[1]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–“The Harvest … His Plan, Our Passion” is the theme for this year’s “soul-winning commitment day” scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, throughout the Southern Baptist Convention.
The special-day emphasis is part of the North American Mission Board’s “On Mission to Share Jesus” initiative, developed and sponsored by NAMB’s evangelism group.
“It is a time when SBC churches are encouraged to promote evangelism, inspire, motivate, enlist and share the Gospel,” said Dick Church, church evangelism resource manager for NAMB in Alpharetta, Ga.
But On Mission to Share Jesus is more than one special Sunday on the Southern Baptist calendar, Church said.
“It is a way of life and the very mission of the church. Sharing the Gospel reflects the very lifeblood of the church and can have profound effects on the future health of a church. Hopefully, it will renew a church’s passion for reaching the lost.”
Church said NAMB is offering a myriad of downloadable resources at www.namb.net/omtsj to assist Baptist churches as they plan On Mission to Share Jesus Sunday. Ideas on how to develop an evangelism strategy, how to do servant and ministry evangelism, a skit, poster, resource list and even a suggested order of worship are available.
[2]Also available to assist pastors develop sermon ideas are videos of well-known pastors such as Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page preaching messages on the theme of this year’s soul-winning commitment day.
“Personal evangelism has always defined Southern Baptists,” Church said. “We are constantly challenged to reach out to our world with the message of hope. It’s a great privilege to share the incredible good news of the Gospel with unbelievers and to accept a personal responsibility for those around us who have never made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
“Whether you observe On Mission to Share Jesus on Oct. 7 or another day of the year, make it a point to get out into the fields,” Church urged. “Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful. Let’s make that our passion.”
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Mickey Noah is a writer for the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. For additional information or assistance regarding NAMB’s “On Mission to Share Jesus” initiative, call 770-410-6247 or e-mail [email protected].