Thursday, October 11, 2007

Elevate Youth Group Hits the Street!

Last night Pastor John Crump took the Senior High youth to Clay Terrace so we could try our hand at street evangelism. On the way there I heard breathless comments in the back of the van, "I'm so nervous." "I'm so afraid - I think I might pass out!" We tried to encourage them and remind them to just be themselves and let Jesus be the One to convince people of their need for Him.

It was a chilly evening so there weren't quite as many people out and about, but we each got a chance to walk up to somebody and try to strike up a conversation about our Savior. What a blessing! To be honest, I was petrified, but I had a little group under my care so that propelled me to just jump in and go for it. I nabbed a couple of junior high boys in hoodies. I wanted to be a good example, and in the process God showed me how easy it was to just talk to someone and share what Jesus means to me. John Crump and Bryant Hunt had a nice, long talk with a couple of guys, one of whom claimed to be agnostic but was open to hear what they said about Jesus.

The high point of the night for me was to see Collin, the newest Christian in the bunch, talking to three friends of his from school that happened to walk by. There they stood: lip piercings, pants sagging, and there Collin stood - sharing about Jesus. We all high-fived him and gave him hugs afterward. We told him he did the hardest job of us all by talking to people he knew! He said to me afterward, "I bet they'll throw those little books away. I bet they'll never come to church." I told him He might be surprised. God works in awesome, unexpected ways and what he did that night could have planted a seed that will sprout later to bring them to God. I reminded him about the member of the rock group, Korn, who became a believer - much to the surprise of his fans. I told him how countless people who proclaimed to be atheists, witches, agnostics, or otherwise when given the opportunity to consider Jesus and the Bible, have realized the truth and given their lives to Him. (Lee Stroebel, for example - we've been learning from his book "The Case for Christ" lately)

It was a joy to spend the evening with these beautiful, teenage people. I love them. I'm so proud of them for giving it a try, in spite of the butterflies in their stomachs and people sometimes turning them away. I'm thankful Pastor John took us out there and prodded us to give it a try.

"God, be glorified in our little effort last night. Be glorified in the lives of these wonderful young people you're teaching to be set apart and to stand for you. Be near to Mike, Collin's friend. Speak to his heart and let Him know that You're real and You love him. To YOU be all the praise!"

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes... Romans 1:16 NLT
Posted by Mimi K.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It is such a blessing to see students sharing they're faith! Thanks for posting this Mimi. I give a round of applause to all the youth who risked rejection and embarrassment to share the love of Christ with others!