Wristbands & Witnessing

At the beginning of the school year we did something new for our students and teachers. We wanted them to approach their classrooms, peers, teammates, and anybody with whom they came in contact at school with the mindset of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. For the teachers, this presented a unique challenge due to laws prohibiting them from bringing up the subject of religion in schools. However, if a student asks them a question about their faith, they are definitely allowed to answer it. So, with the help of some stylish wristbands, some of teachers have been able to find plenty of opportunities to share their belief in Christ.
Middle school students love wristbands. You know those rubber bracelets that have the little sayings on them? They were made most famous by Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign but they caught on as great tools for advertisement for other companies as well. Teenagers love them. Some students have been seen wearing ten at one time. TEN! Seeing how popular they are, we made some for the middle school group that said “Fusion@First” and “Carpe Diem Dei” (“Seize the Day for God”). Turns out, not only middle school students liked to wear them but so did Josh Thorp and Brian Blair, a couple of leaders in Fusion. Josh is a middle school math teacher and Brian is finishing his student teaching also hoping to be a middle school math teacher. They have each found opportunities to share their faith because of their wristbands. Students are so curious about what they say and what they mean that they are always asking about them.
For Josh and Brian, this is their opportunity to tell students that they volunteer in a middle school youth group at the church they attend. Often times this leads to more questions and deeper conversations all led by the students. Because of these conversations, we have seen many students come to Fusion from the schools where these men teach. Once they are at Fusion, we have the freedom to share the love of Jesus Christ with them and a few have become consistent members of our group. It took a bit of creativity to find the answer, but leave it to teachers to be creative.
I once had a math teacher who was trying to teach me long division. I asked her why I couldn’t just plug it into my calculator to find the answer. She took the opportunity to teach me a lesson about long division and about life. She said that in math there are multiple ways to get an answer and rarely is the easiest way the most rewarding. There are lessons to be learned by observing the process and by doing things the right way. The same can be said for sharing Christ’s love. Rarely is the easiest way the most rewarding. God bless our teachers who do things the right way, whether it’s teaching long-division or sharing the Gospel.
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SOUND THE TRUMPET:  ASSEMBLING THE TROOPS FOR PRAYER
The Bible says that we are stronger together.  That is nowhere more true than when it comes to prayer.  When we unite together in prayer God uniquely responds because He loves unity (Ps. 133:1-2).  So for the next seven weeks we are inviting you to unite in prayer.  On our website will be our own Prayer Wall.  We will be collecting your prayers and celebrations of God’s answers.  You can visit the prayer wall daily as a family or at the office and join our entire family as we Sound the Trumpet and assemble the troops for prayer.
How do you get your prayer or praise to us?  prayer@fbcsalem.org or text to 62953 (put sfb in the message and then your request).

 First Baptist Website: www.fbcsalem.org

Go to SFB prayer wall

For past Focus stories go to..

http://fbcsalem.blogspot.com/