A Sign of Life
New babies characteristically let out a cry when they're born, a welcome sign of life. How do spiritual newborns greet their new life?
In Wenatchee, Washington, it's also with their lungs.
Evangelism teams from the Free Methodist church are trained to ask a specific question whenever a person commits himself to Christ: "Who do you know in town that you'd like to tell about this decision right now?" The member guides the new believer to phone a Christian friend on the spot. If he doesn't know one, he calls one of the pastors to explain what he's just done.
"We're convinced the new Christian needs to go public immediately to confirm the decision," says Pastor George Delamarter (since relocated to Salem, Oregon). "We make sure, though, that the person called is someone who understand the significance and supports the decision."
The phone calls are just a small part of the church's active evangelistic thrust.
"About a third of our people" (700 on Sunday morning) "are new Christians," says Delamarter. Almost all of those are a result of the Tuesday night visitation.
Teams of two call on church visitors and people whose names are listed with Welcome Wagon. The initial visit is a casual get-acquainted conversation, but the team asks if the hosts would be interested in a brief Bible study on how a person can get to heaven. If the response is positive, a follow-up session is scheduled in their home the next week.
"Of the people who have gone through the Bible study, 80 percent have accepted Christ," says Delamarter. "That's 200 people in the last year, and 35 percent of those have joined the church."
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