On Wednesday, July 19th, Ron Flores and I took four of the children from the Hispanic Outreach (football and tutoring participants) to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. We arrived at 10 AM and left at 2 PM. The exhibits were fantastic and the kids (and adults) learned a lot about birds, reptiles, mammals, and dinosaurs. Although the exhibits were fascinating, the kids enjoyed the adventure of going someplace they hadn’t been to before, going up stairs and over bridges, playing hide and seek and playing the “license plate game” just as much as they enjoyed the displays in the museum.
So what does any of this have to do with outreach or evangelism? It is relationship building. This is the stuff that crosses cultures – having fun together, going places together, and building shared experiences together.
The ministry of Jesus took place while ordinary life was going on – at work in the fishing boat, around a meal, at a wedding or a funeral. It was important to share meals with his disciples and with those he was witnessing to. It was no coincidence that one of the means of grace, Holy Communion was incorporated in a meal.
The children we took to the museum will remember it for a long time. So will their parents, as they listen to the stories their children told. And we will use these experiences to build bridges with their families, brothers and sisters, parents, and grandparents. One life at-a-time, witnessing to the love of Christ through ordinary, daily activities.
Father, use us for the building of your kingdom. Remind us how you work through ordinary things and ordinary people to do the extraordinary work of spreading the good news of salvation. Thank you for doing all the work of saving us through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ and empowering us through the Holy Spirit to receive this by grace through faith. Amen.
