A New Spiritual Discipline

Why am I starting a blog? Well, this is a risky move for me because I have started a blog before but did not maintain it. I love the idea of capturing stories from my life, but I rarely have time to write them down. The thing that prompted me to start this blog is that I was in a staff meeting yesterday, and the following question was presented: What is one spiritual discipline that you engage in or one spiritual insight that you have had recently? As I sat there, I thought, "As the Outreach Pastor of Kentwood Community Church, what would it look like if I engaged in the discipline of inviting at least one person per day to KCC?" That would be at least 365 invitations per year. Then I thought about what it would be like if others in KCC joined me on the journey. As a starting point, I decided that I would use this blog to write about my own experience on the journey.

Yesterday, after that staff meeting, I prayed that God would open the door for me to extend some invitations to people to come to KCC. Well, it was very interesting to me when I got home yesterday that a gentleman and his wife had run out of gas in my driveway. As I drove the husband of the couple, Ernesto, to the gas station to fill up a gas container, I began to ask a few questions about his background. While we pumped the gas, I asked him if he attended church anywhere. I was pleased to hear that Ernesto and his family attend a local church near our church. It was interesting though that he was so appreciative for the gas that he mentioned the possibility of trying to get his college aged children to visit KCC. It was a great conversation, and I am glad that God allowed me to meet this family. Also, I met another gentleman, Alberto, that came over our home to give us a drywall estimate for our basement. After lots of conversation and measurement and planning and pricing, I asked him, "Have you ever visited Kentwood Community Church?" He said, "actually, I am Catholic." I asked about where he attended services, and he told me of a local Catholic church that he attends. Another simple conversation with an intentional question produced a similar result as the earlier conversation. I wasn't about to get into any kind of doctrinal or theological debate with Alberto. I simply wanted to know if he was in fellowship in any sort of Christian community. Later that evening, I was outside in the backyard and my neighbor, Liz, walked over. As she described it, she came "bearing junk food". She was bringing us a box of Chocolate Chunk Chex Mix bars. This was an unexpected blessing. In the midst of our conversation, which covered a variety of topics, the subject of church came up. She and her husband used to attend a large church in the area but are no longer regular attenders. I asked her if she had ever visited KCC. She said that her family had never visited KCC, but she has a cousin who attends. I said to her, "Well, consider yourself officially invited." I told her that she and her husband might enjoy the upcoming Alpha Course or the upcoming sermon series on Religion and Politics. Also, I know that her children would enjoy the JAM children's ministry at KCC. At the end of day 1 of this new spiritual discipline, I found it so interesting that God had orchestrated these three conversations where I had to be a good listener but was also intentional about inviting. What a day. I am praying that Liz and her family will come and visit.

On today, day 2 of this discipline, I had a lunch appointment with a gentleman that I had never met before from a local university. The discussion was great and timely for some of the ministry issues that I am examining at KCC right now. During the conversation, knowing that he and his wife are Christ followers, I asked him if they attended church anywhere right now. He replied, "No." He described how they had relocated to Michigan within the past few years and had visited lots of churches but had not settled on one. I asked him if they had visited KCC. They had not yet visited. I told him, "Well, consider yourself officially invited." I had brought one of the invitation cards with me to lunch to invite him to the upcoming sermon series. He received it, and I am hopeful that he and his family come to visit.

Will this daily discipline continue? I hope so because I am excited at the doors of conversation that God has already opened. Keep me accountable. Send me some comments. Pray for me. Please know that I realize that it is not about getting people to come to KCC. It is about getting people to know Jesus. However, I am very confident that as people visit KCC, they will regularly hear the truth about Christ proclaimed and they will regularly be presented with an opportunity to receive Him. This is why it is so important to regularly invite people to our local church. Talk to you soon.

In Christ,
Kyle