A ministry of introducing people to Jesus.

Over the last few months, I've been reading through the Annual Report packages of St. Andrew's. Stretching back to 1955 they contain among other things, a report from the Minister, the Clerk of Session, a summary of different ministries, and the proposed budget for the year.

Today I finished 1989, which means I'm almost halfway through to the present.

Many things stand out to me. I've noted the many ways that many of our older members were once very active in different aspects of leadership. We have deep roots. I've observed that over the years the church has bolstered its volunteers by employing lay associates, youth workers, and even a deaconess. I've read how many people in Kamloops have turned to the church for their rituals of baptism, marriage, and death. (I get tired just thinking of the up to 20 marriages officiated by someone like the Rev. George Peters each year.)

I've also noted how the congregation has a history of focusing on its internal need for worship, fellowship, Christian education, and maintaining its edifice.

Growing the congregation wasn't so much about serving the surrounding community or even introducing the community to Jesus, as much as being in a position to care for these internal needs (what some have called vampire evangelism).

In the early 1970s, the Rev Ian Gamble left St. Andrew's after his proposal to turn the lower hall into a youth hostel was rejected. After the congregation accepted his resignation, the elders were asked to double down on home visits. Earlier, in the mid-1950s, the church had a Sunday School larger than the congregation itself. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity to serve! But even while the church provided the teachers, they required the Sunday School to be self-funded and balked at the cost of providing busing to transport the interested children (something that the Pentecostals in town ran with).

So how do you challenge that long history of opting to put all our efforts into caring for those who already know Jesus, versus reaching out to those who don’t?

I wonder if it means reflecting on our namesake, St. Andrew, who had this skill of introducing people to Jesus.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, we read that:

"Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus."

Later in the same Gospel, we are told that

"there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus."

It seems that Andrew has this knack of making introductions.

I wonder if we might learn from Andrew, and become more invitational, not so we can fill seats, or pay for renovations, or meet the annual budget, but so that others will share that joy of knowing Jesus. Is this something you can get excited about?