Dear Friends,
“How can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14 NLT)
When she heard the pastor’s announcement, she was indignant. Their church would be hosting a Muslim outreach seminar? Not if she had anything to say about it. After service, she approached her pastor and made her opinion clear. “My husband and I don’t want that seminar in our church,” she told the pastor. Surprised, he responded that it was all about evangelism—sharing the Good News with Muslim people. She was undeterred, “I don’t care. We don’t want anything about Muslims in our church!”
Perhaps motivated by fear or anger, this woman was deeply uncomfortable with the idea of a weekend seminar about Muslim outreach. She lived in a small, midwestern town, and while she knew a Muslim population lived nearby, she had never before interacted with them. Despite her reluctance, she participated in the weekend seminar called Bridging the Gap.
What she learned there changed her life. Led by World Outreach workers and authors Timothy and Miriam Harris, Bridging the Gap equips Jesus followers with the tools and knowledge necessary to reach out to their Muslim neighbors. They host sessions such as, “God is Moving in the Muslim World,” and “Muslims are People Like You and Me – They Just Need Jesus.” For many American believers, this is the first time they encounter love-based, comprehensive information about effective outreach to Muslim people.
The first half of the weekend is spent on instruction and teaching, and the second half allows the participants to interact with their Muslim neighbors. They visit a local mosque where they receive a tour and explanation of Islam from a Muslim perspective, and they finish the day by eating at a restaurant owned and operated by Muslims.
Timothy shared that these believers end the seminar with answers to important questions such as, “What are the cultural practices of Muslims that Christians should learn about to effectively build bridges with them? How can Christians have sincere, honest faith and life conversations with Muslims? What are some questions for heart-to-heart dialogue/conversation between Muslims and Christians?”
After a full weekend of instruction and relationship building, the same woman who adamantly opposed the seminar came up to Timothy and said, “I just want you to know that this weekend has been transformational in my life.”
The Lord changed this woman’s heart, and there is great hope in that. 1 in 4 people in the world are Muslims, but over 80% of them do not know a single Christian. As each hour passes in the seminar, Timothy witnesses the participants’ demeanors change as they grow in understanding toward Muslim people and catch God’s heart for them.
So how can you get involved in your own community? Here are some practical tips:
- It begins with prayer. Pray and ask the Lord to burden your heart for the salvation of Muslim people.
- Get outside your comfort zone and find a halal (like kosher in the Jewish tradition) restaurant or Middle Eastern market in your community and engage with the people working there.
- Grab a copy of Loving Your Muslim Neighbor by WO’s Timothy and Miriam Harris and learn practical tips from stories from across the Midwest to the Middle East.
- If you think your own congregation would benefit from a Bridging the Gap seminar, contact the World Outreach office at wo@epcwo.org or 407.930.4239 for more information.
Don’t wait. Begin this week, begin today, to reach across the divide, bridge the gap, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard.
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