By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
I had such a wonderful lunch a few days ago with David and Vanessa McDonald. Talk about good and kind people, they are amazing. They shared a story that bears repeating in this space. I didn’t get their permission to share it in this edition of Chimes, so ... this’ll be our little secret. :-)
It turns out, they were so pleased to share that they attended Sunday School earlier that morning. For three years they’ve been active in worship services, but this was their first encounter with Sunday School in our church. I had to know what prompted them to attend Sunday School that morning, and their answer was instant ... John Dills. It turns out that for a good, long while, John has invited David and Vanessa to Sunday School. However, in recent days, John turned up the heat. His invitations came more often and more directly. They relented, they attended, they thoroughly enjoyed it and yes, they shall return.
And that, my friends, is precisely how most people find a church-home and, that’s how most who are already involved, find a deeper level of commitment. Not through flowery campaigns. Not through expensive mailouts. People discover a church home or greater commitment to a church by way of personal invitations from people they respect. Clearly, David and Vanessa deeply respect John. Even more clearly, John deeply cares for them and could not let it go when it came to inviting them to discover what he had discovered.
Again, this is how growing the church is most meaningfully done. Go ye and do likewise.
(Well done, John, and ... well done, David and Vanessa). Who in your life is waiting to discover First Sylva?
– Joe
