2022 was an eventful and rewarding year for Pasadena church.
At the start of the year, the church began planning for their yearly evangelistic community effort: the Seeds of Truth Bible series to take place in the fall. An evangelism committee was developed, a team of Bible workers was trained and established, and a calendar of pre-work activities was set. Three major community events were scheduled and organized: a youth conference in May held at Camp Cedar Falls, a community baby shower in July, and a health fair in October.
At the close of the May retreat, 13 souls were baptized as a result of the preaching and seminars during this event. Others were scheduled to be baptized following the completion of Bible study courses provided by church members. Many young people also reconsecrated their lives to Jesus on the mountaintop and began attending the Pasadena church.
When summer came, it was time for the community baby shower. The church welcomed 21 expectant moms referred by various organizations, including GenerationHer for teen moms, Door of Hope Shelter for single moms, and the Pasadena Chapter of Black Infant Health. Women from the church exchanged contact information with the moms and have developed friendships with them, inviting them to future events.
Each of these three events functioned as bridge events leading up to the evangelistic series. “We know that we can’t initially reach everyone with an evangelistic series alone,” said Michael Johnson, Pasadena church pastor. “Today, we find that people are interested in healthy living, hence our health fairs. Health is truly the entering wedge to the gospel.”
The health fair with a blood drive was the last major community event, taking place during the Seeds of Truth Bible series. “Seeds of Truth is the name of the 21-guide Bible study series created by End Times Like These Ministries,” Michael Johnson explained. “We believe that seekers can best understand and accept God’s Word by covering many fundamental truths in a short, condensed-style series—seeds—rather than full extensive messages.” At the conclusion of the series, there were more than 20 baptisms.
“Our plans for 2023 will be a repeat of 2022, as we have found our youth conference, community baby shower, and health fair to be of great interest to our community members,” shared Denise Johnson, Pasadena church evangelism coordinator. “We plan to focus more on children’s ministries, such as Vacation Bible School and Pathfinders, encouraging our children in the community of Pasadena to attend while providing women and men support groups for parents and others seeking love, acceptance, and support.”
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By Denise Johnson and Lauren Lacson
