Be very specific in your encounters with people, and utilize the “Three P” process below:
P- PERSONAL: The servant evangelism encounters must be personal, face-to-face encounters done within this eight-week term.
P- PRACTICAL/PHYSICAL: In each of the encounters you must meet the physical needs of another individual. Even though prayer and Bible study are essential to the Christian life and growth, these are unacceptable forms of servant evangelism and do not meet the requirements of this assignment. This assignment is for you to meet the physical needs of another individual with the hopes of bridging the conversation and service to the Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:14-20).
P- PENNILESS: In each of the servant evangelism encounters you may not receive money for your work. This must be a free service to those you are serving.
25-September-2011
Background:
This has been a very timely endeavor and assignment for our family. Before I realized that this was going to pop up in this module, my wife and I were discussing and developing a strategy for reaching out to our neighbors. Even part of the homeschool curriculum that we’re using, My Father’s World, was challenging us to reach out to those around us.
Our neighborhood is largely made up of retired couples who are nearing (and some in the late-) winter seasons of their lives. Their families visit occasionally, but not too often. Very real challenges are present with our family’s current calendar and my nearly 1 hour commute home in the evenings. How and when could we setup face to face encounters that didn’t come off as door-to-door “checklist” outreach?
Strategy:
So, Landis recently changed its garbage and recycling pickup schedules. An opportunity begins to emerge...for the 10+ years we’ve lived here, we’ve enjoyed backyard pickup for our garbage. That changed a couple of months ago. Now, like the rest of the world, we have to wheel the big cans to the curb for pickup and retrieve when done.
As a family, we decided that we would start a game. Just as soon as my wife and kids could, they were going to try to roll everyone’s trash can back to their house (everyone = 4 houses in our immediate proximity) before the neighbors had a chance to do it. As the trashcans magically begin to appear, we’re anticipating a conversation.
We haven’t been caught yet, but here’s a very realistic expectation of dialog that we’re are hoping for...after we’re caught
Neighbor: “Why are you doing this?”
Us: “Because we love you...and we are looking for ways to show the love and kindness of Jesus in our neighborhood.”
N: “that’s nice.”
Us: “I know we’ve been neighbors for awhile, but I was wondering...who is Jesus Christ to you?”
Following a great example of “Sharing Jesus Without Fear” (p254 quoting Bill Fay’s book).
We know that many of our neighbors attend churches around our community...but that’s about it. They know that our family is involved in local and international ministry and that we care about them...but that’s about it...and that’s not enough!
Summary:
The approach is personal - it directly impacts people that are close to us in proximity. It’s practical and physical (I won’t make my wife and kids do all the work...) - it helps alleviate an inconvenience for them. It is penniless - just adds a few minutes to something we’re already doing every week.
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