Members On A Mission For God
It’s 9:30 on Sabbath morning, and Alethea Truman is already on her way to the newly planted Breath of Life Church in Tampa, Florida, where she is set to participate in the divine worship service. But, she is not simply reading Scripture or collecting the offering. On this particular Sabbath, she is scheduled to deliver the sermon. Most people would be terrified to stand in front of a crowd and deliver a message, but not Truman. She is a local elder at the Mt. Calvary Church in Tampa, and she is emboldened with a passion to speak for God.
After the sermon, Truman grabs a quick bite to eat, and then she hits the street with another member of the Mt. Calvary Church, Peach Brooks. Together, they are visiting contacts from the recent Breath of Life summer evangelistic revival who were never baptized. Although the revival netted 117 baptisms, they continue to follow up with those who may still be willing to make a decision to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and join the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
After conducting home visits, they head back to church for an afternoon Bible study with newly baptized members of the church and other individuals who are candidates for baptism. Following the Bible study, they talk to the new members about getting involved with evangelism.
These are just two of the many members who demonstrated a commitment to ministry and evangelism during the Breath of Life summer revival in Tampa. While Carlton P. Byrd, D.Min., Breath of Life speaker/director, was the nightly revival speaker, local members from the various Adventist churches in Tampa and the surrounding area leagued together to execute the multiple ministry needs that were present before and during the revival.
Truman and Brooks, aligned with Breath of Life Bible instructors, went door to door “fishing” for prospective attendees for the revival. They then worked with the candidates and prepared them for baptism after the candidates made decisions to follow Jesus.
Additionally, lay ministry leaders from the Tampa area churches led in other ministry functions — children’s, ushers, greeters, and prayer ministries. Pat Smith, who led prayer ministries, coordinated with other area church prayer ministries leaders, and developed a prayer schedule and strategy for the revival, which included praying with visitors as they attended the revival about the specific needs they had come to seek God for.
Although it has been several months since the revival ended, these local church members are still on fire for the Lord. Brooks remarked, “The revival started a fire in Tampa that just won’t go out!” In harmony with this statement, these three women connect weekly with potential members who attended the summer revival. Truman has suggested that each member enlist their friends and neighbors in a Bible study course. Smith and Brooks have positively responded and begun a Bible study each Tuesday evening with about 10 individuals in Smith’s home.
At the conclusion of the Bible study series, they will hold a special graduation ceremony for Bible students at an upcoming Community Guest Day at the church.
These members have an infectious passion for ministry and evangelism. Their faces light up when they talk about ministry and soul winning. Brooks summed up their energy succinctly, saying with a gleaming smile, “I’m mission-driven!”
