Martin Luther College

Would you go canvassing in a blizzard?

That was the dilemma facing Martin Luther College.  Praise and Proclaim was invited to come to New Ulm on April 10^th in conjunction with E-Day Action Day to provide evangelism training for students. The invitation to participate was also given to members from the two local WELS congregations — St. Paul and St. John’s Lutheran Church. A major component of the training included going out door-to-door to proclaim the message of salvation throughout New Ulm.

The challenge was a major winter storm expecting to arrive at the same time. We knew it was coming. It was just a matter of when and how fierce it would be.

We asked the Lord to provide a window of opportunity to go out and put our training into action, but this was going to be his call.

When I arrived in Minneapolis on Tuesday morning, April 9^th, the storm was well on its way. The projections were that New Ulm and the Twin Cities were going to be largely spared from the blizzard conditions. When the storm arrived, it would more than likely happen after we went canvassing on Wednesday afternoon. Could this be an answer to our prayer?

Driving into New Ulm on Wednesday morning from Minneapolis, ominous clouds were already emerging from the southwest. Upon turning north on Highway 14 from Nicollet, the flurries turned into a heavy, blowing snow. The blizzard-like conditions had unexpectedly arrived early in the Minnesota Valley.

The decision was made at Martin Luther College that canvassing was going to be cancelled for the afternoon.

I shared this video message with my family:

I felt bad.

Professor David Scharf had worked hard to set up the first annual E-Day Evangelism Day at MLC.  This was something new being offered for the students in association with Evangelism Day held in January. Professor Scharf wanted to provide students with an opportunity to exercise their learning and go out and do it. Michelle Gartner, Event Coordinator at MLC, served a valuable role in handling logistics. What made this venture unique is the partnership with St. Paul Lutheran Church (Rev. Nathan Scharf) and St. John’s Lutheran Church (Rev. Rob Guenther) in New Ulm. Working together, I was confident that we could help provide an impactful evangelism event.