El Cajon, CA 02-2018

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and School in La Mesa, CA has been a bright light for the gospel since 1965.

Rev. Aaron Boehm and his family arrived ten years ago from Arizona. His evangelism zeal helped inspire the congregation to plant a multi-church site in El Cajon a few years ago called The Way Lutheran Church. They meet every Sunday morning at the Rancho San Diego public library where approximately 20-30 people gather together for worship. The pastor conducts a morning service in La Mesa then drives twenty minutes to El Cajon to conduct a second service.

Praise and Proclaim Ministries received the blessing to partner with members from both congregations to train them to verbally proclaim the gospel with confidence.

On Friday evening, over thirty members filled the meeting room at Shepherd of the Hills to receive two and a half hours of training. Admittedly anxious about the prospect of witnessing, they came to learn that evangelism is far more about trusting God’s promises than about our ability to proclaim the gospel. They learned that one of the greatest promises God gives us in evangelism is that his Word works. Believers are simply called upon to deliver a message of Good News and trust that the Lord will use those words according to his desire and purpose.

The members selected the “Trapped” theme that introduces people to real hope that God provides by providing solutions to those who feel trapped. This was a tool to engage people from the community, proclaim the gospel, and invite them to a four-part sermon series delivered by Pastor Boehm that introduces solutions through God’s Word.

The Lord blessed the outreach initiative. Participants gathered together on Saturday morning and knocked on doors of homes that were located close the Rancho San Diego public library. Many people told us that they saw the postcard in the mail, plus it was encouraging to hear that several neighbors were familiar with The Way and that the church was meeting at the library. We gave thanks that the Lord he allowed members the opportunity to verbally plant the seeds of the gospel 73 times on Saturday morning and afternoon.

Praise and Proclaim Ministries strongly encourages parents to bring their children while going door-to-door to proclaim the gospel, especially teenagers. It is powerful experience for children as they observe their father or mother step out in faith and boldly proclaim the gospel message with others. It provides a lasting memory for them. We also encourage children to participate.  They can hold clipboards, carry materials, and leave invitations at the door. Many quickly and fearlessly take hold of our simplified approach and proclaim the gospel at the door. In their own way, they plant the seeds of the gospel to adults who are standing at the door. I am confident that their bold testimony of what Christ has already done for them leaves an impression on unbelieving hearts.

Pastor Boehm shared, “It was a great joy to have our children participate and I especially appreciated going door-to-door with my daughter. I can’t express how joyful and proud I was as a father to watch my young daughter boldly provide a witness to her faith and proclaim what Jesus Christ has done for her on the cross.”

“Excellent!”

Whenever I approached Judith and asked her how everything was going, she promptly replied with one word. “Excellent!” Later, she shared with me the reason why she came for training and the opportunity to go door-to-door. As a sixteen-year-old living in Mexico, a young lady knocked on her door and shared the gospel. She started attending a local church and received faith in Christ.  Because she was introduced to the true gospel of Christ by somebody having the nerve to knock on her door, Judith wanted to do the same for somebody else.

Howard is a grateful and regular member at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. He arrived to become a member of the faith family in an unusual way. Two years ago, he was homeless and living in his van. He decided to use the parking lot at Shepherd of the Hills to spend the night. Instead of driving him away, the members welcomed him. They helped Howard get back on his feet. Now with a place of his own, Howard became a confirmed member and he can’t do enough for the church that he loves and for the Savior who forgives. A quiet-spoken man, Howard was intimidated and scared about the prospect of going door-to-door to proclaim the gospel. The president at Shepherd of the Hills invited him to be his partner and hold the clipboard while they knocked on doors. It was a joy to see Howard arrive on Saturday morning. He and his partner, Harry, proved to be a formidable team for Christ as they went out to plant the seeds of God’s Word in El Cajon.

It was a privilege and a joy to partner with members from Shepherd of the Hills and The Way Lutheran Church.