Organic Outreach® During the Pandemic
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Kathleen Johnsen
Kathleen "Kathy" Johnsen is an HR Consultant. Her company, Christian Compliance Resources offers training and other HR services to Christian churches and nonprofits. Kathy volunteers on the OOI editorial team. She is married and has two young adult sons and resides in Monterey.
Recently, we reached out to our OOI partners to find out how churches are continuing to minister to their congregations and community during this strange time in our history. We heard from a few of you. This month we are going across the globe to our friend Jayakumar Garnipudi of the Real India Ministry to check in on what is happening with his ministry. We will then head to Williamsburg, Virginia, to the Iglesia del Nazareno where the Holy Spirit is moving and active despite any shelter in place orders.
Real India Ministering to the Real Needs of the Indian People
Jayakumar Garnipudi shares these impactful ministries and blessings.
- They are reaching out to our church members twice a week by phone calling each family and making sure how they are doing. They are helping all the families with whatever they need in this lockdown period like food items and some of them need money.
- Real India is recording an audio short sermon every day and sending it to church members’ phones to listen with their families while they are in family prayer.
- Personally, Jayakumar says he is spending more time with the Lord than ever before – a very special blessing in this lockdown season.
- They have reached out to hundreds of families including 30 Pastors and their families, distributing necessities like rice, oil, dal (legumes), salt, and soap.
- They have assisted 30 pastors with meeting their financial needs because they are not getting any offerings from Sunday Worship services.
- While they continue to pray for more resources and opportunities to reach more of their community with food, to touch their lives, and show Jesus’s love and compassion to them, they ask for your prayers as well.
- Real India is continually in prayer for the salvation of their neighbors.
- During Easter they planned and prepared to distribute 200 lunch packs.
Jayakumar Garnipudi and the Real India team are truly acting as the hands and feet of Jesus — providing their neighbors with sustenance, resources, and spiritual prayers and blessings. Well done good and faithful servants. Blessings to you and your ministry.
You Can’t Keep the Holy Spirit Locked Down!
Dr. J. Phillip Fuller, Superintendent of the Virginia District Churches of the Nazarene shared with us the tremendous impact Jackie Sanchez, the Pastor of Williamsburg Iglesia del Nazareno is having on her Williamsburg community.
Jackie has a passion and fervor for reaching lost people. The church she leads, Iglesia del Nazareno, is a congregation of about 80 people and is one of the fastest-growing congregations in the Virginia area. At the beginning of April amid the shelter-in-place lockdown, they saw 11 people come to faith in Christ through her personal ministry and the ministry of the Church she pastors.
Although the church is not meeting in-person they are utilizing online technology that allows for interaction and prayer. Additionally, Jackie and her ministry team developed a strategic plan for reaching the lost during shelter in place. Jackie lays out the steps below:
- Intentionally having a burden for lost people. (They started by making a list of people they knew were far from God and started faithfully praying for them.)
- Intentional Prayer for guidance on how and when to share faith with these people.
- Intentional fasting. (She and her leaders have committed themselves to regular seasons of fasting for lost people.)
- Worship that creates opportunity for repentance.
- Asking the Holy Spirit to guide in conversation. (Five people came to faith during online worship services, and another 6 came to faith through personal conversations.)
- At times people give excuses, but if you ask the Holy Spirit to help you, the Holy Spirit will guide you on how to overcome their excuses.
- Making plans for discipleship follow up and baptism. (Since they can’t get to the church facilities, they are considering adding a pool of some kind to their backyard for baptisms.)
What’s happening at the Williamsburg Iglesia del Nazareno is reminiscent of what Paul accounts in Acts 9:31, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Let’s all be encouraged by the Holy Spirit.