Redmond, WA 05-2016

Praise and Proclaim Ministries received the joy and privilege to train members from Living Hope Lutheran Church in Redmond, Washington over the weekend. They braved the rain and stepped out in their faith to share their faith by going door-to-door to proclaim the gospel.

Redmond, WA – the self-proclaimed bicycle capital of the Northwest and the home of Microsoft – is a large suburb east of Seattle that overlooks Lake Washington. Nestled among large fir trees and heavy undergrowth, this Puget Sound area is unique in its appearance and in its culture.

At one time, people said that they moved to the Pacific Northwest to get away from organized religion. This proud anti-religion heritage has bred an independent spirit that embraces secular thought and tolerates world religions. Any attempt at sharing the Truth of Jesus Christ according to His Word is typically met with icy rebuffs or stubborn indifference. This independent spirit can be intimidating for many Christians in the area who have designs on carrying out the great commission in their community!

Like many communities throughout North America, Redmond has radically transformed in only a half-generation. Indifferent agnostics are being replaced by practicing Hindus who grew up in India and are now working as engineers at Microsoft.

The Lord granted members from Living Hope Lutheran Church to meet face-to-face with these beautiful people and planted the seeds of God’s Word.

On Friday evening, members from Living Hope Lutheran Church and a few guests gathered for a brief dinner and 2 ½ hours of intense, thorough training. They learned the Praise and Proclaim methodology and approach on how to quickly build bridges after knocking on doors and effortlessly transition to a quick and seamless message of Good News.

On a cool, wet Saturday morning, a brave band of “mighty warriors” confronted the elements and headed off to share the gospel in the communities of Redmond Ridge.

When a person lives in the Puget Sound area, they are typically not afraid to go outside when there is a light raining falling. Equipped with rain slickers, plastic bags to cover the outreach materials and clipboards, a person can enjoy most any outside activity – including going door-to door to share the gospel.

A large postcard was mailed to homes in the neighborhood with the bold theme, “Finding Freedom”. Upon introducing ourselves within the first fifteen seconds, this postcard provided a reason to be at the door. The participants were trained to quickly transition to sharing this message, “The love of Christ want you to know that you can find freedom from guilt, fear, or a broken past. Freedom is found in the forgiveness of your sins – by what He has already done for you. We invite you to come and hear a message in the next four Sundays at Living Hope Lutheran Church were our pastor will talk about how we can find freedom from broken promises, worry, fear, or guilt.”

Many of the people who opened the door that morning were Microsoft engineers who were born and raised in India. They quickly professed their belief in the Hindu religion, but were very open to talk and learn about Christianity. When building bridges with people, a great way to engage a person is to ask them questions about their beliefs. This provides a wonderful opportunity to extend a conversation and share the significance of Christ being our substitute on the cross. This was the case with one Hindu man who listened intently to my message, but kept agreeing with me. I have learned from experience that even though this can be frustrating, the fruit of patience will allow me to refrain from arguing and extend a conversation to take a Bible basics class. He was sincerely intrigued at the prospect of attending a class to learn more about Christianity.

At the end of the day, our group of Christians rejoiced that the Lord gave them the opportunity to share the gospel with one hundred and thirty people. Leading up the campaign, Praise and Proclaim Ministries prepared the congregation to continue to engage and connect with those members of the community who expressed interest in learning more about the Living Hope family and what the church taught about how we can find freedom in Christ.