Sanctuary was blessed with the opportunity to host Pumpkinpalooza, a party-styled outreach to the families in the Lake Country area, especially those in the Swallow School district. We had support from personal friends in the area, servant teams with S.H.A.L.O.M. Ministries in Milwaukee, Rio Assembly of God's youth group and leaders, some friends out by Madison, and family and friends from Full Gospel Chinese Church in Downers Grove, IL. Thanks to everybody who helped; you made the event into something special! It was our first time with such an event and overall, it went pretty well, We had over 30 families register for prize giveaways and everybody who attended got an invitation to our Sunday morning service at Swallow on November 8.
I've discovered that the process of evangelizing the suburbs and establishing a church is slow work that is best accomplished with a long-term perspective. God's vision for us may be awesome but it takes a while to get there and I've learned the value of being patient, kind, and consistent in how I interact with those in the community and plan outreaches. It takes a while to establish a good reputation but I believe that a bad one can be created in no time at all, so I'm convinced how important excellence and quality are in the events we host.
I also appreciate the effectiveness of the "servant evangelism" approach developed by Steve Sjogren (see http://www.stevesjogren.com/) and practiced all over America. It's a great way of giving away things of value (like bottles of water, car washes, assistance, or parties) with no strings attached. Since God's love is free, what we give away ought to be free, too. This demonstrates to people what the free gift of God love in Christ is like. It's not the gospel, but it sets up people to be open to the gospel. I'm learning that in the suburbs, where many residents are both busy and guarded, it may take a while to dissolved barriers of resistance. The servant evangelism approach is method the Lord can use to touch the hearts of men and women, draw them one step closer to dealing with spiritual and personal issues and ultimately, bring them to the cross of Christ. I felt that Pumpkinpalooza served that initial purpose well, and I pray that it and other comparable events will allow us the privilege of leading people to an encounter with Jesus.
