Art With Heart

Pickleball isn’t the only way to develop friendships. Who knew art classes and playing games could warm hearts?

Megan Garcia, who attends Mountain View Conference’s Charleston Boulevard church in West Virginia, is learning that sharing her gift of creativity comes with a lot of prayer, personal investment and waiting.

During her art classes held at the church, Garcia leads several types of projects—including a geode class. It doesn’t hurt that a four-course meal is part of the package, she says.

“There’s tons of people who come for the first time who would never set foot in a church, but it’s like a safe place,” Garcia says, noting that she is intentional about creating a positive family-style environment that is informal, yet Christ-centered.

And leading with relationships can also include a trip to the baptismal pool.

Garcia tells about a man whose unexpected path to baptism first included her art class, then attending an evangelistic series. He learned that the Adventist Church basically aligned with his beliefs, so it was a fit. Two of his other friends, attendees of the art class, also got baptized. (Read more about how God is blessing her passion for art to reach others in Mountain Viewpoint on page 20.)

“We do end with prayer. We also play Contemporary Christian music from WGTS 91.9 via Bluetooth.”

In addition, various churches supply welcome packet bags with bottles of water and pamphlets about their church, Health Ministries and other programs that the church offers.

The goal is to open that doorway to other opportunities through genuine relationships for those who are curious, Alignay says. “Hopefully this becomes a … kind of outreach, rather than just maybe a onetime campaign at someone’s door. Like all of our ministries, I think it’s all in the Lord’s hands.”

Alignay shares that a co-worker of his now attends his church from time to time as a result of playing pickleball with him. “One inspiring sermon hopefully will change one life, right? Same thing with pickleball. Hopefully, pickleball will enlighten or inspire one individual or motivate someone to continue their relationship with our church or our community and possibly become a believer.”

Essential Evangelism

Some Adventist members believe that genuine friendships can be more impactful than evangelistic meetings—especially for people or individuals who may not be interested in church or those who hold regard for the Divine, but whose beliefs may differ.

Junnie Ree Pagunsan, pastor of Potomac Conference’s Far West End church in Rockville, Va., is known as the “nicest guy on the pickleball court,” a designation he received from others who play on Richmond’s public courts.

The church’s ministry got started nearly two years ago during the height of the pandemic when people were looking for ways to connect—at a distance.

Pagunsan shows up at pickleball courts around the city to be a familiar face so “the more people know me, then the more I can relate to them, and the more they share,” he says. Eventually, he’s found himself being invited to people’s homes, sharing meals with families.

“Next thing I know, they were there in church,” he says. Situations like that blossomed out of a natural trajectory of questions while getting to know people. He mentions his past work as a chaplain, and when the circle of life paused on death and grief, he was invited to preside over a memorial service for a fellow pickleball player who succumbed to cancer.

In another case, Pagunsan says a different player, who previously voiced a belief that all religions are corrupt, attended a church Easter cantata and donated funds “supporting medical mission costs,” he says. It’s been part of the trajectory of their friendship.

Rick Johns, pastor of Potomac Conference’s Olney (Md.) church whose church hosts pickleball sessions every Sunday at the adjoining school, agrees: “I think pickleball ministry and other friendship evangelism ministries are essential to what the church does in the world today. We have to have a relationship in order to invite people to go deeper. And it’s actually how Jesus did His ministry. … But I think this is the starting point.”

Even though friendship-style evangelism is more personable than handing strangers invitations to a Revelation Seminar, there can be drawbacks too. In friendship evangelism, there’s no structure in place so that new friends can learn more about Jesus when the Good News is shared, Johns says. That’s where intentionally kicks in.

“The pros of pickleball or friendship evangelism is you get to meet people, build relationships, earn their trust,” says Johns. “They [will have] much more interest in what you have going as a church and who you are. … And I think it’s much easier for them to accept an invitation to come to any kind of seminar or anything that you’re doing at the church or even to come and worship with you.”

Johns continues, “I think we do have something that people want. And so we shouldn’t have to pressure them. We should just invite them and show them how good it is,” referencing the way Jesus worked.

No Dress Code

Part of getting together with friends and neighbors is being open to the surprises God can bring through one’s interest, hobby and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

New Hope church member Marty Chappell, a pickleball player and a fifth-grade teacher at a public school, notes, “When it comes to pickleball, it’s just a nice thing to feel like I’m not inviting [my students and neighbors] to something churchy. … It doesn’t feel like I have to say, ‘If you come, make sure you put your tie on.’ I think it’s a way to show who we are without being too preachy.”

Villanueva agrees, “Our motives are not to make sure that we’re trying to baptize people. Yeah, we would love for that to happen, but our goal is just to build a relationship with someone and get to know them.”

McCray adds, “There are so many beautiful things about the church, but [many of us] have gotten stuck