How to Take Someone to Church with You

This smiling volunteer painted Ella's fence back in 2007, beginning a servant-evangelism story that culminated with Ella coming to church yesterday.

Ella went to church on Sunday.

So what's the big deal, you say? A lot of people went to church on Sunday. What's so special about that?

Well Ella went to church on Sunday. That's a big deal if you know Ella like we do.

You see, about five years ago, we started working with Ella on one of South Side Mission and Northwoods Community Church's adopted blocks. Faithfully twice a month, we would knock on Ella's door, trying to get a chance to meet her. We had our banana bread ready to bless her with and to pray with her. We would hear her shuffle her feet behind the door. We figured that she was peering through the peephole trying to determine who these smiling folks were who showed up two Saturday mornings a month at around 9:30. For a year, we knocked. The door never budged open.

We knocked on the 20 degree days, to say hello as we shoveled the snow off her porch and sidewalk. We knocked on the 90 degree days, ready with an inexpensive electric fan to give her some relief from the heat. We knocked on rainy days and pleasant ones too. Another year went by with no word from Ella.

Finally, after two years, in 2007, Ella finally opened the door to us. She greeted us pleasantly and said something akin to "I guess you're not going to go away." We introduced ourselves and offered our services. We told her about South Side Mission's Hope Builders program that helps south side homeowners with free "big ticket" home repairs. We asked her if she had any prayer requests and if we could pray with her. She was interested in the home repairs and had several projects for us, including painting her picket fence out front and the wrought iron porch rail. Also there was the cracked window and a little work on a bathroom inside her home. It was a great visit. Ella did not want to talk to us about spiritual issues, though, and we left the door open to bring it up at a further date.

Well, from there, Ella had all kinds of projects. In 2008, Hope Builders volunteers painted the large privacy fence that she enjoys in her backyard. In 2009, volunteers painted the exterior trim on Ella's home as well as her porch swing. We would always look for an opportunity to speak into Ella's life the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. Ella, was always a bit hesitant each time we would bring it up.

So when Northwoods Community Church and its adoptablock partners South Side Mission launched a bus ministry to take folks from Ella's block to church and sent out invitations, we were floored when we received an RSVP from a classy and very private lady whom we all loved--Ella.

Ella did go to church at Northwoods on Sunday. She enjoyed riding the bus each way and was blessed by the service. We hope and pray that Ella will come to know the Lord and grow in a relationship with Him. We sure have enjoyed growing in our relationship with Ella. She is precious.

And that's why it's a big deal.