, family wellness, spiritual breakthroughs, and eternal life when I engage in the Christian industry of leading others to Jesus Christ.
Finally, as Ellen White stated, “In our association with one another we are to remember that all have not the same talents or the same disposition. The workers differ in plans and ideas. Varied gifts, combined, are necessary for the success of the work. Let us remember that some can fill certain positions more successfully than others …. The various talents that the Lord has entrusted to His servants are essential in His work. The different parts of the work are to be brought together, piece by piece, to make a complete whole …. Let not one man feel that his gift alone is sufficient for the work of God; that he alone can carry through a series of meetings, and give perfection to the work. His methods may be good, and yet varied gifts are essential…,” Evangelism, 103.2,3.
Southern Union | July 2019
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