|
|
|
 |
PCC page |
|
Home |
Role of the Evangelism Committee
Our role is to help people feel committed to evangelism and empowered to carry it out. We do this by providing encouragement, resources and some structure for all of us to go out into the world and carry out mission
The current Evangelism Action Group has been meeting together since being reformed in the Autumn of 2003. We have had some wonderful discussions and enjoy sharing a great enthusiasm to make things happen here at Christ Church.
Alpha
One of the real highlights has to be seeing the Alpha Course established in the life of Christ Church. Alpha is not the be all and end all but only one of many tools to help with evangelism. There is evidence that shows that those churches that commit to Alpha on an ongoing basis benefit the most. It is very rewarding for those of us who have been involved with Alpha to see new Christians coming to faith and also new people in Christ Church involved in follow up studies.
Those of us running the course have enjoyed an unexpected encouragement: the reaffirmation of our own faith, through sharing aspects of our own faith with the explorers on the course. Of course we have also enjoyed the sense of belonging that has been created over the dinners and meetings. It has been a source of rejoicing to see some of those new faces from Alpha coming into our fellowship at Christ Church.
So for those of you have missed out on sharing this experience, there is a way to be involved - just invite a friend or neighbour and come and join the next course. I can promise that you and hopefully your friend will find the experience enjoyable.
Oasis
In December 2004 the Evangelism Action group ran one of the Oasis meetings on the theme of evangelism and witness in the workplace. It was a lively and informative evening and we discussed some of the particular issues and challenges facing many of us as Christians in the workplace.
The most illuminating thing about running that event was not who turned up but who did not. We invited a number of people to come along and share their perspectives from work, positive or negative on evangelising and witnessing in the workplace. Although some were willing to come along and share their experiences, some were reluctant to do so.
I think what was coming through was a collective guilt about the ways in which many are struggling with these issues in the workplace. Many seem to assume that everyone else is doing good work, while they themselves are struggling.
So that is exactly the reason why we had picked a good topic for Oasis because those who did come along would have found out that many people at Christ Church are struggling too with issues of being a Christian witness in the workplace. Hopefully by sharing together we can all learn what frustrates but also come up with some positive views about how we can work these issues through.
Empowering
The role of the Evangelism Action Group is not to do the evangelism for our church, or to set up meetings with evangelistic speakers (although we may do some of this). It is to provide encouragement, resources and some structure for all of us to go out into the world and carry out mission. In other words to help people feel committed to evangelism and empowered to carry it out.
A number of people have owned up to being uncomfortable or nervous about evangelism or perhaps embarrassed about their lack of activity in this area. Well if that applies to you come and join the club! Most of us are struggling in some way in evangelism, as in a wider sense we are struggling to live the Christian life.
Reflecting Jesus
The good news is that we can all make an impact. If we are showing through the way we live our lives some reflection of Jesus, then we are witnessing to others. If we are a witness to our faith then we are able to evangelise because the people around us will want to find out something about our faith and our beliefs. We are all capable of telling our friends something about our beliefs. The Alpha Course, books, resource materials etc. are just tools to help us take those conversations further when we feel inadequate on our own.
Though of course we are not on our own. The Holy Spirit is there to lead people to the truth and we are simply there as a vehicle for the Spirit to work through. And of course we have prayer, something every one of us can do as a major part of mission - to pray that those people we know and come across in our daily lives will come to faith.
by Mike Parker, chair of the Evangelism Committee
This article was published in Contact Magazine,
February 2005