The main aim of our PLD Evangelism ministry is to be obedient to Christ’s Great Commission by helping local churches mobilize for evangelism in Lusaka. The Evangelism ministry currently exists in three activities: door to door evangelism, hospital visitation, evangelistic crusades using Christian films. These activities are conducted in partnership with local churches. There are some costs for the local church that we would like to help defray.
Evangelistic crusades using Christian films: These outreaches are a very effective way for local churches to minister to their communities. They are not labor intensive but often they result in a large turnout from local residents. The film is usually shown over two nights and is followed each night by a short evangelistic message given by a Zambian church member. Previously we have used The Passion of The Christ but other Christian films are also being considered. Before the outreach, PLD members instruct members of the involved local churches on the spiritual discipline of evangelism. We also take time to develop flyers to raise awareness in the community of the upcoming event. The costs incurred during a two-night crusade include:
- Rental of generator, projector and film — $ 20
- Copying of flyers for publicity of event — $ 20
- The annual cost for 3 crusades is $120.
Hospital Visitation – The hospital ministry is another area where there is huge potential for evangelism. We take church members with us to model how to share Christ. During our visits we rotate visiting various wards so we can cover the whole hospital over time. We spend time visiting the Pediatric Malnourishment Ward where there are almost a hundred little bodies suffering from diarrhea, dehydration, TB and some HIV. We also visit the adult wards where we have found individuals suffering from acid poisoning, many types of cancer, HIV, meningitis and other infirmities as well. Our focus is spending as much time as necessary with each patient, to ensure they are exposed to the hope and love we have in Christ.
We want to add to this ministry a gift to the patients. Gifts like a sanitation pack(soap, washcloth, lotion, etc.), or a stuff animal for children is a way to brighten their lives and show our love. The cost involved with supplying a gift for hospital patient includes:
- Sanitation packet (soap, wash cloth, lotion, etc.)—at $10 per patient for 25 patients 6 times a year comes to a total annual cost of $1500
- Stuffed animal or toy for children—at $2 per child for 100 children six times a year comes to a total cost of $1200.
- The total annual cost of the Hospital Visitation ministry is $2,700.
Urban Evangelism—We have found that the most effective way to mobilize the local church is a regular weekly evangelism event. This includes door to door evangelism, market place evangelism, or simply using the opportunity of a game of football to share the hope found in the salvation of Christ. One of the most effective evangelistic tools we’ve found to work here is the Evangecube©. This cube, unfolds piece by piece to reveal the salvation story in it entirety. Story telling is a key aspect of the Zambia culture and when you add pictures to the words, it becomes a very culturally appropriate evangelistic tool. The cost to provide a church with tools to aid in there urban evangelism includes:
- The total annual cost of providing five Evangecubes© per church at $5.00 each for 3 churches per year is $75.
- The total annual cost of the Evangelism Mobilization ministry is $2,895.