Author: Pastor Steve Duffy
Currently, the first student that arrives on Wednesday night thinks of a “check-in” question to write on the board. Then those who arrive after write down their answers. This week the question was “What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?”. There were a variety answers that students provided describing their initial steps to “get ready” or prepare for the day. What about preparing to connect with those outside of our church family with the hope of engaging them in a spiritual conversation? What might be involved in the charge to “get ready”?
First, pray! Consider Paul’s words from Colossians 4:2-4, where he states:
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”
This seems like an obvious answer, but we all need this reminder. A few weeks back students voted to go to a place in July near our church building where people gather in the summer and consider how God might use us to connect with people who are there. Cherry Hill park was one of those places. So this past week we walked to the park, around the park, and then back. Not just any walk, but a guided prayer walk with a few stops to note observations and thoughts. In addition, while walking, we also shared the names of a few in our sphere of influence who do not know Jesus. We shared how we know them and where we are at engaging them in a spiritual conversation. We laid a foundation of prayer and will continue praying in a similar way in the coming weeks through July.
Next, serve! With prayer as a starting point, the students not only came up with a location but also ways to be a benefit to the city and serve the people that are gathered there. Some ideas that we’ll try in the coming weeks include:
- Picking up trash on the way to the park and at the park
- Providing cold drinks/treats for those at the park
And, speak! Serving is not the end goal, but a means to connect with the park attendees. So as the Lord gives us an opportunity to speak to others we’ll take it. A few things we have in mind:
- Engaging park attendees to ask if we can pray for/with them
- Share the gospel of Christ if the Lord brings the conversation to that point
These are just a few of the ideas that students came up with. Our prayer as we move through July is that the Lord will use our time to move students (and leaders!) out of their comfort zone through praying, serving, and sharing.
Paul continues Colossians 4 with these words in verses 5-6:
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
We are trusting the Lord to work in and through us with our time at Cherry Hill park!
