You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour to act on the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee.
You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour or two in one opportunity to fulfil the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee. Once you witness your leaders engaging in O&E your juices will flow and you will be emboldened to speak the Gospel without fear. When you return from outreach to go to into the opening worship services of the 50th General Assembly at 6:30 pm, you will do so renewed in your commitment to God; you will be encouraged to continue to practice evangelism when you return to your home area.
In a few weeks thousands of godly teaching and ruling elders will descend upon the city center of a significant U.S. city for the annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In our hearts we will carry the joy of the knowledge of what Christ has done for us in reconciling us to God, a message that should burst forth from the overflow of our hearts. An opportunity is being arranged to exercise our calling to proclaim the hope that is within us to the nations.
On Tuesday, June 13, PCA men and women will go forth proclaiming our hope on the Beale Street in Memphis from 5-6 pm.
You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour to act on the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee. Once you witness your leaders engaging in O&E your juices will flow and you will be emboldened to speak the Gospel without fear. When you return from outreach to go to into the opening worship services of the 50th General Assembly, you will do so with a nearness to God that you will long to hold onto forever.
Will open air preaching be the harsh and combative stuff of Westboro Baptist?
No. Sharing the Gospel, even as a street preacher is not something that should be a finger pointing combative exercise to sate some kind of persecution ideology. What would you preach to your congregation in an evangelistic sermon? Share the bad news that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteous standard and that the penalty of sin is death, then the Good News that Christ reconciles believers to God through faith in Him. We are going with great news.
I’m better at personal evangelism.
There will be those who lead personal evangelism groups. Also, needed will be people to hand out materials.
Can women participate?
Yes! While the open-air preaching of the Word will be reserved for men, we need our godly women to evangelize women, distribute tracts, perform various support services, like driving people from the convention center to the Beale and serving as prayer warriors!
Most of all, encourage your husbands and fathers.
Dr. Henry Krabbendam, the notable OPC pastor and evangelist to Uganda tells a story about a pastor in an area that was being overtaken by communists years ago. The communists, as they are wont to do, were threatening Christians with imprisonment. One pastor, perhaps looking for relief from his wife, said to her, “You know, I will have to go out and preach the Gospel regardless. It may well mean that you will soon be without me.” To which his wife replied, “If you don’t go out. I will push you out.”
The reality is that godly women desire nothing more than to see their husbands and fathers shod with the shoes of peace, taking up the shield of faith and the Sword of the Lord and going forth as a warrior for our Lord, Jesus Christ!
What do we need?
- People! Especially those who have experience with evangelism, whether that be face-to-face or as open-air preachers to help lead and encourage others.
- People who can shuttle field workers from the center to Beale St. and back.
- People who are prayer warriors. We ask that people pray regularly leading up to GA that God will work mightily on the streets of Memphis. (We will have hand out cards directing people to Gospel preaching churches in the area. May they be blessed.)
- You may purchase your own tracts.
If you desire to participate in this evangelism outreach or have questions, contact Jim Shaw.
We will meet in the conference center at 4:15 pm for a brief time of intercessory prayer and then leave promptly at 4:45. If you come on your own, we will stage at the corner of Beale and BB King Blvd. You can call or text me on my cell: 205-451-5433.
Jim Shaw is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Pastor of Redeemer PCA in Brunswick, GA.