 |
ShareHim welcomes you to our first newsletter in the year 2009. Our heart-felt desire is to continue to empower and encourage every member of the church to live a lifestyle of evangelism. We call this lifestyle “Evangeliving”. As a church, we have been given a special mission. We have been asked to stand and proclaim the last warning message to the world as found in the Three Angels’ Message. It is time for every member of Christ’s body to be proactively involved in sharing this message of warning and hope so that we can accomplish our mission.
ShareHim, following the counsel of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, encourages the formation of Outreach Leadership Teams (OLTs) which can provide the mutual support necessary for a lifestyle of evangelism. Through this newsletter, we also want to help you and your team by sharing ideas and encouragement on how to live for His kingdom. Please contact us at with any news or hints or testimonies so that others can be inspired by what you are doing to share Him in your community. |
THE NEWS: 2009 Lay Evangelism Festival | Hear ye, hear ye! Our third annual Lay Evangelism Festival will be held on the campus of Atlantic Union College from April 9-11. This Lay Evangelism Festival, like those in the past, is a true festival celebrating how God has rewarded the efforts of those willing to be proactively involved in His Great Commission. Over 25 seminars will be offered in both English and Spanish, plus there will be dozens of inspiring and motivating testimonies from men and women who are active in a lifestyle of evangelism. This year’s Lay Evangelism Festival has a wonderful lineup of speakers. Keynote speakers this year include Elder Mark Finley, a Vice-President for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; Elder Robert Folkenberg Jr., Associate Director of ShareHim; and Elder Derek Morris, Senior Pastor of the Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church and author of the inspiring book, The Radical Prayer. Registration for this exciting weekend is totally free. Click here to register today and choose the seminars that you would like to attend. |
THE IDEAS:
Feel Fine in '09
(Part 1) | The Smith Mountain Lake SDA Church in rural Virginia is small with an active membership of only 35-40. The average age of its membership is well over 60. They do not even own their own church and are meeting in a rented room of a local community center. Nonetheless, the Outreach Leadership Team of this church is responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and has invited the community to be a part of their church. “Feel Fine in ‘09”. “Feel Great in ‘08”. “Bedford’s Biggest Loser”. These fun and creative titles are a representation of what this group of believers has used to attract and hold the interest of people in their community. This year’s program started Monday, January 5, 2009 and will continue meeting every Monday through February. Unofficial reports state that 35-40 non-Adventists are regularly attending the weekly programs. Members are amazed at the turn-out. • How did this church connect with the community?
• What are they doing every Monday night for 2 months?
• What will be the results of this “Feel Fine in ’09" program”? Be sure to read the March issue of this newsletter for a full report of what happened during this two-month program. Let’s all pray that the Holy Spirit will work in a mighty way so that relationships for eternity will be formed! By the way, if you would like to read an article featured in the local paper announcing "Feel Fine in 09", click here.
|
THE TESTIMONY:
I Will Do This Again! | You want me to travel three thousand miles to do what? What’s a ShareHim seminar anyway? These were questions I asked my good friend, Pastor Jimmy Buchannan and his wife Elaine. Jimmy and Elaine were friends of mine from Oregon that had recently accepted a call to pastor two small churches in West Virginia. I had called them one night and, as usual, they put me on speaker phone so all three of us could chat. Elaine suggested that I go to their church and preach in a ShareHim seminar, and Jimmy quickly agreed. I thought they were joking, but soon realized that they were being serious. After Jimmy answered my initial questions about ShareHim, I hesitantly told him that I would have to pray about it. Jimmy answered, “You go ahead and pray about it, but you already know God wants you to do it.” Jimmy was right. God opened all the doors. I asked a good friend, Chris Keene, to be a co-speaker and he accepted. Amazingly, friends from our church in Oregon donated plane tickets and over $2000 for advertising and expenses. There seemed to be one miracle after another throughout the whole trip. On Saturday evening, after the sermon on baptism, I made an altar call and out of maybe a dozen people that attended, five came forward to dedicate their lives to Christ. I can not begin to describe the feeling. Now, after two ShareHim campaigns, I have found that this is one of the most spiritually rewarding things I have ever done. I have learned to give an answer for my faith. I have felt the Holy Spirit and watched Him work with my own two eyes. I will do this again! Jim Reynolds, |
THE TEAM:
I'm Still on a Team | I grew up going to public schools and being a part of a team was just a way of life. I was on the football team, cross country team, track team, and the wrestling team - my favorite of all. Despite the differences in these sports, each team had basic similarities. Each team set a goal, had purpose, shared values, and concern for one another. Each team spent hours practicing and working together to strengthen muscles and improve techniques. Why? So we would be prepared to work as a single unit and accomplish our goals! Though no longer involved in competitive sports, I still use the skills I developed, but in a greater way. Over a year ago our church partnered with ShareHim to form Outreach Leadership Teams. Our Sabbath School class was interested in the idea so we divided into two teams. We, like all great teams, had a clear and common goal - to bring folks to a deeper, more committed relationship with Jesus Christ. We prayed, worked, organized and rejoiced as we held our first homeland campaigns. The Lord blessed our team efforts. Our Sabbath School class grew closer and our desire to serve Jesus continued to grow. Then, with the support of our local church and conference, we reached our goal of planting a church in an area of Chattanooga where there was no Adventist presence. We still believe in teamwork and are going door to door, giving Bible studies, planning a health expo and preparing for an evangelistic “reaping” meeting. Just as Christ formed a team to work with Him during His earthly ministry, He continues to look for dedicated men and women to be a part of a team, His team. May the Lord bless and lead your efforts as you seek to more fully serve Him. Jay Anders, . |
| ANNOUNCEMENT: ShareHim is compiling stories of lay women and men in action for God. These stories may have taken place at home or abroad. If you have a story to tell about your international campaign and have another story to tell about how God used you here at home, we want both of those stories. Of course, pictures make stories come alive so please send your stories and pictures (unedited, high resolution) to: Don't hesitate to contact us with any comments or suggestions. We welcome your testimonies and any ideas for witnessing that are working for you and your Outreach Leadership Team. Sincerely, The ShareHim Team ShareHim | 5207 Silver Lane | Apison | TN | 37302 | USA |
|
| | | The Challenge | But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Mt. 6:33 |
 | | The Quiet Hour | | Partners in Evangelism |
|
|
