By Stefan Bomberger

I want to introduce you another one of our ministry team leaders, Tom Fitzpatrick (Fitz). Fitz and his wife, Maggie, have been faithfully spear-heading a ministry for our church called “Grafted In.”  Together they are seeking to help men and women transition from prison into Covenant Fellowship Church. I’ll let Fitz tell you more about it in his own words:

“Grafted In” is our form of prison ministry aftercare. Now, when I use the buzzword “aftercare” it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Anything from finding people work or housing to helping them get their G.E.D. Though these are all great ways to help ex-offenders, we’ve focused our care specifically on meeting their spiritual needs. We do this by helping graft released inmates into Christ and his church. Hence our name, Grafted In.

Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” He said that we are branches that need to remain in him if we’re to bear any lasting fruit. Wonderfully, the people we serve have already been coming out to the Sunday evening services our prison teams provide at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility. At those services, seeds are planted and cultivated. Once released, however, these branches often struggle to persevere or bear much fruit. As Jesus said, they can doing nothing, because they do not abide in Christ. This is where our ministry seeks to serve.

We provide mentors who meet one-on-one with inmates four to six weeks prior to their release. These inmates have expressed beforehand a sincere desire to attend our church. Upon release we walk alongside these brothers and sisters to help them connect. This includes sitting with them at our Sunday services, taking them to the Bridge Course, and even helping them find a Community Group. The goal is for us to provide mentors who will commit for one year, to help the newcomer fully integrate into our church family. 

We also provide ongoing training, and even a co-mentor for spiritual, emotional, and physical support.  Our goal is for these young seedlings to grow strong in Christ and bear much fruit for his glory.

Praise God for Fitz, Maggie, and the other mentors in our church! It’s hard enough being a newcomer at a church like Covenant Fellowship. Now imagine coming in here right out of prison. How tempting it would be to assume you will never fit in. Grafted In becomes our hands, reaching out to these folks with love, acceptance, and most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

By Stefan Bomberger

It's Mission Friday again, and I wanted to introduce you to one of our newer Ministry Team leaders, Jack Dempsey. Jack and his wife Lisa were both saved by God through the Alpha Course (now the Bridge Course) a few years ago. Jack is a financial planner and discovered Ron Blue's financial ministry called Kingdom Advisors. He's since become a regional representative for the ministry and hosts a monthly study group here at our facility every second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 am.  This nation-wide ministry has been great at influencing both believers and unbelievers with the gospel and the word of God. I'll let Jack tell you more in his own words:

When I first discovered Kingdom Advisors, I knew I found something special. That’s because Kingdom Advisors is designed to train and equip financial influencers, like me, to think biblically about money and work. These “influencers” include vocations like mine, financial planning, but also attorneys, accountants, insurance advisors, mortgage professionals, and more. Using Ron Blue’s curriculum, we’re strategically trained how to integrate our faith with our practice. We’re also taught how to graciously deliver biblical advice to both our Christian and even our non-Christian clients.

I’m realizing more and more how God has placed me, as a financial influencer, in a unique role. As a “Kingdom Advisor” I can guide my clients in the temporal, but also the eternal. For example, I’m learning how to provide advice and tools on how to save towards college and retirement, while also encouraging clients towards generosity, thus building up their storehouse in heaven. I’m increasingly seeing how God's Word regarding money and finances is extremely relevant for everyone. The wisdom and principles found in the Bible truly are transcendent for believers and unbelievers alike.

The study group we hold at the church is a way for our members, who are financial influencers, to build community together. Also, as other professionals from the area become aware of Kingdom Advisors they are being introduced to our church. Though Kingdom Advisors is newer here, testimonies to God's faithfulness are already coming in. For example, one advisor recently shared about how this group has helped him remain faithful and content through the recent stock market turbulence. His clients have noticed this and appreciate it. In fact, he’s even been able to share his faith with a few of them because of it. Another advisor who is coming out was raised in a church but knows little of the Bible…he was excited to learn more about the Bible. He mentioned how he’d really like to start to reading the Bible more on his own. What a joy to serve the Lord through my job and this Ministry Team!

