I recently attended a Stonecroft outreach event where the Chair asked the audience for prayer requests. Although her intentions were the best, it gave me a clue as to why the Group was struggling. They had unwittingly allowed their focus to drift from the unbeliever to the believer.
A carefully considered, God-inspired purpose lies behind the order and atmosphere of Stonecroft outreach events. Everything we do hinges on introducing women to Jesus Christ. The unbelieving lady must remain our key focus. We want her to feel welcome and relaxed — a part of us. We want to establish rapport rather than create distance. This is why we guard against the use of Christianese at the podium and around our tables; it’s why we avoid conversations about our churches and matters of controversy. We do everything to put the non-believer at ease and nothing to make her feel out-of-place because we want her heart to be open to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior.
The secular world often equates Christianity with intolerance and judgment. As the gap between Christianity and popular culture widens, it’s essential to make our outreach events a place of commonality, free from walls of presumption. The Christian fellowship we enjoy on our Planning Teams is a cherished gift from God. At our Prayer Connections and planning meetings, we can connect more deeply about our personal concerns and prayer needs but our outreach events must remain focused on the woman who doesn’t yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Janice Mayo Mathers
Stonecroft National Board Member and Speaker Consultant
Women’s Connection Communique