After spending a week in Chattanooga with the youth group at Harvest, I wanted to take some time to write some reflections that I had on the philosophy of evangelism. It seems that Hope for the Inner City reaches out to believers of “every tribe and language and people and nation.” New City and Hope for the Inner City both succeeded in living up to their claims. The church was thriving and many were being aided in all areas of life, and giving glory to God for it.
The highlight of the trips to Chattanooga, according to most of the high school students I talked with, was the ability to serve. There is a common struggle with selfishness that many of us are convicted with. One individual mentioned to me that she felt like a true servant down in Chattanooga, which was so contrary to how we presently live. Another girl stated that she wants to evangelize, but she did not feel that she had enough knowledge to do it. A lack of Knowledge and selfishness are two aspects that have been difficulties we are striving to overcome. Service and evangelism are important to us and essential to the Christian life. Each of these kids possesses gifts and abilities to serve the church, but often times little opportunity is available where these gifts can be used. Everyone has abilities and gifts that can be used for the furtherance of the Gospel. These gifts must be used proportionally and tangibly in ministry. Otherwise, service can quickly become discouraging and unsuccessful. We are attempting to revive ministry at Fox Croft by serving Christ in a realistic way. Ministry at Fox Croft will hopefully be sustainable and expandable to other areas of evangelism, as it will act as a training ground for fundamental elements of Gospel ministry and service.
Fox Croft has been a place near to my heart over the past few years. I remember the youth group running Bible clubs, praying, knocking on doors and handing out bread, and welcoming various members of the community to Harvest at the Elementary School. Most of the kids knew our names and the parents would often open their homes up to us. However, the move to the new building and the lack of leadership at Fox Croft Bible Clubs ended ministry there for a time. Many residents at Fox Croft were unable to walk to church and people lost contact with Harvest members. When we brought the idea up of ministering in Fox Croft again I was both excited and uncertain of what was to come. I knew how hard it was the last time and I know now that it will take work to sustain the ministry there. As we knocked on every door in the complex, we were overwhelmed by how many people we had met and how many people remembered many members of Harvest.
Brad mentioned a young man named Galau in a previous post. He immediately let us in and shared his experiences of Harvest. He talked openly about the Gospel with broken English and wished that he could have Bible studies and transportation to the new building. Another woman expressed her love for a group of girls that used to give her bread, pray, and read Scripture with her. She cherished the relationships that had been established with the youth group. The people at Fox Croft loved the work that was being done there! In light of these individuals (and many others), we desire to go back into Fox Croft, pray, run Bible clubs, teach, and serve in the name of Christ for anyone who desires to listen. We covet your prayers as we seek to go back into the community and revive a ministry that will need sustainability after the first few weeks. I already have seen excitement from the youth group to reestablish a connection that they too held dear to their hearts. As readers of this blog, encourage your children to attend events that are available and pray for open doors (quite literally) for the youth at Harvest. We want to serve and there are many opportunities available and invite others to worship along side of us for the praise of His glorious Grace.
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