CHURCH MEMBERS STEP OUT OF COMFORT ZONE TO REACH COMMUNITY
by Harold Altamirano
Phobias and fears paralyze us. When my daughter was little, fear kept her from going into water. However, little by little, she got over it. She first dipped her toes in, then her feet. Soon, she was waist deep in the water. Not long after that, she was splashing water everywhere. Now, she is a great swimmer who can’t get enough of the water.
The joy of outreach is not experienced by many churches because they might be afraid and paralyzed. This realization prompted members at Life Fellowship of Coral Springs Church to decide it was time to get courageous. It is challenging that many in the community do not attend church; so, we had to leave our comfort zone to meet people where they are.
We started with a Celebrate Easter event since this holiday is so important for many people. We spread the word by distributing more than 2,000 invitation cards and placed advertising on web sites and social media. Although we didn’t know what to expect, we were prepared to receive 50-100 people at the local high school venue. We realized God had greater plans as more than 400 people came from the community.
The fellowship was amazing, and this event brought awareness of our presence in the community. As the next step in our mission, those who came received an invitation to an upcoming Kids’ Fest event.
As we began to dream even bigger, we realized that Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
We are praying for people in our community who don’t know Jesus to become acquainted with Him through Life Fellowship of Coral Springs. He is with us as we go and seek to reach the lost. If He is with us, He will bless!