You can see how God is using this ministry as both an in-reach and out-reach here. Praise God for Jack and others like him in our midst! I'm spurred by his example to remember that regardless of our vocation – whether pastor, plumber, or planner – it is still a “calling” from God...a divine assignment to live out and share the gospel where we’re placed.  And through our vocations we’re able to faithfully serve the Lord, minister to others, and spread the name of Jesus Christ!

By Stefan Bomberger

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Matthew 9:35-38

Three things emerge from this text regarding our mission together. Three prerequisites, if you will, for joining Jesus in the harvest.

Compassion for the Crowds
Verse 36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” We’re not speaking of false teachers or religious hypocrites. We’re speaking of everyday sinners: our unbelieving coworkers, neighbors, friends and family. What does Jesus see when he looks at them? Is he angry at them? Does he feel threatened by them? No. He doesn’t view them as ferocious wolves. Rather he sees them as helpless sheep. He has compassion for them.

A few years ago, Doug Hayes did an extensive study on the theme of “compassion” in the New Testament. He found that when it’s said that someone “has compassion” on another, it causes them to act benevolently towards them. That’s the story of the Good Samaritan, for example. Others felt bad about the beat up man. But the Samaritan felt compassion and therefore was moved to help him. Biblical compassion starts with a feeling, but it doesn’t end there. Compassion moves us to action. That’s why compassion is a necessary pre-requisite for joining Jesus in the harvest. Because we won’t be moved towards the crowd until we feel compassion for the crowd.

Help for the Hurting
Verse 35 tells us that everywhere Jesus was proclaiming the gospel, he was also “healing every disease and every affliction.” It’s important to remember that Jesus’ primary goal was always to bring us spiritual life through his death and resurrection. No question there. Even so, he never turned a blind eye towards peoples’ physical diseases, pains or afflictions. Rather, he healed them. 

Of course, this supernatural work of Christ demonstrates his authority as God. But if we stop there and simply use these texts to support the divinity of Christ, we miss something simple yet profound. Jesus cares about our pain. And wherever the gospel of Christ is preached, the care of Christ ought to be expressed as well.  God may use you to heal the sick in the name of Jesus Christ. Or he may use you to give out a cup of cold water in his name to the thirsty. Either way, our gospel proclamation ought to be coupled with help for the hurting. 

Prayer for the Laborers
In verses 37-38 Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” When Jesus looks at the crowds, he’s not discouraged one bit. Rather, he sees a great harvest of souls. A plentiful harvest. He sees men and women ready to be reaped for the kingdom of heaven. But there’s one problem; there’s not enough laborers to reap this plentiful harvest. 

You know, as an evangelist, my impulse is to think the next part would say: “therefore… equip and train more people to proclaim the gospel!” But Jesus doesn’t say that. Rather, he says: “the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” The prerequisite here for joining Jesus in the harvest is not first to go. It’s to pray. To pray earnestly for more laborers. 

Now of course this doesn’t mean that we’re simply to pray and not go. In fact the very next chapter, in verse 5, Jesus sends out his twelve into the harvest.  And in Luke 10, Jesus says these same words right before he sends out the seventy-two. So it’s clear from both accounts that those who pray are also those who go. Before we go though, we must ask the Lord of the harvest for more laborers. We must pray for the laborers.

I hope these three prerequisites challenge and inspire you the way they have me. The field is white for harvest.  So, have compassion for the crowds, offer help for the hurting, and pray for the laborers.

By Stefan Bomberger

 

For years now, our church has been doing a free gift-wrap outreach in local stores. We’ve gone to Toys’R’Us, Circuit City, and this year we’re in Christopher & Banks next to the Borders. It’s a small way to share the love of Christ with our community. Because of this, we don’t accept donations. It’s fun to see the looks you get when you offer to wrap people’s gifts. Many are perplexed, surprised, even suspicious. We’re often asked, “Why are you doing it for free?!” In that moment, what would you say?

