Notes from Sam

"What Has God Done for You Lately?"

"Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence." 1 Peter 3:15-16

Most of you know that I was away for a week in mid-June. I was in Atlanta for the Presbyterians' "Big Tent" conference. Ten annual conferences in one convention center made for good networking and allowed mixing workshops across conferences. While I was there, I stayed with my parents and had a visit at home.

I chose to focus my time on the Evangelism Conference. I had never been to an evangelism event before. Most Presbyterians seem uneasy with the "e-word." We don't want to be pushy. We don't want to be like door-to-door religion salespeople. Maybe we're even afraid to appear too enthusiastic. We tend to treat our faith as a private matter. "What are we missing?" I wondered.

The speakers sought to inspire us, give us ideas. They talked about styles of evangelism, strategies for starting small, reasons to do evangelism and ways to measure success. They encouraged us to pray. As I reflected on what I was learning, the admonition from the First Letter of Peter came to mind. How would you answer the question, "What has God done for you lately?" What if someone asked you why you are a Christian, why you worship on Sunday, why you are part of a community of faith? What would you say? How would you give an account of the "hope that is in you"?

Some Christians use the word "testimony" to refer to how people share their experience of God. That word might scare us too. But in various informal settings recently I have heard members of this church tell stories about the strength they draw from being part of this congregation, how others include and support them. I've heard you talk about the blessing and inspiration you receive from the worship and music we share. You value the fellowship and spiritual nurture you find here. You're not here by random chance. Something drew you here. You chose to come back.

You've found something worth your time. I hope it's good enough news that you want to share it with someone.

The word "evangelism" comes from a Greek word, euangelion, which means "good news". I wonder if what we Presbyterians need to do is to reclaim the concept of good news, or of being good angels with messages to share from God. We can do it in a variety of ways that have nothing to with the kind of evangelism we don't like. We share good news in worship, informal conversations, through community service, in caring for neighbors.

Think about it. What's God done for you lately? What are you grateful for? What's good enough to share? I hope you won't keep it a secret.

Pastor Sam