Evangelism, and even the notion of mission itself, has sometimes been reduced to the words we share with another person, telling them about Jesus, salvation or eternal life. Words are important, but they can also be cheap. If we use words and get words in response, sometimes we think we've done mission or evangelism. Ministry among poor and vulnerable people reminds us that words are rarely enough--what each of us needs is to know that we are loved by Jesus, beloved of God. Everything else flows from that. In situations of injustice or despair, words alone are particularly insufficient. People need to be loved and valued by others. They need to see what love looks like.
- Christopher Heuertz and Christine Pohl, Friendship at the Margins
I first read this quote in July and meant to blog about it then, but my wife gave away the book before I got around to it. :P I just got another copy and will probably be quoting from it a lot. I was really, really moved by the subject of the book and think that it does more to explain why our organization does what it does. Please read it if you're interested.
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