Hello! I’m Sam, an e3 Church Planting Mobilizer and Senior Trip Leader for Honduras. Would you be surprised to learn that I was a musician for over 40 years? That’s right. For decades, I served as the full-time worship leader of a baptist church in Pelham, Alabama, conducting the choir and orchestra.
One fateful day, I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit speak. In a rather loud voice, He directed me to just focus on missions. To be honest, it was a spiritual experience I initially hoped to shake off. After all, the pastoral leadership team was very happy with my musical service to the church. God kept nudging me, so I petitioned them to shift my focus from music to missions. The answer was a resounding “No.”
I stayed persistent and kept asking. Ultimately, I gathered the courage to utter “I quit” because I feared God more than men. It was important for me to be obedient; I knew what the Lord had asked of me and that He would make a way.
Today, I’m still a thriving, active member of the same church, yet now I’m able to go on mission trips several times a year through e3 Partners Ministry, sharing the hope of Christ with those who are far from God. In fact, I just returned from Honduras about a week ago. My life has become a great adventure in service to the Lord and I am filled with peace, joy, and contentment. I’m so glad I listened to His prompting.
Now that I’m singularly focused on reaching the lost, I’ve been able to positively influence my church to get involved in the Made to Multiply initiative. First, I hosted a Gospel Conversations Training session. We had 35 people in attendance from 5 different states! The participants included many e3 staff members as well as 7 individuals from my home church who had a heart for evangelism. After the training concluded, these 7 committed to regularly knocking on doors every Tuesday evening.
After some time, the pastor took note of our work and encouraged our deacons to join us. Eventually, the pastor himself took part in the outreach. Now, our team of 7 has grown into a sizable team of 60! Soon, we’ll offer Gospel Conversations Training to our entire congregation. It is absolutely incredible to see how God has transformed our church in such a short amount of time. Here’s a brief snapshot of some folks we’ve been able to reach:
- While door knocking, we met a disabled woman named Tori* who wasn’t sure if she would be welcome in heaven. She received the message of the Gospel through our 3 Circles presentation and now faithfully shows up to church every Sunday, where she chooses to sit right behind our pastor.
- Through the outreach, we started discipling a maid named Anna who felt destitute after losing much of her income during the pandemic. Anna’s husband, Mateo, would eavesdrop on our conversations about Jesus from the adjacent room but was reluctant to join us. Now, Mateo is being discipled right alongside Anna, and they feel hopeful about their future because of Jesus!
I want to impress upon you that the Lord can transform your local church through Made to Multiply as well; it only takes one person like yourself to get the dialog started. In no time, your congregation can be reaching people who need Jesus just like Tori, Anna, and Mateo. If we can assist you in this effort, please don’t hesitate to reach out to training@e3partners.org. Thank you once again for your valued support of e3 Partners Ministry and I hope we hear from you soon.
*Please note: The names of Tori, Anna, and Mateo have been changed to ensure their safety and anonymity.