Gethsemane Evangelism Outreach (GEO)

Before Jesus’ ascension to heaven, He gave His disciples the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18- 20 – “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The Great Commission is given to the church to reach out to the unbelieving world. It is the duty of the believers to be witnesses for Christ by sharing the Gospel with people, welcoming them to the church and also teaching them to obey the commandments of God given in the Bible. In Acts 1:8b, Jesus mentioned what appears to be the sequence that the church should follow in their witnessing - “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The disciples were to reach out to the unbelieving world, starting from where they were situated, namely from Jerusalem. Evangelistic efforts must begin from home and then to the rest of the world. While it is important to be a mission-minded church, we must also give high priority to local evangelism.

The Gethsemane Evangelism Outreach (GEO) is a ministry set up with the primary aim of sharing the good tidings of the Gospel to unbelieving people in the neighbourhood. Its function is to spearhead the evangelistic efforts of the church whereby church members will reach out to non-Christians by sharing the Gospel with them and also inviting them to church to learn biblical truths from God’s Word. The present committee members of GEO are Bro Andrew Koh, Dn Low Boon Siang, Bro Edwin Quek and Bro John Peh.

Every fourth Sunday of the month, Gethsemaneans go for evangelism at designated places. Praise God that the people who regularly participate in this monthly evangelistic outreach have frequently numbered around 50-60 people. In recent months, we are glad that many more have participated – even beyond 70! The people who go for evangelism are divided into small groups. They go door-todoor to give out tracts and share the Gospel with the residents. Usually, about 3 HDB blocks would be covered for each evangelism session.

Currently, GEO is facing the challenge of transporting all the people who wish to go for evangelism from the church to the designated place of evangelism. Two church vans and TGCM’s lorry have been made available regularly. However, they are not sufficient to fetch the increasing number of people going for evangelism. Pastor has therefore suggested that we should hire a bus; with the increased participation from members and worshippers, the GEO committee is in the process of planning to better organise our future monthly evangelism sessions.

Furthermore, GEO plans to work closely with other fellowship groups and ministries by providing encouragement and assistance in their own evangelistic outreaches. The GEO committee members are ready to attend the various evangelistic meetings so as to reach out to the newcomers in these meetings. Other than that, working in conjunction with the Gethsemane Encouragers’ Ministry (GEM), a set of guidelines is given to the various fellowship groups in welcoming newcomers to the church, to the extent that representative members of every fellowship group will be on hand to reach out to newcomers. The ultimate aim is for newcomers to be assimilated into the church and also for their spiritual edification or needs to be addressed by the church leaders (Pastor, elders, deacons and preachers).

It is the GEO’s sincere prayer that you do your part and join us in the evangelistic efforts of the church to reach out to the lost, who are on their way to eternal peril. Stanza one of the hymn, “Throw Out the Lifeline”, drives home this truth most succinctly:

Door-to-Door Evangelism

Prabhudas Koshy

Many have questioned whether “door-to-door evangelism” is relevant or efficient today. In fact, many churches have stopped this form of evangelism. Some say it is not effective; few people turn to Christ this way as many are not at home, and even those at home are not willing to engage in conversation about the Gospel. Christians also fear possible angry outbursts of some homeowners and being branded as “recruiters” from some kind of cult. Moreover, many Christians do not like to engage in conversation with “strangers”. However, in Gethsemane BPC, we continue this method of evangelism. We do not think it a futile effort. We engage in it for the following reasons:

• House-to-house preaching was an apostolic method of spreading the Gospel (Acts 5:42; 20:20)
• Notwithstanding the response, we have an opportunity to magnify the Lord before the unbelieving. We are commanded to “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people” (Psalm 96:3; cf. 1 Chronicles 16:24; Psalms 18:49; 67:2; 96:10; 98:2), for He is worthy to be praised among all people.

So let us always be ready to visit homes of both friends and strangers to declare our Great and Only Saviour. We must count it an honour to be a witness of His glorious Name. Here are some pointers for you to “ready” yourself for door-to-door evangelism:

• Gently knock at the door (press the bell).
• When the door is open, with thanksgiving in your heart for the opportunity, greet the resident with a smile, and introduce yourself by your first name and as a Christian from Gethsemane B-P Church.
• With prayer, you inform the resident that you would like to introduce to them the Gospel and the church. If they are willing, present the Gospel succinctly and clearly with joy of heart. Invite them also to our church.
• If they refuse to listen to your Gospel presentation, politely give the Gospel tract and the church invitation pamphlet if they would accept. If not, thank them for the time.
• You may also courteously try to get their name / contact info, if they are keen to know more about the church activities or if they would like you to pay another visit to provide more teaching or counselling.
• If no one at home, you may neatly place the Gospel tract at the gate or door.
• Always remember that our part in the evangelism is to preach the Gospel and that the salvation of souls belongs to the Lord. When you speak of the Lord, you effectively serve Him.