Tradition and curiosity draw
more non-Christians to church on Easter Sunday than on any other day of the
year, with the possible exception of Christmas.
This Easter North Carolina
Baptists join many other Baptist state conventions in cooperation with the
North American Mission Board to sponsor “Find it Here,” to encourage churches
to be intentionally evangelistic in their Easter service.
“Find it Here” asks pastors
to involve their church in four activities between now and Easter Sunday, April
4:
-
Pray for the salvation of
family, friends and neighbors;
- Invite non-Christian family,
friends and neighbors to Easter services;
-
Preach an evangelistic
sermon and extend an evangelistic invitation on Easter Sunday;
- Baptize new converts either
Easter or the Sunday following.
Don McCutcheon, executive
leader for the evangelization group at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
(BSC) would like to know which churches are committed to the “Find It Here”
effort. To sign up, visit www.finditherenc.org. For more information call (800)
395-5102 ext. 5557 or e-mail [email protected].
During the January meeting
of the BSC Board of Directors, Executive Director-Treasurer Milton A.
Hollifield Jr., challenged every Board member to involve his or her church with
“Find it Here.”
BR photo by Norman Jameson Milton Hollifield, left, executive director/treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and Don McCutcheon, executive leader for the BSC evangelization group, prepare to hang a banner for “Find It Here,” a promotion to encourage churches to be intentionally evangelistic. Banners are available free to churches that sign up. |
It is neither a program nor
curriculum, Hollifield said. “Find it Here” is an emphasis that allows each
church to design an intentionally evangelistic approach that best suits its
community.
While the four components of
“Find it Here” may seem “elementary and even unnecessary,” Hollifield said they
represent the “foundational commitments that the churches of this Convention
are failing.”
“I am calling on the
churches of this Convention to join together in the “Find it Here” emphasis,”
said Hollifield, adding an estimate that 5.5 million in North Carolina do not
know Christ.
“It is the core value of the
churches comprising this Convention to present the gospel to the lost and
invite them to surrender their lives to Christ, but we are not accomplishing
this most foundational command of our Master,” Hollifield said.
The web site
features resources to help pastors carry out the “Find it
Here” emphasis.
The site includes prayer resources, sermon outlines, an
evangelism crash course video, and resources for discipling new believers.
After April 4, pastors are asked to report the results of their outreach
efforts.
North Carolina Baptist
pastors will be mailed information about “Find it Here” which includes a DVD
and promotional resources.