Praise and Proclaim launches outreach initiative in Tucson AZ

There are benefits going door-to-door to proclaim the gospel in 100-degree weather. The people you meet at the door will be either impressed with your zeal or baffled by it. Either way, you can get people’s attention and gain a hearing to proclaim the gospel.

This was the case at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ. Praise and Proclaim Ministries rejoices with the opportunity to partner with the members to launch an outreach initiative. God blessed the effort.

Tucson is a beautiful city with a unique desert landscape. This region hosts a variety of vegetation and animals. With jagged peaks surrounding the city, large saguaro cacti proliferate the rocky landscape. [Saguaro National Park]

Praise and Proclaim was asked to come and enhance the ongoing gospel ministry at Redeemer Lutheran Church and School by providing evangelism training. The Lord is already blessing the pre-school and the K-8 school along with a steady stream of visitors who come to worship on Sunday morning. The congregation is making a concerted effort to reach out to unchurched families with children who attend the school. In the past year, they reconfigured the position of principal to become the Director of Christian Education. Instead of teaching in the classroom, he now has the time to lead efforts to connect with unchurched school families and share the gospel message.

This was the second time our gospel ministry came to Tucson. Last spring, we launched an outreach initiative at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (see report). Several members from Redeemer participated in the initiative last spring and invited us back to their church to launch a similar effort. This time, we welcomed the teaching staff from the school along with additional members.

Our methodology and approach trains members how to engage people at the door by treating them with love and respect. We encourage participants to honor individual “No Soliciting” signs even though city ordinances clearly allow churches to knock on doors. Most neighborhood associations will have some sort of solicitation policies, but it cannot apply to churches. Communities that cater to retirees tend to be extra sensitive to people knocking on their doors and this was the case for one of neighborhoods close to Redeemer Lutheran.

Sometimes when you go door-to-door to proclaim the gospel, you come across some interesting no-soliciting signs. This sign I came across in Tucson is one of my favorites. 

After taking the picture of the sign, a lady from the house. She was obviously curious that there was someone taking a picture of her house. I immediately told her, “That is a great sign! I love it! I’m taking a picture of your sign and sending it to my wife.” The lady laughed and told me the website where she purchased it. This allowed me to open the door and share about our church and what Christ has already done for us.

The Lord blessed every two-person team with several wonderful exchanges with people who expressed interest to learn more about Redeemer Lutheran and the peace we receive from knowing our sins are fully forgiven right now because of what Christ has already done for us on the cross.

Here are a few stories:

Clyde and Gene came up to the house and noticed a sign right by the doorbell that read, “Don’t ring! Yell “Ding Dong.”  Without hesitation and not wanting to waste an opportunity to proclaim the gospel he used his loud voice to call out “Ding Dong!” Sadly, there was nobody home to answer Clyde’s call.

Pastor Adam Mueller brought his seven-year-old daughter to go out door-to-door. On his way back to church after the morning session, they needed to stop by the bank. When they arrived, a man honked his horn when he saw the pastor. The pastor immediately recognized him as a prospect that he has been visiting for the past six years. When the man heard that he was out proclaiming the gospel and handing out invitation to come to their Friendship Sunday, he grabbed the rest of the invites in his hand to give to people who came to his place of business.

Despite the intense heat, twenty-one members from Redeemer Lutheran went out for two hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon. They knocked on over six hundred homes in new communities a few miles away from the church to put their training into action. The Lord opened doors for us and provided opportunities to verbally proclaim the gospel to ninety souls.

While we return home from a long Saturday to rest, we trust that God is at work through the power of his Word.

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