08.29.06
Rita
by Greg England
When we first moved to Long Beach, for about 2-3 years we hosted a small group Bible study in our home. Usually we would have 6-8 people involved (occasionally as many as a dozen) and always an empty chair for anyone God might send our way. Every 3 months we’d choose a ministry project to do as a group and it was just a good time all around. But we never filled the empty seat. It was one of those “Willow Creek” ideas that really sounds good and looks very spiritual in writing, but didn’t seem to play out in our experience as it must have done in other’s experience. Until ….
Between subjects in our study, we decided to have a meal one Wednesday night to discuss our future as a small group. We’d not “grown” in numbers, but we’d enjoyed some wonderful ministry projects and great bible discussions. And, the week before we gave as an assignment to pray that God would send someone to us who needed something we might provide as a means toward moving closer to God or moving into the kingdom. We left the prayer open-ended.
Wednesday evening came and only a few of the regulars showed up for the meal. About the time we sat down to eat, the doorbell rang. It was Rita. Only none of us knew Rita. Somehow she had heard that we held a Bible study on Wednesday evenings and wanted to know if she could join us! We invited her to eat with us, which she accepted, and for the next year she was a regular in our group and in our church family. Single mom going through a tough time in her life. She was hungry for the Word and became a friend in many ways. Then she stopped coming and we couldn’t track her down. Phone number was changed. No forwarding address. We lost touch with her for months.
Janice and I were in Ralph’s grocery store almost a year later when we ran into Rita! She’d had to move and felt bad about not letting us know anything … but she was worshipping with a church in her new location (a fairly good distance away from Long Beach) and as we “visited” there in the aisle of Ralph’s, she told us how much of a life saver the small group had been and how coming back to worshipping in her life had made a huge difference in herself and in her relationship as a mother.
In other words, God answered our prayers and Rita found her way back home to her Father.
Evangelism need not be difficult nor intimidating. If we’ll do the praying, God will do the providing.
Anthony Parker said,
August 29, 2006 at 6:17 pm
It’s always great to be reminded that it’s not about us. I wonder how many Ritas lives are changed when we are faithful, even though we never do meet them in the grocery store?Danny Sims said,
August 30, 2006 at 6:10 am
Prayer is the real work. Great story!preacherman said,
September 5, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Thanks for your post. Encouraging story. Our faithfulness makes such a difference.Royce Ogle said,
September 16, 2006 at 9:40 pm
The smallest thing done for God gets His attention. And the unselfesh prayer, even though mouthed by one with shaky faith often is answered. I too have seen some wonderful things happen in small group ministry. On Monday nights for 2 1/2 or 3 years I met with a few guys for fellowship, study, and prayer. In that time God sent many very needy souls our way. A young Baptist pastor whose wife had left with another man was one of the first. His church had asked him to leave although he was innocent. We were glad to love him, pray with him, and weep with him as he found his footing and in a few weeks, began to press ahead on mission for God. Another was addicted to porn and did not know about the grace of God. He was delivered both from the filth of porn and the bondage of legalism. Thanks for the great post. Grace and Peace, Royce Ogle