From: Frank Dippel
What Glorious Weekend to be Had!
By Seventy Frank Dippel, Evangelism and Outreach Council
The Evangelism and Outreach Council is attempting to work in several ways to assist saints in bringing ministry to branches and individuals in the church. There is a tremendous need for revival in the church. A recent ministry has come about in the All Saints Worship is doing a wonderful work. It is reaching saints that are scattered, those in weakened states of health, and many across the globe. This is one area we have attempted to help bring ministry, but there still are other ways to reach the hearts of the branches.
A branch could request to receive at their home branch or group an excellent ministry by hosting a Witnessing Weekend. This is a rich and rewarding opportunity to touch the lives in a branch. It can bring several ministries. The Witnessing Weekend is all about personal contact, it could assist in reactivating some dormant saints, it could revitalize a household and even an entire branch. The weekend is set up to bring an outside witness(saints) into a branch to visit, to fellowship, to bring worship, to preach, to testify and to teach. The weekend is a total spiritual uplift to a branch.
How is this done? First a branch decides if they would like to receive this marvelous influx of ministry. Then they contact the Evangelism Outreach Council through the Conference of Restoration Elders 816-836-3421, (eldersconference7@gmail.com) and the process has begun. A branch leader or leadership team is picked, and they then begin the process of determining who and how many visits need to or should be made. Their consideration should entail active, inactive and friends of the branch to be visited.
There can also be a random Witnessing Weekend scheduled. This is called random because individuals from both teams, the home team and the visiting team are paired up and knock on random doors throughout an area or neighborhood.
Once they have determined the number of visits that they would like to see made then the leader relays the information to the evangelism council and a visiting leader is picked and the formation of the visiting team begins. The visiting team is not just priesthood it involves all who have a testimony of Jesus Christ and are willing to share their witness. The visiting team can and have been composed of saints from several branches not just from one at a time. Potential leaders should participate on a visiting team in order that they may learn the necessary components and makeup of a Witnessing Weekend.
These weekends entail a substantial amount of planning for the home branch and the visiting team. They both coordinate the visits, the services, meals and housing needs. There are normally prayer and testimony services, preaching services, and at times even ordinances. Generally, the visiting team arrives Friday evening and have a meet and greet, maybe a meal or snack, a time for sharing, and then a worship together. Saturday the visits are made and a worship in the evening. I am not going to cover all the details in this article; however, these weekends are so enjoyable and so spiritual. What tremendous blessing.
During the time of sharing in the homes the folks are invited to attend the services. At these visits there can be issues brought to light and may require some resolutions. We found at one visit a lady who had no way to attend church and arrangements were made for her and she shared in the congregation for many years. At these visits there can be things expressed that branch members may not have known.
There was discovered at another visit a gentleman that became inactive so long ago the folks at the branch had no idea why. They just figured he did not want to attend any longer. The reason came out at the visit that he was offended years before and just stop coming to the meetings. It turned out to be an easy fix and the branch leadership were able to restore his relationship to the church.
The Witnessing Weekends bring a wonderful ministry to all involved in the weekend to the home team, visiting team, and the saints being visited. There is not any better way to touch people lives then to bring the blessed spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ into their home, their lives and allow Him to restore them to His body of believers.
There is a wonderful testimony of how these weekends work in reverse. It was in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s the teams were paired had their worship and set out to visit. A young couple who were bringing their witness of their love for Jesus and along with the home team member entered a home in Kirtland, Ohio. The home was actually the home of Brother Earl Curry. The couple share with Brother Curry, who they had no knowledge of, they told him how much they believed in and loved Jesus Christ who had recently came into their lives. Brother Curry then began to share so much of his witness that the visit changed their lives. That young couple who were even carrying their infant child, took a chance, stepped out in faith and were so blessed that that one visit had a marvelous effect on their relationship with Christ and their ministry for many years. Guaranteed everyone those steps out and participates in a Witnessing Weekend is changed, touched by other saints, blessed by the spirit, and make lifelong friends.
Elder John Mundy has a wonderful testimony to share also, it too takes place in the 1980’s the high point in the church for Witnessing Weekends. Brother John was the team leader, with the Lord’s help, of an 8-member witnessing team that was visiting the Ottumwa Iowa branch. As it is customary, they met Friday evening, were paired together for visiting on Saturday, and received the housing assignments. The pastor forgot John and subsequently John did not have a place to stay. John suggested he could stay with Dwayne and Donna. They traveled to their home and after a short time there Dwayne left the room. John was sharing his testimonies and Donna stated that Dwayne had not been baptized yet. Later, John and Dwayne were speaking together when Dwayne told John of his experience with Jesus. He explained, “when he was 16 years of age, he was praying to develop closer relationship with Christ. Jesus appeared before him and told him he needed to be baptized. Dwayne found a Baptist church and was baptized by emersion. Dwayne did not see any reason to be rebaptized.” In preceding years no one satisfied him nor helped him understand any reason to be baptized again. He questioned Apostles, Seventy, and many others and had received no confirming testimony.
Once Dwayne revealed this testimony to John, John knew he needed to pray in order to receive the appropriate answer. At that point John suggested to Dwayne he would share with him tomorrow evening. John asked God to wake him an hour early and the Lord did just that. John witnessed and shared all day at their visits but kept reminding God of the time. Lord it’s 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm and Lord it’s 9 pm he needed an answer. They finished the evening worship and arrived back Dwayne and Donna’s home. They pulled up in the driveway. Dwayne turned off the engine and sat there waiting for John to answer. John said.” Dwayne do you want me to tell why you need to be rebaptized?” He remarked, that is what I am waiting to hear!
John was given two scriptural references Hebrew 6:1-2 in these verses’ baptism is referred to as plural baptisms meaning 2 baptisms and John 3:3-10. This scripture refers to being born of the water and the spirit. You can not receive the second baptism except you receive the first from someone having authority and after a period of discussion Dwayne went into the house and John felt as though he really messed up; however, the spirit continued to work on Dwayne and convince him to be rebaptized. It was just three weeks later Dwayne called John to baptize him. Later Dwayne was ordained a Deacon and served the church faithfully until he passed at the age of 96. Surely these Witnessing Weekends can change lives.
Give it a try! Make the call either to be a host branch or a visiting team member.
Contact information:
Elder Steve Lahue, Chairman, 816-778-2384, stevenlahue@gmail.com
Elder Gerry Bird, vice chair, 816-661-2177, gebird4@gmail.com
All Saints Worship: Elder Larry Cottrill, Pastor, 804-396-1152, lcottrill@wric.com
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