Share
 

Issue: 4
February/2009

ShareHim Logo
Evangeliving
ShareHim desires to continue to encourage and enable and equip every member of the church to live a lifestyle of evangelism.  Why?  Because each of us has a responsibility to proclaim the Three Angel's Message.  We call this lifestyle, “Evangeliving”.  We hope that this newsletter motivates and enables you to share Him in both great and small ways.    

Just a reminder:  You are invited to attend a special festival, Lay Evangelism Festival, April 9-11, 2009.  We will celebrate what God has done through laypeople, provide training through a variety of seminars, and be inspired by speakers Mark Finley, Derreck Morris and Robert Folkenberg Jr.  For more information on our 3rd Lay Evangelism Festival click here.

As always, please feel free to contact us at with any news or hints or testimonies so that others can be inspired by what you are doing to deliberately live a lifestyle of evangelism.
 
THE NEWS:  
Mission-Driven in Hawaii 

Ralph S. Watts IIIAs president of the Hawaii Conference I am excited to report there is a passionate sense of urgency among our people as this planet gasps its last breath. Jesus is Coming Soon! “Behold, I am coming quickly”, Jesus of the apocalypse declares! We live in momentous times and what an opportunity to passionately and persistently pursue the purpose and mission God has given us right here in the Hawaiian Islands.

The reality is that evangelism is taking on a new face in the Hawaii Conference. Lay members, instead of only heading to a foreign country to hold evangelistic meetings, are now planning meetings for their own communities.

With this renewed passion and commitment for evangelism, here are some of the goals our churches focus on:

• Develop plans for reaching the lost (our mission)
• Organize evangelism outreach teams
• Recruit/Train/Mobilize members
• Develop a lifestyle of evangelism (sowing, reaping, retaining)
• Conduct at least one reaping campaign in each church

To help realize these goals the Hawaii Conference has entered into an exciting partnership with ShareHim, a supporting ministry specializing in providing training and tools for lay people and pastors to conduct evangelistic reaping events. ShareHim is directed by Robert Folkenberg Sr. This partnership fits perfectly with our Hawaii Conference emphasis on creating a culture of evangelism. 

Instead of viewing evangelism as an event that occasionally occurs on the local church calendar we are now seeing and experiencing evangelism as a lifestyle for the local congregation—a continual process of sowing, reaping and retaining. Simply put, a lifestyle of evangelism! The goal is to provide a safe place for people to come to know Jesus, embrace the Seventh-day Adventist message, and grow to become disciples who, in turn, share Jesus and the Adventist message with others.

Click here to read the rest of this article...

Ralph S. Watts III
President
Hawaii Conference

 

THE IDEAS:  
"Ordinary People..."
Over 100 people attended the first ShareHim rally at the McDonald Road SDA Church in McDonald, Tennessee. Seven outreach leadership teams were formed and each group committed to conduct an evangelistic crusade within 6 months. All of the teams scheduled regular meetings to plan strategies for sowing.
 
One group decided to think “Big” by renting a chapel that could seat 150. The facility located in downtown Chattanooga was a blessing from God and was obtained for very little cost. The only obstacle left was spreading the word to the community so that people would come. 

Four of the 26 members in the group volunteered to be speakers. If there was ever a “good problem,” this was it. Instead of narrowing it down to one lone speaker for 19 meetings, the group decided to share the responsibilities with all four laymen. The sermon topics were divided amongst the four speakers so that every night the audience would see a different speaker give the message. 

A suggestion was given to create a flyer for distribution throughout nearby neighborhoods. But how could they make a flyer that would be appealing and grab one’s attention right away? Two of the speakers were registered nurses who worked at a local hospital and the other two were employed by insurance companies. The speakers agreed to dress in their normal work attire for their picture posted on the flyer and to title the flyer, “Ordinary People with an Extraordinary Message”. 

If you would like to see a copy of both sides of the flyer, click here
.

By Tom McDonald
 

THE TESTIMONY:  
If God Calls Me to do it again...
On our opening night in Fayetteville, NC, several guests arrived to hear our first sermon, "The Strange Man of Mud and Metal". Not only had I never preached before, but I had a fear of public speaking. The Holy Spirit supplied what I lacked on my own and once I began preaching, the time quickly passed. Before I knew it, I was done with the first sermon. The series went great, every night God worked in a mighty way, and when it ended we had 3 baptisms.

We took Mondays and Thursdays off, so the series lasted a full three weeks. God abundantly blessed not only me, but the people that came each night. Two of the three were re-baptized, and one of these two gave up a smoking habit that had consumed 32 years of her life. Now, months since God gave her the victory, she says that she can hardly remember life as a smoker. What an awesome God we serve!

The other woman who was re-baptized was married to a quiet reserved man. She and I prayed intently for her husband because we were not sure how he felt toward the Lord. Finally, even though he didn’t know how to read, he checked the appeal card indicating that he wanted to give his life to Jesus. When I visited with him in his home he told me that because he had had a massive heart attack and on-going health concerns, he was afraid of dying. Scared, he reached out for Jesus and fell in love with Him. The change in him was amazing. He began to smile, hold hands with his wife, and became active in our Friday night Bible study group. 

Preaching at those meetings was an incredible experience, and if God calls me to do it again I would say “YES” in a second!


Zachary McFadden
 

THE TEAM:
Small Group - Big God
Our Sabbath School class formed two Outreach Leadership Teams and set dates for our first "reaping" meetings.  We experienced the joy of preaching our message while realizing a deepening desire to connect with those who need to hear our truths.  We felt more convicted than ever to plant a church in East Ridge, TN. This was no small task and required a significant investment of time, energy and prayer. 

Our mission, from the beginning, has been to find, minister to, and love the lost in our area. It's been like going to a distant country for a mission trip. Our thoughts and plans have become focused on bringing others to Jesus, so we have sought Him like never before. And, of course, we see Him answering prayers like never before.

We focused our outreach efforts on the East Ridge area because there was no Adventist church presence there. Bible study interest cards were sent out and a group of our homeschoolers canvassed the area. As a result, many Bible study interests were generated. At last count, almost 300! Praise God we now have many on-going Bible studies as a result!

Our goal is to hold a series of evangelistic meetings in the fall. In preparation for this important, spiritual event, we are conducting a variety of classes and seminars geared toward ministering to the needs of this community. These include a weekend Health Expo, a three-night cooking school, a depression recovery seminar, a weekend seminar called "The Bible and Your Health", and a prophecy series. We find that going door-to-door in the community, passing out fliers for upcoming events and just meeting the people, is creating a bond between us and our new East Ridge neighbors.

God is showing us how to put into practice the ShareHim motto of "evangeliving". For there to be eternal benefits, evangelism must be more than an event. It must be our daily practice. And the goal is not just to help people live a few years longer on this earth, but rather to help them live for Eternity in the earth made new. May this be our vision until He comes!


Phyllis Smith
 
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
In This Issue
Mission- Driven in Hawaii
"Ordinary People..."
If God Calls me to do this again...
Small Group - Big God
 
Links
 
 
 
 
The Challenge

But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Hebrews 13:16

 
 
 
 
The Quiet Hour Logo
The Quiet Hour
Partners in Evangelism