Partnership Highlight

BLACKBERRY JAM

WITH (GOSPEL) SEEDS

JOCELYN ANDERSON is the interim director of development. Jocelyn coordinates all the Partnership events each year and enjoys connecting with donors. E vangelism is a long word that simply means to tell someone about Jesus. It Is Written supporters do that every day through the resources and television programing they make possible.

But they do even more than that. It often takes another human being to make the connection between head knowledge and a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And our supporters do that in their careers, schools, and neighborhoods.

The check supporters write every month to make Bible studies or television programs possible is only as effective as the relationship they have with their next door neighbor or the greeter at the local Walmart. And it’s those connections that tie the It Is Written resources with the heart and reap eternal rewards.

Let me tell you about Ed and Kathy Reid. After working for the church for many years, Ed and Kathy retired to Kathy’s original homestead in east Tennessee. They could have considered their evangelism work completed, but according to Kathy, “We’re busier than ever!” She explained, “I grew up with many of my neighbors, so when we came back, connections were easy to renew.”

Their new home gave them a new mission field. Each Christmas, for several years, Ed and Kathy delivered treats and a spiritual magazine to their 20 neighbors—some new, some who they had known for years. “We tried to pick local gifts like honey to help with allergies, or homemade blackberry jam if the season had been good,” Kathy said. The seeds they were planting were about to get watered.

In the beginning of 2020, Ed and Kathy began the It Is Written CREATION Life Study Guides with their community. Then COVID-19 hit. “We immediately transitioned and mailed each lesson, one at a time, to everyone who had signed up,” Kathy explained. When It Is Written released the virtual series Take Charge of Your Health in summer 2020, the Reids made fliers and gave them to all their neighbors. Their previous Christmas treats and magazines had made an impact, and neighbors began watching.

At Christmas, the neighbors received a health magazine from Ed and Kathy. They began hearing positive feedback about recipes their neighbors were trying from the magazine. When It Is Written launched Next Level Health in March 2021, it was easy to invite the neighborhood again. “Pastor Bradshaw was a familiar face to our neighbors now,” Kathy explained. “We just had to let them know he was back with a new series.”

Those neighbors know where to come for a tasty, healthy recipe or to find out more about the God who created them. The seeds in this little neighborhood are getting ready to sprout for the kingdom of God.

In a way, it can be easy to run a social media ad. It’s simple to pay for a mailer to advertise the next Revelation seminar in church, or even to preach the series. It’s a little more intricate to come up close to people, get to know them, and take an interest in their lives—but it is also the most rewarding part of evangelism.

For over 30 years, Ed and Kathy have faithfully supported the ministry of It Is Written. The It Is Written team looks forward to catching up with them at our Partnership weekend in Gatlinburg every fall. But they are more than just Partners with It Is Written; they are partners with God and with their community. Using resources from this ministry and a homemade jar of jam, Ed and Kathy are making neighbors for eternity, and getting ready to have the same neighborhood in the earth made new.

If you would like to learn more about becoming an It Is Written Partner, visit itiswritten.com/partnership

Ed and Kathy R eid