Friends in Christ:
We have been worshiping virtually together now for nearly six months, and it seems we’ll be doing so for the foreseeable future. Most of church life has become virtual—commission meetings, donations, special meetings and celebrations ... and some churches even host virtual coffee hour. It has been encouraging to see the creative ways in which we are caring for one another and our communities, despite the real frustrations of this pandemic.
We also wonder what is to become of evangelism in this new era of all things online? Evangelism—which simply means “good news”—is not only important to the life of the church; sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is a calling for Christians. Evangelism is a weighted term, for sure. At its worst, it conjures images of peoples of color being forced to accept our religious views under the threat of death. (Fortunately, many Christians have widened our views of the world and recognize that all religious traditions offer important messages to the world.) At its best, sharing the good news in authentic and respectful ways can be life-sustaining and even life-changing. I’ve always felt that we show the power of God’s love through the loving ways in which we live our own lives. Or as Saint Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.”
If you can believe it, there are over 2.7 billion Facebook users! We have a lot of opportunities to be sources of hope for folks we know, as well as many people we don’t know. So as we navigate these uncharted waters of virtual church together, you might consider sharing the good news with your many friends on Facebook and other social media. Many of you have shared with me how important your church family is to you—why not widen the circle?
WAYS TO WELCOME PEOPLE INTO THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH
Here are a few tips to invite people into our community and to join us on our journey in our discipleship of Jesus Christ:
Feel free to share Bethany’s Sunday livecast worship services on your own Facebook page. Start a “watch party” that will alert and Invite your friends and loved ones to join for the live Facebook service at 10:30 a.m. and the interactive Zoom worship service that follows at 11 a.m. Also, invite friends and family to join us for our Tuesday Zoom Bible studies at 11 a.m. and our Wednesday Zoom Check-ins at 11 a.m.
Write posts on your Facebook page about why your faith is important to you. Share what you appreciate about your own faith community. In the same way, re-post other posts that you find to be meaningful and hopeful.
Check out Facebook pages and blogs that produce a lot of thoughtful posts and share them with others. Here are a few to start with.
“Like” Bethany’s Facebook page and encourage others to as well—we can then reach out to visitors and get to know them. Make comments on Bethany’s Facebook page, and be sure to welcome visitors who stop by. Make new friends, get to know them, and support them on their faith journey.
—In Peace,
Jesse
UPDATES:
The South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership Food Closet continues to feed massive amounts of people each and every month—between 7,000 – 8,000 people! SSIP always appreciates our support. Check the food closet website regularly for news; this month’s issue features a story about Bethany!
