Jump to content
IGNORED

The secret to successful outreach: Just listen


Scott Free

Recommended Posts


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  86
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  1,265
  • Content Per Day:  0.63
  • Reputation:   286
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

 

Source: The secret to successful outreach: Just listen

Edited by Scott Free
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Scott Free said:

His cure for alienation was to listen to those who had no one to listen to them: 'You have to make your way through life a bit more slowly, you have to take the trouble to stop for a moment, you have to be genuinely interested [in the other person's life].'

It is this lesson that we have decided to learn from in our little unglamorous parish church in Wembley: we listen. Three years ago we were sat in church wondering how to get people in the streets around us interested. Our parish is about 70 per cent Hindu and over the years it would be fair to say that we had drifted away from our local community. We were that building tucked away by the bus stop that people came to occasionally when it became a polling station.

We began with questions. Where is our community hurting? Is there anything we can do about it? What we knew was that we knew many older people who were suffering with Alzheimer's and we also knew that many people were living alone and didn't see a living soul all week. Out of this came the Memory Café. With no money to fund anything, we knew that whatever we did needed to be cheap to run. The café's two co-founders and I did the work and our strategy was to start quickly and see how it went.

Within three weeks we had put posters up and started the Memory Café. The approach we started with still exists today: we welcomed people with real warmth and sat and listened to them; we learned their names: we provided some quizzes to help stimulate the memory: and we had really good cakes, biscuits and tea and coffee. Now, we get more than 100 people each week from all sections of our multi-ethnic community. We have a choir – about to sing at Southwark Cathedral – and an exercise session each week.

It is beautiful. And we have found something most extraordinary happening; a new community involving people from across all ethnicities is thriving. And there's no reason why they shouldn't spring up everywhere. In fact, more than a dozen other cafés have started using our model and we have a website to help others to start their own café.

What has amazed us the most is that this is a genuine community. People mix and we hear each week that our estate is now more cohesive and, yes this an odd word, happier.

A while ago I popped over to pick up my prescription at the local pharmacy. The pharmacist, a Hindu, asked if he might talk to me in the consulting room. I was suddenly panicking that I had done something wrong. 'Father Steve,' he said, 'I just wanted to thank you on behalf of my community for doing so much for us.' The truth is that his community has blessed us more than he could ever know.

Reference: The secret to successful outreach: Just listen

Sounds great as long as a christian outreach puts Christ in the forefront and you teach all that Christ is the savior of the world! The gospel saves.

The reason I mention it because I didnt see anything here about Christ. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  86
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  1,265
  • Content Per Day:  0.63
  • Reputation:   286
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

15 minutes ago, 1sheep said:

Sounds great as long as a christian outreach puts Christ in the forefront and you teach all that Christ is the savior of the world! The gospel saves.

The reason I mention it because I didnt see anything here about Christ. 

This post is out of context, the article is aimed at evangelical Christians. The foundation of the Gospel has already been laid for the people reading this. The author is secure and knows his audience, this kind of validation is not necessary.

Edited by Scott Free
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Scott Free said:

This post is out of context, the article is aimed at evangelical Christians. The foundation of the Gospel has already been laid for the people visiting this website. The author is secure and knows his audience, this kind of validation is not necessary.

How is it out of context? Why would one be offended at inquiring if Christ gospel is proclaimed?  How many of those hindus have surrendered to Christ? 

In this day and age much deception is prevelant.  All faiths leading to Christ is the prevailing message amongst those who are deceived! The emergent church is everywhere.

Your audience on a christian website are all kinds of people. To presume otherwise is a mistake. 

1Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  86
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  1,265
  • Content Per Day:  0.63
  • Reputation:   286
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

I think you are missing the point of what they are doing. When I outreach, I learn about their feelings and interest first. Patience, tolerance and understanding are good companions for someone taking the Gospel to the streets. All you really have to do is acknowledge Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your demeanor will speak louder than your confrontations and arguments. 

Edited by Scott Free
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  24
  • Topic Count:  40
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  1,459
  • Content Per Day:  0.61
  • Reputation:   2,377
  • Days Won:  2
  • Joined:  08/23/2017
  • Status:  Offline

I've heard hundreds, maybe thousands, of testimonies over the years.  What God did to break through to each of us tends to be different.  Some responded the first time they heard the gospel.  Others heard the gospel for decades and resisted it.  Some first heard the gospel in words.  Some first saw it in actions and lives of Christians around them and saw something was different and wondered about it.  Some responded at a church service, some alone by themselves, some with another person sharing with them.  

