April 4 is the day — Harvest Day.
Did you get that memo?
Hundreds of churches across the state did and they’re ready.
Actually they’ve been ready since God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS): Across Alabama was officially presented as a statewide evangelism initiative at the 2009 Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting in November.
The goal?
To reach 250,000 Alabama residences with the gospel in the first year of the 10-year GPS initiative and every residence by its culmination in 2020.
But from the top of the state to the bottom, Alabama Baptist churches had bigger plans for the launch year, and when the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions’ evangelism office received the materials churches had ordered, there were enough to cover more than 1 million residences.
“I’m so proud of [the churches] because it reaffirms that Baptists are still concerned about people,” said Sammy Gilbreath, director of the office of evangelism. “It’s shown me that evangelism is not dead or dying in Alabama. There is a great passion and concern in our churches for [the lost]. So it shows me if you’ll put together a program our people can do and get their mind around, they’ll rally to the cause.”
This is true even of churches that normally wouldn’t get involved in things, said David Patty, director of missions (DOM) for Sand Mountain Baptist Association, which has 100 percent involvement from its 30 churches.
Patty said he and his assistant calculated enough material to cover residences within a two-mile radius of each church building. And some churches are already asking for more.
It’s the most well-received evangelism effort the state convention has ever done, Patty said.
Larry Cummings, DOM for Covington Baptist Association, agreed.
“And I think part of that is the simplicity,” said Cummings, whose association has 52 of its 54 churches involved. “Every church can participate in this, and it’s given us something we can rally around.”
And while the goal was for 25 percent of associations to be involved, Gilbreath said, “By the time this is done, that percentage will be 95 to 97.”
Step one of this year’s thrust took place March 20 with prayer walking through communities. Church members will return to those communities March 27 to distribute the gospel and invitations to their church’s Easter service April 4. The following weeks will mean an emphasis on follow-up and making disciples of new believers.
“Every association and church will have follow-up teams. … We’ll work real hard following up with those who visit and make decisions,” Gilbreath said. “We don’t only want to see them saved; we want to follow up and make disciples and get them assimilated into the church.”
But GPS is not just happening in Alabama. It’s going on all across the nation, as GPS is a nationwide evangelism strategy developed by the North American Mission Board (NAMB).
NAMB has already committed more than $15 million to use for media campaigns, resource development, production, training and planning. Alabama’s convention — like each of the 42 participating state conventions — received just more than $25,000 to use for advertising in the Mobile-Pensacola, Fla.; Huntsville-Decatur-Florence; Dothan; Birmingham; and Montgomery-Selma TV markets. The state convention has added nearly $30,000 to that amount.
Gilbreath knows the expected harvest is worth every penny, every drop of sweat.
“We have every reason to expect a great harvest on Easter Sunday, but … we won’t just see a harvest on Easter Sunday. We’ll see results of these works for months to come,” he said. “I’ll be most shocked if churches don’t see an increase in attendance, baptisms, salvations and membership for weeks and weeks to come.”
In the years to come, there will be more efforts like Across Alabama to ensure that everyone in the state hears the gospel by 2020, Gilbreath added. There are efforts planned for 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.
“I’m hoping that (next time) churches involved this time will concentrate on areas they were not able to get to (this time),” Gilbreath said.
For now, Patty said it is a blessing to be a small part of “what the Lord is up to” and he is grateful for local churches’ responses.
“All the promotion doesn’t mean anything if the churches don’t get involved, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t work in them, doesn’t stir them. And He has and they did,” he said.
To share your GPS stories, visit The Alabama Baptist’s Facebook page or www.namb.net/gpsstories.
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