 

I know in the past I’ve gotten locked up in bringing the gospel into contexts like these. I’ve feared that it would undermine the “freeness” of the outreach. If I bring up Jesus, the unbeliever might think: “Ah-ha! I caught you. There is a string attached!” But what I’ve come to realize is that the gospel truly is the reason I’m doing this. So bringing it up isn’t a bait-and-switch. It’s being authentic. It’s disclosing the real motivation behind my actions – which is what they asked for.

 

The same could be said of all our good deeds as believers. We love because God first loved us. We have mercy on others because God has had mercy on us. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven. We serve because Jesus served us. We freely give because we’ve freely received. This is who we are. Conduits of God’s grace. Vessels of mercy with the treasure of the gospel inside of us. We shouldn’t pretend that we have no motives or that our actions simply flow out of our own intrinsic goodness. No. We do it because of Jesus Christ.

 

Keep this in mind the next time you are doing something kind for a neighbor. …going out of your way for a co-worker.  …serving at a Second Saturday in a free carwash. …visiting a nursing home. …feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen.

 

Jesus calls us to give out a cup of cold water, but to do so “in His name.” To connect all our deeds back to his amazing grace. The gospel isn’t something we tack on. It’s why we do what we do. Go public and share it with others. Who knows, God might just use it to powerfully change them like he’s changed you!

By Stefan Bomberger

 

As many of you know the Thrive community handed out about 180 boxes of food in Chester through our annual Boxes of Love event on Saturday, November 7th. This was the third year we've done this Thanksgiving outreach, and every year its been a huge blessing and highlight for many of us.  What was particularly special about this year, is that we did it in partnership with a local church in Chester called Freedom Baptist Church. The pastor, Sidney Harrell, has been pastoring there for over twenty years and has a real heart to reach the community with the Gospel. As we gathered with them that Saturday, you could feel the joy both groups had to be serving alongside of one another.

 

In the morning, before distributing the boxes, we were able to focus our energies on doing renovations and projects around the small church building. In just a few hours, we were able to tile the foyer, paint the exterior, clean out a basement, bust out a window, put in a door, trim a hall, clean up the street, and more. Our team worked very hard alongside of many other contractors and professionals from our church to execute all the various projects quickly and with excellence.  We broke for lunch around 1:30 p.m., where Pastor Sidney Harrell told us about his story of coming into ministry, into Chester, and how we both connected as local churches. It was a real highlight.

 

Then in the afternoon we broke into seven groups to hand out the Boxes of Love. Members from Freedom Baptist joined all the groups so that they could connect directly with their neighbors. We as a church also created special invitations to Freedom Baptist Church which went out with every box.  As we distributed the Thanksgiving meals, so many of the residents expressed their gratitude through warm receptions and even hugs. We were also able to pray with many folks right there on their porch. Besides the food, inside every box was a New Testament and an invitation to our Christmas events at Covenant Fellowship.

 

The evening ended with a bonfire back at Covenant where we shared stories, ate dinner, and closed out the night with praise and worship. It was an amazing day where God met us and blessed us. We thank God for each of you that filled up a Box of Love. We couldn't have done it without the dozens of families that went grocery shopping and filled the boxes with food, gifts, and prayers.

 

Feel free to join us on any Second Saturday in the future to participate in more outreaches like this. For example, December 5th we will be putting up Christmas Door Hangers for the Share the Good News of Christmas Campaign. See goodnewsofchristmas.org to learn more. Thanks for being the kind of church that proclaims the Gospel and is eager to share the mercy of God through your actions.

 

 

By Stefan Bomberger

When it comes to outreach are you feeling a little rusty? Or just looking for another outlet to let your light shine? Then look no further than Second Saturday.

What is Second Saturday?

