The Gift of Evangilization
by Jordan B. Colletta

It was around 9:00 pm and my band had just finished ministering to the homeless men at
an Atlanta shelter. The evening was filled with uplifting songs, several scriptures quoted
from my New American Bible (the one with the BIG print - yes, I’m over 50!) and some
testimony. As I began to pack up one of the instrument cables, an older man walked up to
me and smiled. Let’s call him John.
John was one of the homeless volunteers that helped prepare the gymnasium for the 60
guests that inhabits the shelter every night from November through March. You could tell
from the lines on his face that John had lived a tough life. Although I never asked him, I
got the feeling that he was someone’s uncle and that there were people somewhere that
loved him dearly.
Tonight, John had a sense of peace and joyfulness about him, as he said "You guys did a
great job". I thanked him and thought he’d have to begin his evening routine of preparing
to hit the sack. But he just stood there. I said, "Well I guess we’ll see you next month".
John smiled ear-to-ear and said "no you will not". He said that he had secured a job, saved
enough for a down payment and was moving into his very own apartment. He went
further to say that my band’s ministry helped him maintain focus on Christ which
enabled him to preserver through these tough circumstances. At that very instant, I was
shocked, humbled and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Despite the fact that my band had ministered at that very shelter for years, nothing could
have prepared me for John’s words. Now don’t get me wrong, I know deep inside that the
Lord wants each of us to minister and evangelize the faith. However, I also know that it’s
hard to do. And, it’s difficult to know if your doing it effectively. The last thing I want to
do is steer someone away from Christ, because I evangelized poorly.
But I guess that's the beauty of faith. If we approach evangelization with preparedness,
humility and faith, Christ will shine through. And in the end, we’ll reap the rewards for
doing so. And who know, along the way we may event get a few words of encouragement
from John.
God bless!
Jordan B