A Simple Invitation

Jeff and Karen did not fit the stereotypical "used car salesmen" image. I met them after buying a used car from the dealership they had recently acquired. The salesperson wanted to be sure to introduce me to them before I left in my "new" used car. I was favorably impressed.
 
These new business owners were friendly, outgoing, and seemed genuinely appreciative that I would do business with them. Their dealership was just a block from the church where I served as pastor.

From the first time we met, I always made it a point to greet Jeff and Karen whenever I was in the dealership and they always were very gracious and willing to take a few moments to visit with me. In October of that year, we were having Friend Day at church. My natural inclination was to invite Jeff and Karen, but we hadn't really known each other very long, and I hadn't gotten around to "the talk" yet. You know, the one about faith, where do you go to church, the one most people expect the pastor to have about a minute after they meet you.

As a pastor, I have always tried to travel incognito. It seems defenses go up as soon people know what I do, so I try to keep a low profile. I see people as human beings, not as prospects. So I try to respect them enough to give them their space. While I care about their souls, I want to establish relationships with them before I enter into discussions about issues that are so close to the heart.

By this time I felt I could raise the issue of church attendance without being offensive or pushy. On the other hand, I thought, why bother. J&K, as they were known, were surely involved in a church of their own. They had lived in a neighboring community their entire lives. Plus, they seemed like the church-going types, but the issue hadn't come up yet so I didn't know for certain.

One day I felt the Lord's nudging to go ahead and extend the invitation.

I went to the dealership and began the invitation with a disclaimer. I said, "I don't know if you already attend church or not, but just in case, I would like to invite you to be my guest at Friend Day, coming up in a few days at our church." That's when I found out that this couple had not been in a church, apart from a wedding or funeral, for over 25 years. I was shocked. As it turned out, God was already at work and they had been discussing the possibility of finding a church home.

I will never forget that Sunday when Jeff and Karen walked through the doors of the church. I was thrilled to see them. I ushered them right to the front of that little sanctuary so they could sit with my wife, Laurie. There they were on the second row. Not a good place when you haven't been to church for more than two and a half decades.

Thankfully, their experience on Friend Day was positive. They came back in the weeks that followed. We got together for lunch. I found out they did not have a Bible so Laurie and I bought them a Bible and presented it to them as a gift for Christmas. Jeff and Karen each made a personal profession of faith and were both baptized in January. Open and receptive, they quickly grew in their faith.

In the years that followed, Jeff and Karen became key leaders in the church. It was a natural for Jeff to be elected to the church board. He and Karen were some of our best front door greeters. They knew how to talk to people and they were good at getting names and addresses (every pastor loves that). As a couple, they provided leadership to our evangelism and outreach team for several years. They have impacted the Kingdom in so many positive ways since they first came to Christ.

For the past three years, Karen has been battling cancer. Jeff is right beside his wife. They are coping with illness the same way they came to faith, the same way they do business, the same way they live life—together. The hospital where Karen receives treatment is over 140 miles from their home. Jeff has been at Karen's side for every one of more than 70 trips. By their own testimony, their faith has carried them.

Now, it is exciting to see how their faith is being passed on to doctors, nurses, other patients, and their families through this experience. Jeff and Karen have such an amazing outlook on life. God is clearly at work in and through them.

I wonder how different things would be if Jeff and Karen had decided to opt out on the invitation to that special service.

What if the invitation was never extended? A simple invitation to Friend Day, in a rural community in east central Illinois, has altered eternity in more ways than we will know this side of heaven. Lives have been changed, not just for two business people in our community, but for countless others whose lives are being influenced by their story every day.

Steve Greene is pastor of Seymour, Indiana, First Church of the Nazarene. He writes a weekly column for his local newspaper.

Holiness Today, Jan/Feb 2012

Please note: This article was originally published in 2012. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.