Thoughts on Lakeshore Ministry

This morning I joined one of the ministry teams on their morning adventures. It truly is an adventure, as they never know what kind of neighborhood they'll be in or what kind of reception they will receive. One thing that struck me was the emphasis on reaching out to people and just trying to meet their needs. There must be a balance between urgency and patience, as Pastor John reminded us. Urgency in that the souls of people are at stake, and we know not when the Lord may come, but patience in that God has been building His church for thousands of years, and whatever He ordains will come to pass. Many people in this area have experienced deep pain and suffering, they have lost loved ones, lost their homes and all they have known, they might be afraid or angry because of what they've gone through, and so as Christians we need to be there for them. If they are lonely, they need someone who will be there to listen and sympathize. If they are afraid, they need to be comforted. And instead of focusing on handing out a million Gospel tracks or knocking on a certain number of doors, the emphasis is on building relationships with people because "hit and run" evangelism typically doesn't work. It takes time. Patience. Willingness to be flexible and do what God wants rather than following our agenda. And so I appreciated this approach to witnessing because it is about reaching human beings made in the image of God, not just addresses to check off on a list. It was a great experience, definitely something outside my comfort zone, but very rewarding nonetheless.