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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
November 2001 |
'Offer Them Christ' offers evangelism;
'Teen Explosion' rocks
By Jennifer Hansen
Hoosier UM News Correspondent
|
'We need to be passionate (about evangelism) because there are so many barriers to overcome.' |
Surrounded by the beauty of autumn in southern Ind., youth and adults from the New Albany District gathered on the Indiana University Southeast campus for the inaugural "Offer Them Christ" rally.
The two-day event kicked off on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 13 with "Teen Explosion," a time of praise, music and laughter.
Timothy's Charge of Shepherd's Heart youth ministry and Spoon of Silver Street UMC, two local Christian bands, led the night's music. These teen groups showed great spiritual depth and maturity as they led the crowd in praise and worship songs and some "rock" tunes. At first the youth in the audience were slow to warm up but were soon dancing and clapping along.
After an intermission, Ted and Lee entertained with "Fish Eyes." Ted and Lee, a drama/comedy duo from Virginia, presented a sketch retelling of the Gospel story through the eyes of the brothers, Andrew and Peter. "Fish Eyes" had the crowd laughing hysterically as Ted and Lee showed the lives of two very human followers of Jesus.
In one scene, Ted and Lee go into the audience to forage food to feed the multitude. They come back with a value pack of candy, assorted mints, Altoids and a can of Spam. Of course, Jesus blesses the food (which includes some fish and bread), and the people have enough until Andrew says, "Tell Jesus, the people are fed up." It was truly insightful and enjoyable.
The next afternoon the adults got their chance to experience "Offer Them Christ" and Ted and Lee. The drama duo led the afternoon with a portion of their longer program.
Music came in a variety of forms. There was some congregational singing led by Patricia Bracken who also directed the New Albany District Mass Choir with singers from churches around the district. Two singing trios, the Living Water Trio and the Dayspring Trio, treated those in attendance to performances.
The highlight of the afternoon was the message delivered by the Rev. Bill Hinson from Texas. Dr. Hinson recently retired as senior pastor of Houston First UMC, the largest UMC in the nation.
Hinson stated, "We need to be passionate (about evangelism) because there are so many barriers to overcome." His message was about regaining the passion for spreading the Gospel and doing it with excellence. He went on to say that too many in our congregations are "worn out from holding back."
"Offer Them Christ" was, indeed, a time of inspiration and encouragement.
Last updated on 01/14/2004