I have no doubt there are those who are now Christians because a Christian was the first person who sat down and really listened to them.  In Matt 25 in the parable of the goats and sheep, one thing the sheep did was visiting those in prison.  There are many prisons without bars that people around us are trapped in with few if any visitors.  The depressed person who goes through their day with a giant smile hiding the loneliness.  The abused person hiding the pain.  The elderly person with dementia or disabilities alone in a small room in a senior facility.  There are people who can sit in a crowd and be trapped in various types of prisons no one but God sees.  If we are sensitive to God's leading, He will bring us to those trapped in prisons that we can visit and bring God's love and light into dark places so that He can release them.  Sometimes simply sitting and listening to someone (which of course includes interacting and asking them questions and sharing ourselves) is a way of visiting those who are alone in various bar-less prisons.

  • Loved it! 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Scott Free said:

I think you are missing the point of what they are doing. When I outreach, I learn about their feelings and interest first. Patience, tolerance and understanding are good companions for someone taking the Gospel to the streets. All you really have to do is acknowledge Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your demeanor will speak louder than your confrontations and arguments. 

Who is talking about confrontations and arguments? I merely asked a question. . Good golly!! 

I havent missed the point at all. I looked past the outreach to try to identify the core. Nothing less and Nothing more . Christ is the healer. We are his hands and feet. I am fully aware.

There is no reason to be defensive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  86
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  1,265
  • Content Per Day:  0.63
  • Reputation:   286
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

7 minutes ago, 1sheep said:

Who is talking about confrontations and arguments? I merely asked a question. . Good golly!! 

I havent missed the point at all. I looked past the outreach to try to identify the core. Nothing less and Nothing more . Christ is the healer. We are his hands and feet. I am fully aware.

There is no reason to be defensive.

Hi, 1sheep. I get your point. Thank you for sharing that insight, I will be more careful. 

Edited by Scott Free
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  32
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  5,204
  • Content Per Day:  0.97
  • Reputation:   5,792
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  07/09/2009
  • Status:  Offline

Hello Scott. I thought 1sheep had a good question, as I wondered about it also. When someone enters into the sowing of seeds, you usually get to hear about the seeds that fell on good soil, and your enthusiastically sharing about someone turning to Christ. That was missing, but did not imply you did not share the gospel. Like 1sheep, I would like to hear about the "angels in heaven rejoicing over one sinner repenting"
I believe you are doing a good thing, making the cafe available to the lonely and downtrodden. Just want to hear about the great things the spirit of God is doing there........ default_cool2.gif.6e78938fe1c4c3110cb2563ba8b28a9c.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  86
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  1,265
  • Content Per Day:  0.63
  • Reputation:   286
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

1 hour ago, Gary Lee said:

your enthusiastically sharing about someone turning to Christ. That was missing,

I would love to share my testimonies with you. Making a topic all about self is extremely distasteful not me, but sense you asked a direct question I will happily respond: I had a dream about a young man dying of AIDS, I meet him gathered with friends by a Florida hotel stairwell when we decided not to take the elevator. We were headed to the beach to witnesses to party goers on Spring Break. The demonstration of this personal knowledge of him, when he only had HIV, allowed me to present the Gospel to him before his death.

I had a partner who had a dream about the people in a college class I was in. When he visited me there he recognized everyone and he took the class with me to help minister. One of the students was the son of a prominent mod boss and he was taking a potential child of God under his wing. The son of the mod boss was going to die, and we pulled the other guy from him before he could join him in a fatal reckless display.

I was with a group ministering to people on the street. Our group separated because I wanted to go down a empty street and some wanted to be were it was busy. Down that street we met a prostitute and talked about the Gospel with her as she listened, she was ignoring the john's calling out to her as we spoke. 

I had a dream about a man in a truck being tormented by little heads floating over him, making him consider suicide. After a few days I meet him in a parking lot of a convenience store. I was passing out tracks with a partner. I was able to stop him and warn him of the danger he was in and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to stop it.

Not to mention all the unknown influence caused by walking in the Spirit of Jesus Christ demonstrating the fruits of God in everyday interactions with the people I meet on a regular basis. Not having to wack them over the head with the Bible, but a simple identifying statement as a Christian followed by demonstrations of the Spirits power through action. All glory goes to Jesus Christ he alone is worthy and He is the author of my life.

My main ministry is teaching established Christians about Biblical prophecy. That they will not loss faith when things do not go as smooth as they think. To be used by Power of the Holy Spirit to focus and prepare their minds to be steadily focusing on helping others, instead of panicking trying to figure out why everything has falling apart in such a terrible and unexpected way than they anticipated.    

Edited by Scott Free
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...