About a year ago, the Montana Conference began working with ShareHIM a ministry directed by Robert Folkenberg Sr., that provides soul-winning training and tools for lay people and pastors. Local church outreach leadership teams conduct seed-sowing ministries in their communities and they follow up these felt-needs ministries with a series of evangelistic meetings. This approach fits hand-in-glove with the two annual harvest cycles of Soul-Winning Momentum embraced by the Montana Conference administration and constituents.
So far, Montana churches have conducted 17 ShareHIM reaping events in 2007 with 29 people, including several young people, serving as speakers. Soul-winning momentum is building as God's people experience the joys of "Sharing Him." Let me share how God is blessing His soul winners in Big Sky Country.
About 160 people attended two Boot Camps of Evangelism and learned how to preach for a series of evangelistic meetings. As a result, seven churches began ShareHIM reaping meetings and 10 churches conducted ShareHIM reaping events during the fall. At the Kalispell Church, several young people did a good share of the speaking.
Clair and Linda Nystrom were one of the couples who attended one of the boot camps. They have been inactive members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 14 years. In March 2006, they had a new birth experience and they made a commitment to share Jesus in any way possible. Clair was one of the speakers for the Bozeman Church spring meetings. Clair says he was apprehensive at first because it had been 14 years since he had publicly expressed religious views, however he is ready to do it again; Linda was one of several speakers for the fall meeting.
Another member of the Bozeman Church, Joni McCann, was raised in a Seventh-day Adventist family, but she had been away from the church for 25 years. In March 2005, she returned and was rebaptized. Joni was one of the speakers for the 2007 spring meetings, serving on the prayer team. During the fall meetings, she worked with the children's programming.
Jim Jenkins, Bozeman Church pastor, says, "The ShareHIM approach to soul winning has been a unifying experience for our church and the outreach leadership team. We plan to do these events every year."
Speakers for ShareHIM meetings in Bozeman are, from left: Ken Bevins, Kelly Coffin, Joni McCann and Clair Nystrom.
Luke Warm begins to catch the vision. I need to start praying for people and find a missionary partner. It's time I started focusing on the Gospel Commission. I think I might even change my name to Luke Newman or Luke A. Disciple!
Victor N. Christ asks Luke to be his missionary partner for the next harvest cycle. Luke says, "Sure! And thanks for being patient with me all these months." "No problem," says Victor N. Christ. "Jesus has been patient with all of us. Now let's find some people the Holy Spirit is already working on!"
Natalie Harding was one of the youth speakers for the fall ShareHIM meetings in the Kalispell Church.
