Evangelize is a verb

Lutheran, The, Aug 2003 by Christenson, Kathryn

The key is not a grand plan but to be Christ for others

The church universal has marvelous opportunities for mission, brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems," says Suzan Parley, pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church, Newtown, Pa., serving rural Bucks County in the Philadelphia-New York City corridor. Evangelizing, she says, finds its bearings by listening to your neighbors' needs.

Volunteers from Ascension were helping renovate a parish hall in inner-city Philadelphia when they noticed African American boys and young men hanging out on the street. Parishioner Fred Seabright grabbed a football from his car and walked to a park, calling down the block, "Anyone want to play catch?"

From that spontaneous beginning, men and young adults from Ascension now spend five hours every Saturday with between 30 and 60 African American and Latino teenage boys in Hunting Park, a Philadelphia neighborhood marked by poverty, addiction and abuse. They play seasonal sports, share a meal and join in conversation, prayer and Bible study. "Christ's Coach" is now Seabright's affectionate nickname.

"These boys have an urgent and pressing need for the love of God expressed through human beings," Farley says. In Ascension's drive for a new church, "God turned our people's hearts from a focus on a building to the goal of building the body of Christ. To be the church, we must be out of the building more than in it," she adds.

In contrast, Atonement Lutheran, Staten Island, N.Y., is evangelizing by opening its church to non-English speaking congregations in need of worship space. Phone Atonement and a voice message announces English worship Sundays at 10:45 a.m., African worship at 1 p.m. and Russian worship at 3:15. A Spanish-speaking congregation worshiped at Atonement until relocating recently, and Atonement hopes to expand into Hispanic ministry.

"We care about each other, and we've drawn new people," says Faith Ballenger, pastor. "We've become very close to the Liberians and the Ukrainians. We try to do fellowship together, and we've learned to cross boundaries. It has to be the work of the Spirit.

"Our congregation has changed dramatically. We've had several joint worship services where we were all singing the same song in different languages. At our own services now the style is [Lutheran Book of Worship] with drums and gospel."

Atonement and its cross-cultural groups are separate but cooperative, with the visitors paying what they can.

It's about community

Evangelizing seems to grow naturally from the relative isolation of the Lutheran Church of Sunburst (Mont). Sunburst rests in the high prairie between the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the Sweet Grass Hills, sacred to Native Americans. "Because I'm the only residential pastor in town, I'm often asked to conduct funerals, weddings and baptisms for people who are unchurched," says Patricia Callaghan, pastor. "It's one of our ways of letting people know that we care about the community here."

"I would recommend not worrying about numbers. Just minister to the community as a whole with compassion and hospitality, especially to the children, in concert with any other denominations in the vicinity."

Sunburst's Sunday school welcomes children of non-members. An ecumenical vacation Bible school draws children from area congregations and from un-churched families. By fall 2003, Sunburst hopes to open its dining room to hot noon meals for senior citizens, filling another need in the town and rural area.

And small groups

At Our Savior Lutheran Church, Salem, Ore., 24 small groups are the key to evangelizing. "More congregations should be considering a major, long-term effort at establishing a congregation-wide, lay-led small group ministry," says Don Brandt, pastor. "We have found that it gives us a framework for approaching new people. We are constantly asking, 'What new group needs to be launched to minister to people not yet involved?' "

Some groups study a topic or book of the Bible. Some cross generations while others are specific to a stage in life-singles, parents of young children or retirees. Groups meet weekly or every other week.

In each group, "prayer time is important," Brandt says. "One of our goals is that each member will feel comfortable offering a prayer. Our lay leaders are revitalized and experience spiritual growth. When a member has a life crisis, the leader becomes a caregiver. It's a totally different experience from serving on a committee."

Small-group ministry is also a facet of evangelizing at St. John Lutheran, Dundee, Mich., named the 2001 Fastest Growing Rural/Small Town Church in the ELCA. Weekly attendance jumped from 156 to more than 300 in four years. "I've been overwhelmed by the way the Spirit has worked in this , place," says Angela Zimmann, pastor. Dundee is 17 miles south of Ann Arbor, Mich., and 17 miles north of Toledo, Ohio.

Last year, St. John's evangelism team led "The Awakening," a four-da; event to renew the commitment to ser vice and to jump-start the formation of small groups. Various worship styles were featured, including evangelistic preaching, music and drama.