In response to our experience with Rethink Evangelism, the Witness Ministries branch of our church is implementing new steps. We purchased the DVDs of  Campolo’s presentation, and the church is playing the videos to the entire congregation in morning and afternoon sessions.
     Also, a church membership covenant renewal education and celebration will be held over the course of a few months and repeated as necessary.
     The plan involves daily prayer by committee members and others who feel led. Prayer warriors gather on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary for praise, confession and direction.
     Also, a Witness Ministries committee member is creating small cards to be placed in church pews. The cards give information on Sunday school classes and are designed to be handed out by active members to visitors and to members who aren’t currently involved in Sunday school programs.
     The ultimate goal of these efforts is to create renewal in the lives of all church members so that this energy can be seen by others and inspire them to grow closer to Jesus Christ, and to become an integral part in the life and ministry of the church.

Rev. Heather H. Leyland, Witness Ministries
Henning Memorial United Methodist Church, Sulphur

     Because Vinton lacks gathering places (coffee shops, etc.), we have started an occasional gathering at the church known as Epiphany Café. People gather to talk and share, and the community has responded well. We plan to expand these gatherings on Friday or Saturday evenings to provide “coffee house experiences” where live Christian music will be performed.
     The church is scheduling Mommy and Me scrapbook sessions in the spring, and a tea where children can invite their mom and their favorite doll or stuffed animal for tea. (to be scheduled near Mother’s Day).
     We are creating worship experiences that get us out of the pew and doing hands-on things like packing health kits.
     I have a dream of a Sunday morning of mission work. Instead of dressing in church clothes, we take our worship to the community in the form of service. We would perform mission work in the morning, returning to the church for lunch and celebration.

Rev. Kathy C. Fitzhugh
Welsh Memorial United Methodist Church

     There were around 10 people from our church that went to the Rethink Evangelism event in Alexandria last November. Everyone got excited about the information we gathered, especially regarding the power of prayer when sharing the Good News.
     Recordings of the event were sold that day, and our members purchased the two DVDs that were produced. We used the recordings during a Saturday morning mini-retreat for church members that did not have the opportunity to attend the Rethink Evangelism event in Alexandria.
     There was positive feedback from the retreat, so we decided that the Church Council would benefit from viewing the DVDs as well. Instead of having the regular meeting format where everyone presented reports, we showed the first of the two DVDs to the council. They were invited back later that week to see the second recording.
     Out of those events came the resolve to organize a day where church members will go into the neighborhoods surrounding our church to pray a blessing on the households. We’ll knock on doors and explain that we don’t want to come in; we just want to pray a blessing on them and their households. We will ask if there are any specific prayer requests, too.
     There are plans to hold the same kind of event for every member of our church, active and inactive.
     Attending the event has ignited a spark of enthusiasm for this prayer initiative and has energized a core group of church members to move forward into creative and meaningful evangelism.

Rev. Tim Lawson
St. John’s United Methodist Church
Baton Rouge

     I attended the Rethink Evangelism training with a group from my church. We all enjoyed the event very much. I was intrigued by Dr. Campolo’s comment about letting the Holy Spirit “spill out” onto those that we meet.
     I was riding my bike the next morning before church was to start. I have my regular route, and often on the route, I ride past a particular neighbor. I always greet him, but have never taken the time to introduce myself.
     On Sunday, as I passed him, I asked the neighbor how he was doing. He said “O.K”, in a “down” tone of voice. Just like every morning, I kept riding. But this time as I looped around, I kept feeling that I needed to go back and speak to him.
     I rode back around to the neighbor, who was still standing in front of his house with his cup of coffee. I stopped, introduced myself, and asked if I could do anything to make his day be more than just “O.K.”
     It was as if the floodgates opened. The man told me that he had recently lost his wife of 16 years, and his mother had died only four years ago. “I was inside the house, just now, talking to their pictures like a crazy man,” he said, obviously in a lot of pain. “Sometimes I do that to deal with the lonliness.”
     I asked him if I could pray with him, and he said yes. In the prayer, I asked God to comfort my neighbor and to bless his home. The man seemed genuinely grateful and in better spirits.
     I’ll be able to stop and speak to my neighbor from now on. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long-standing relationship.

John H., St. Francisville

     Quite frankly, when I was invited to attend the Rethink Evangelism event, I wasn’t too excited about going. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear about the latest, greatest new program out there.
But when Dr. Campolo began talking about the prayer practices of Ignatius, I was astonished and thrilled. He reminded me of something that I had let taper off in my life, and that I needed to reclaim.
     Getting back to “centering” prayer has been very beneficial for me. During my prayers, I was reminded of a young relative that I had been meaning to meet with. She mentioned to me once that she needed to talk to me and find out about all “that God and Jesus stuff.” We never got around to the conversation.
     The two of us recently had lunch and finally had that conversation. She is a thinker, and needs time and encouragement for her journey. I recommended that she use Beginnings: An Introduction to Christian Faith (Abingdon Press) as a basis for her studies.
     I plan to be her encourager for every step of the journey.

R. H.