Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) likes to run short, 250-word stories in each weekend's bulletin to tie in with the sermon or events happening within the church. I was asked to write a short story to remind and encourage people to finish strong with the "Count on Me" challenge presented by the senior pastor. The approximate bulletin count is 6,000 every weekend.
"Count on Me" Challenge Update
You can count on people like Kyle Leonardi. Kyle, age 24, took part of the “Count on Me” challenge presented by pastor Don Wilson back in October. The challenge was to pray for five people, build significant relationships with each individual, and invite them all to church by January 1. So where does Kyle stand with this challenge?
So far, Kyle has been successful at befriending coworkers. Even though Kyle is outgoing, lively and humorous, he is also sensitive to people and their situations. Kyle said he would overhear stories about what was going on in certain people’s lives and he knew right away they needed Jesus. So what did he do? He began praying for them daily, which in turn opened doors to build lifelong friendships. From there, he was easily able to offer a simple invitation to join him at church. Although he hasn’t been taken up on all of the offers, he has made a major impact in several people’s lives.
“The hardest aspect of the whole challenge was staying fervent with my prayers and consistently inviting them to church when I could see they were unresponsive. In a nutshell, it was hard to get myself out of the way and step aside to pray. I kept on inviting them and let the Lord work. I wanted to make it happen, but I couldn’t change their heart,” Kyle explained.
If you committed to the Count on Me challenge, finish strong. Kyle’s story reminds us that we are all called to pray, love and invite others to church. If we can get out of God’s way, he will work out all the details.
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