Evangelism

In this month's issue, the Rev. Mary Hileman points to a simple and difficult truth regarding the big "E" word: as Christians, it is everything we do. Or can be. Our very lives are called to be the sharing of the Good News, and like all people, college students and young adults are in need of more good news.

Join this month's authors in struggling to redefine and reimagine a word and a ministry that has been long held captive by certain subsets of Christians, both in the media and in our own imaginations. It can often be difficult for young adults to imagine sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in a pluralistic world, especially when the tactics most often represented in the media fail to respect the beliefs of others or offer the inclusivity of the Episcopal tradition.

How can you help the students and young adults you work with to imagine new ways to actively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How can you help them to both authentically represent their faith as well as create safe spaces for relationship and dialogue?

We thank each of you for your powerful work of evangelism in and through your many ministries. Your presence and your hard work open the doors ever wider and speak the welcome ever more loudly to the young adults of your communities. We give thanks for you this Advent! A blessed winter break for our chaplains and joyful celebrations to all!

Paz y fuego,

Douglas, Jason & Miguelina

Evangelism: More Questions than Answers. That’s the Point.
The Rev. Stacy Alan, University of Chicago

Over the past few months, I’ve been having many conversations about faith and spirituality with a Jewish student.  We have talked at length about prayer and spiritual struggles; he has attended Episcopal services and heard me preach; we have reflected on the challenges of inclusive liturgy and language.  At no point do I imagine that this student will convert and become a Christian, but I’m also convinced that what we are engaging in is evangelism..... >>>

Come and See
The Rev. Mary Hileman, Oklahoma State University

"Come and See" is the most common phrase that both the students and I use to invite people to come to the Canterbury Center at Oklahoma State University. St. Augustine Canterbury Center is located in a store front on the southeast corner of campus. The traditional red door with the Episcopal Shield .... >>>

Making the Old, New Again
Daron Taylor, Diocese of South Carolina

I love the story of Elijah in I Kings 17.  God met with Elijah and told him to “go.”  He sent him away from what was familiar to a land he had not yet been, to a people he had not yet met, to speak a message of hope they had not yet heard. He had no experience and very few resources.  I have to believe Elijah had moments of feeling like a misfit and even questioning whether God had the right guy for the job... >>>

If you want to go far, go together
The Rev. Arrington Chambliss & Jason Long, Diocese of Massachusetts

Over the past ten months, I have learned the most about evangelism at Starbucks, and in a bar in Allston.  Evangelism is not about converting people. It is not about proclaiming “sinner be saved” or even about proclaiming from a street corner.  Evangelism is about relationships... >>>

The Big "E" Word
The Rev. Tom Brackett, Program Officer for New Ministry Development and Ministry Redevelopment at the Episcopal Church Center

Most of us are aware that there is a growing concern to “evangelize the Unchurched” for the sake of congregational growth. Lately, when I’ve heard that juxtaposition of terms (evangelize + un-churched), I’ve had to suppress a laugh, mostly because my mind conjures scenarios where my "unchurched" (and deeply spiritual) friends respond to such a proposition..... >>>