Second Saturday is a monthly morning of service, mercy, and evangelism. Think of it like an outreach fair. You show up at 9:30am in the lobby and there are many outreach stations to choose from. Anything from doing visits at a nursing home, delivering Bibles to homes in Chester, sharing the gospel downtown, cleaning up 202, and much more. As summer approaches we're going to re-launch our annual car washes as well! Our goal is to provide various opportunities to reach out to our community with the love of Jesus through both word and deed.

Best of all, you get to pick whatever you want to do. No pressure. Find whatever you’re most comfortable with and sign up. You will receive on-the-site training, so no experience for any of the outreaches is necessary.  Just bring yourself and dress accordingly if you plan on doing an outreach outside. We also have at least one outreach that stays back at the building with the children to do a craft or assemble something outreach-related.

For example, we might make gift bags to give out, or put invite-cards on candy canes to give out during the holidays. Children age three and older are welcome to come and help on the craft. Older children and youth can also go out on almost any of the outreaches, based on your comfort level and supervision.

When does Second Saturday Meet?

Second Saturday meets every second Saturday of the month, rain or shine. So for example, the next three are June 13, July 11, and August 8. It starts at 9:30 am with a light continental breakfast and ends at 1:00 pm with a brief pizza lunch and a chance to share highlights from the various outreaches. Both meals are free.

Who Should Attend Second Saturday?

If you have a passion for outreach and evangelism, or would simply like to grow in your heart for reaching out to others, this context is perfect for you. There are people who are out regularly who love walking the campuses and the shopping malls sharing the gospel, starting spiritual conversations.  There are also people who come out regularly who just want to share the love of Christ with others through service or generosity with the hope that the mercy will provide opportunities for the Gospel.

Since evangelism, in one form or another, is a call we all have, then Second Saturday’s are a wonderful context for you…regardless of your preferences.  So is you’re interested in a morning of service, mercy, and evangelism, join us for the next Second Saturday.

 

Posted by Stefan Bomberger

 

Spring is upon us and people are heading outdoors after being holed up all winter in their homes.  Families are going on walks again and our neighborhoods and shopping areas are seeing new life.  With the warmer weather comes a renewed opportunity to reach out to the lost.  Here at CFC, that means the re-launch of our annual Community Groups’ Gospel Outreaches.

 

What is Gospel Outreach or GO? Each year every small group in our church goes out one night to share the gospel together. We go to parks, malls, college campuses, downtown areas - basically wherever people are out and about. And we go with the hope of connecting with folks and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

As we embark on this annual adventure, it’s good to remind ourselves why we go through this exercise as a church. We go first and foremost because Jesus has called us to proclaim His gospel. And because people won’t be saved apart from hearing it. But we also go out to develop a greater burden for the lost. We’ve come to realize that for most of us, evangelism is more easily “caught” than “taught.” And as often as we discuss our desire for the lost be saved, nothing fosters a burden for the lost like going out and sharing with them. 

 

Consider this quote from Mark McCloskey’s book Tell it Often, Tell it Well:

 

“If you want to develop a burden for the lost, go out and talk to the lost and find out how lost they really are. If you desire to have the crucial nature of evangelism branded on your heart, go out and do it, and you will become convinced of just how crucial it is. If you want to develop the conviction that Jesus does indeed change lives, take His life-changing message to others and see if this isn’t true.”

 

So, with Gospel Outreaches, we go out develop that crucial nature of evangelism.  And we do it with friends…those who are laboring and living alongside you.  People approach these outreaches with postures ranging from boldness to flat out fear.  And that’s okay…for the bold, it is an opportunity to express bold humility.  For the fearful, it is an opportunity for God to be strong in your weakness.

 

If you still aren’t sure whether evangelism is for you, don’t write it off just yet. Participate in the Gospel Outreach with your Community Group this year. Pray for courage…pray for compassion…pray for the lost.  Take the life-changing message of Christ crucified to others and expect God to change hearts – beginning with your own.