Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/92

Contributor - Spence MacMillan

Title - Let It Begin With Me

Topic - Evangelism

Several congregations in the Classis of Ontario participated in "Great Lakes Grow" this past year, a series of programs designed to strengthen the awareness of the call to evangelism. Following are reports from the Immanuel Reformed Church, London and the Guelph Reformed Church, Ontario, reflecting the experience of these congregations with the program. Both churches selected the program "Let It Begin With Me," as best suiting their personalities.

Spence MacMillan, who coordinated the program in London writes about the London experience.

What is it?

"Let It Begin With Me" is one of the six programs being promoted by the Synod of the Great Lakes in 1991 to prepare congregations for significant membership growth each year. The Biblical mandate for this program is found in texts like the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19-20)

This was part of the invitation used to introduce Immanuel Reformed Church in London to the new Great Lakes Grow Programs implemented in 1990 by the Synod of the Great Lakes. In the FECII of 1990 members of Immanuel travelled to Camp Shalom to hear about these programs. After a very exciting presentation by Herb Miller, Director of the National Evangelistic Association (N.V.A), we were charged up and ready to start. With consistory approval of our choice of the "Let It Begin With Me" program, we began preparations to introduce the pro,,ram to the congregation.

This particular program was chosen because of its focus on personal spiritual growth for all people from high school age and up. It would also be a good place to "begin" to prepare the segregation spiritually for evangelistic outreach.

The program was presented to the congregation in February 1991. Jack Luck of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Remington, Indiana, where "Let It Begin With Me" was first introduced, presented the program. His personal experience with the pro-gram enabled him to pass on many valuable insights to help us run the program successfully.

Organizing the Program

The night of the meeting a list of people interested in the program was started. We were off to a good start as 46 participants signed up before they left the meeting. At this point a list of members who did not sign up was made. Each person on the list was contacted and asked if they would like an opportunity to become part of this spiritual growth adventure. The congregation responded well and by the beginning of March, 63 people were signed up. PRAISE THE LORD!

Now this is where the work really began: how to organize everyone into groups of varied ages to meet at a particular time? With a lot of name juggling and phone calls, a list of six groups meeting on three different nights was established.

The Bible Studies

Only two months after the program was introduced to the congregation, we were having our first spiritual growth Bible study. The Bible study was to be six weeks of intensive daily Bible readings and assignments from the program study book "Tools For Active Christians" by Herb Miller. The daily Bible readings were handed in advance attached to a mutual covenant, to be signed by each participant, promising to complete all of the reading room by name. assignments, pray daily for the other participants and to attend all of the meetings.

The key to the program was to have each group meet at the same time and place each week. This consistency helps attendance and creates a familiar atmosphere to help people feel comfortable in taking an active part in the discussions.

Each group meeting was led by one of the participants who acted as a moderator. The moderator's position was not that of a teacher but rather of a facilitator. This person would make sure discussions did not get bogged down and that the meetings start and finish on time. The time allotment of one hour for each meeting is important to make sure that people with time limits such as babysitters or other commitments leave on time.

The agenda for each meeting was always the same. The meeting started with a season of prayer with each person praying about concerns they were particularly conscious of at the time. This was followed by a general discussion of concerns regarding the congregation and its members (no business matters.) A short Bible reading from the book of Mark followed with discussions on various things that came up as it was read. Then the group reviewed and discussed questions about the weekly reading assignments. Closing the meeting was very spiritually uplifting as we stood in a circle holding hands. Each person would then take turns praying aloud for each person in the room by name.

The Finale

Two weeks after the last Bible study, a meeting with all the groups attending was held. A few general questions about how the Bible study went were put forth to generate a discussion. All the participants felt that the program was beneficial. The daily Bible readings and praying for each other provided closer relationships to the people attending. This would be a great asset to increase the congregation's spiritual unity as we try to reach the community with the Word of God.

The Good News Dinner

"Let It Begin With Me" is actually a two-phase program. The second phase is called the Good News Dinner Plan. The participants of the Bible study and the rest of the congregation, would invite friends (non-church goers) to a dinner/entertainment night. This is to introduce people to the church in not so formal surroundings. This would be followed up by the pastor contacting the visitors within 48 hours to invite them to a church service.

This is a very easy method of getting people into church where they can hear the word of God.

Regretfully Immanuel did not arrange for the dinner right after the Bible study and the momentum to proceed with it was soon lost. The second phase of this program should be done as soon as possible after the Bible study while the enthusiasm is still high.

If you are interested in the "Let It Begin With Me" program for your church, copies of the study book "Tools for Active Christians" are available from Immanuel in London.

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