The campaign trail is designed to share news about our travel experiences. We learn a lot from our sister congregations as we meet with their elders, eat in their homes, and talk with the members before and after each lesson. It is one of the greatest blessings of our work and one we like to share with our readers. You may read about your congregation or about something we learned during our visit together.
Is it possible that congregations of our Lord are beginning to awaken after an evangelistic slumber of nearly two generations? It may be too early to say definitively, but if the responses we are witnessing from congregations where we are conducting these seminars is any indication, good things are on the horizon. There seems to be a greater interest in good old-fashioned Bible studies than I have ever seen before. I hope the following will give you a small glimpse into what we are witnessing!
The month of February took us to the great state of Virginia. Two congregations hosted a Personal Evangelism Seminar/Campaign and dozens more attended. Our first stop was in Lynchburg, were Mike Glenn serves as their preacher. We did the full campaign, which includes a total of nine lessons. The congregation responded with amazing zeal. After the last amen of the last prayer, an elder walked forward and asked the congregation to meet in the fellowship hall. As we later walked into that room, it was full of Christians passing around cards to begin the Compassion Card program. This work is designed to create contacts for personal Bible studies and has proven to be very effective.
It was truly amazing! We could not wait to receive our one-month report to see how it was working. Below is what Chris Donavant, one of their deacons, sent us.
“Hey brother, I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner, I’ve just been busy as a beaver chewing wood. Thought I’d send you this message, but we’ve got a study going with one lady from the card writing, and two more that are serious prospects (you know the kind, the ones that you get the feeling on”).
Our second trip took us to the Timberville church of Christ, where Elliot Asbury serves as preacher. When we walked in the door, we could immediately see an evangelistic emphasis. A table sat just outside the auditorium full of evangelistic materials and Back to the Bible studies. This might seem an unusual observation, but it is rare to find a congregation that has evangelism materials openly available for church members to utilize. Normally, if a congregation has any at all, it is buried in the preacher’s office or a cabinet in a closet. Brethren, we cannot expect church members to conduct Bible studies if the tools are not available.
The interest level during this seminar was very high. In fact, during the application session (a round table discussion with elders and church leaders where we present a plan to refocus the congregation on evangelism), so many attended that we literally ran out of room and materials.
Recently I heard from Glenn Fann, a member of the Mid-Way congregation where we conducted a Personal Evangelism Campaign almost two years ago. He said his father, Freddie Fann, a non-Christian, had attended, and was challenged by what he learned. In April (2019) he told Glenn, “I keep thinking about those lessons I learned from Back to the Bible, and it is time for me to be baptized.” God’s Word never stops working, and we should never give up or lose hope.
House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism is working! We ask for your prayers that our Father will light an evangelistic fire in churches of Christ all across America. You can visit our website and see our schedule by going to evangelism.housetohouse.com/
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