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Help Us Keep Online Events Free posted by John Sorensen on Jun 15, 2020
Dear Friend,
We are excited about how God is working during this global crisis. Believers are seeking ways to share the hope that we have in Jesus Christ with their friends and family. We invite you to join us in helping them share their faith! Will you prayerfully consider helping us to keep these events free?
In the past three months, registrations for our GO2020 online training have soared. We saw an immediate need for more resources and training opportunities online. That’s why we created Share Life Online, a three-hour version of our Share Your Faith workshop, held LIVE over Zoom last month to more than 150 pastors and believers.
The response was incredible. More than 35% of those that attended had never taken an EE course before, 78% said they would recommend the course to others, and 87% said they would take another online class from Evangelism Explosion. Some of the comments we received afterwards included:
“Best course I ever had.”
“It reinforced my confidence!”
“It has given me the words to better explain the Gospel to others.”
“It re-sparked my desire to share the Gospel.”
“It was more than I expected.”
“When can we offer this again?”
Theresa attended Share Life Online to brush up on her evangelism skills. When she stopped at a local store to pick up some items, she took her cell phone with her so she wouldn’t miss anything. While in the store, Priscilla stopped her and asked what she was listening to.
When Theresa told her, Pricilla paused. “I think God must be telling me something,” she said. “You are the second person that passed by me today that I could hear someone talking about God.”
Theresa didn’t hesitate. She stopped what she was doing and shared the Gospel presentation with Priscilla. Right there in the aisle of the store, Priscilla prayed to receive the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Theresa knew God had arranged that meeting for her. “If we listen to God, He will direct our steps. We just need to be prepared so He can use us.”
Friends, that’s exactly what we at EE have been doing during this time of social isolation – equipping believers to share the hope that can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And right now, we are offering these online events to believers free of charge. You can help them remain free with your gift of any amount today.
People are responding and turning to Jesus in this crisis. When COVID-19 hit Europe, our EE team in Finland moved their XEE training online and began inviting people they knew in the community to join them online in conversation. One visitor, a doctor named Markuu, had never participated in a video meeting. During their second session, the team shared the Gospel with Markuu, and he prayed to receive Jesus Christ. For the next five weeks, they continued to meet with him via Zoom to help him grow in his faith.
“It was a great moment for Markku, but also for us. For the first time, we witnessed someone coming to Christ in a video meeting!“ said Toni Linjama, National Director of EE Finland. “We can put the whole Great Commandment into leaders’ hands and get it back to the center of the life of the Church.”
Markku was so excited that he pledged to support Toni financially. “What you have done for me, please go and do for others!” Toni plans to invite Markuu to join them in the fall for a full XEE semester to help him share the Gospel with his adult daughters and his peers, other doctors in his community. That is the Gospel in action.
Folks, June 30 marks the end of our fiscal year. During this crisis, our material sales and workshop fees have dropped to virtually nothing. As a result, we expect to end the year at a loss of just under $100K. We don’t expect to return to a full training schedule anytime soon, but we do plan to continue equipping every believer to be a witness—especially in these trying times.
Your support is vital during this time to help believers like Theresa and Toni share the Good News with the people they encounter. Last year, we spent less than $1 for every person who professed faith in Jesus Christ. Today, through technology, we can equip even more to share their faith. Let’s impact the world for the Kingdom of God!
Together in His service,
Rev. John B. Sorensen, D.D.
President/CEO
PS: You can help us continue to offer these critical training events free of charge. Every gift matters. Every dollar impacts someone’s life for eternity. Will you join us with your best gift today?