Evangelism

Evangelism, or sharing Christ with our city, is often explained with gardening imagery in the gospels. Jesus speaks of a sower going out to sow the Word of God all over the world. He speaks elsewhere of the harvest being plentiful but the labourers few; and implores us therefore to pray for the Lord to provide more labourers. He speaks of God pruning those he loves so that they might bear more fruit.

I have seen all of these images come to fruition over the past 12 months, and I look forward to new initiatives to see further fruit in the year ahead.

For most of 2022, my effort and energy was dedicated toward ensuring the seed sown landed on good soil. To this end, many new initiatives and ministries were developed for visitors and newcomers to St. John’s to grow in the gospel and be integrated into our church family.

Introducing St. John’s (formerly Newcomer Sessions) ran three times in 2022, introducing new people to our church, our vision, our beliefs and helping them get connected with various ministries. Introducing Anglicanism, a new course, ran twice in 2022, helping people understand the emphases of our church tradition and specifically how liturgical worship forms us in Christ. At the end of November we celebrated our first New Member Sunday, formally welcoming our newest church members into our fellowship and praying for God to bless them.

Seeds of the gospel were also sown in 2022. Come and See, a brief evening course to come and discover meaning, truth and hope in Jesus, ran twice in January with incredible testimonies of people coming to faith or returning to the Lord. Introducing Jesus ran online after Easter, sharing and discussing who Jesus is and why he came from Mark’s gospel.

The Lord provided labourers in 2022 as well, with many parishioners coming forward to offer their encouragement, support or service to see the work of sharing Christ with our city grow in our church. A brief seminar was held in June called Shine as Lights, centred around practical ways to share Christ with our neighbours. Additionally, an organic lay-led ministry to seek out and connect with visitors at Sunday services was started with great support and dedication. All of these works the Lord has used to reap a harvest. People have been saved in 2022 because of the work God’s Holy Spirit has done through our church and our community.

Looking ahead to 2023, I hope to continue to run the various Sunday ministries to adequately welcome new people and ensure they are growing in their faith upon good soil. But this year I really hope to find new opportunities and initiatives to sow seeds of faith in our neighbours and friends through parish-wide gatherings, summer picnics and community events. I also hope to further equip all of us to do the work of ministry through teaching (such as the Love Your Neighbour Seminars) so that the body of Christ may be built up as we are a community of contrast gripped by the gospel of grace, striving to share Christ with our city.