Simple & Practical Ways with No Strings Attached”. Together, we unpacked what it means to share God's love in simple and practical ways (like handing out bottles of drinking water), as well as what "no strings attached" looks like. The class not only studied and discussed evangelism together but also practiced this new way of evangelism. We give great thanks to the leadership of Charlie Ho and Jane Yin for designing and shepherding this series. We pray that we will each continue to grow and learn in this area.
Charlie -
Probably the most memorable moment for me was the short skit performed by Donna and Steve the first week. The simple concept of sharing God’s love without strings attached came to life and became the theme of the class. That everyone readily took to the concept, energized me through the summer.
Equally so was watching the discussion - where the adults and younger members of each table group talked and listened enthusiastically. And despite the age range of the intergenerational class, we were able to tackle some pretty complex ideas. It was always really hard to stop the discussions due to the lack of time. (This was no fluke: Jane planned and adjusted the table members as people are in and out due to camp, family vacation, etc. to keep each table “balanced”.)
It was also wonderful to listen to the feedback on the scriptures and the exercises. While there were challenges expressed, there was also enthusiasm, joy, empathy, desire to befriend people we do not know. Maybe we’ve started removing the church’s “four walls” through this time. As we walked and looked out, I am learning that those outside are looking in. If we are to live our faith, we will be expected to act on what God guides us to see.
Jane -
This summer’s Intergenerational Sunday School, “Exploring and Sharing God’s love in practical ways with no strings attached”, has been an enriching and fun experience for me. A big Shout Out goes to Charlie who prepared and executed the lessons each week. We explored the concept of evangelism and how we could share God’s love without strings attached. The feared “E” word was made easy and fun by learning about evangelism and then sharing God’s love without strings attached by giving out water to the people outside our church walls. Jesus commanded us to practice evangelism as his disciples. It is something anyone could do because the Holy Spirit is with us in all our endeavors. We don’t need to worry about what to say or do or how the other person will respond. We just need to share the love of God in us in all we do.
The highlight for me was seeing the adults, “big sisters and big brothers,” who made special efforts to include and care for the youth/children, “little sisters and little brothers,” in all aspects of the learning experience. I wonder how many of us are aware that we practice evangelism without strings attached constantly in our daily lives.