CHAIN OF EVANGELISM: Doris’ Story

At the Hendersonville Church there are small blue cards available to the congregation to fill out if they have a prayer request, want a membership transfer, etc. One Sabbath, there was a blue card turned in from Doris Haynes. She had checked the box that said, “I want to be baptized.”

Pastor David Wright called Doris that following week. He wanted to get to know her a bit, and he asked her if she would be interested in taking Bible studies. She replied, “I’ve already had Bible studies.” Pastor Wright tried to piece together what studies she’d gone through and with what church or denomination. She remembered it was the Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides and said she went through all of them with an individual named Bobby at the Albemarle Church in NC.

Wright then proceeded to go over the beliefs on the baptismal certificate. He told her, “I’m going to read through these and you let me know if you agree. The first one ‘do you believe

in the trinity?’ ‘Do you believe that Jesus came and died for our sins?’ ...all these things. And she said yes. All the way through the health part, the Sabbath, all the way down through...'Yes’.”

Pastor Wright was convinced and asked when she wanted to be baptized. Doris replied, “As soon as possible.” He gave her some dates and encouraged her to invite her friends from Albemarle that she had studied with. A few days later the date was set, and Doris was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Wright came to find out that Doris was at the Hendersonville church because her sister, Patty, attended there. During a visit to the Albemarle area, Patty had taken Doris to the church there. Bobby Dennis, an elder at the Albemarle Church, was leading an interest class following an evangelistic series, and offered to study the Bible with her. Doris continued personal Bible studies and came to know the Lord for herself. She later moved to Hendersonville to be with her sister. The journey to Doris’ baptism goes back 30 years when two lay members brought Patty herself into the church for the first time.

Evangelism isn’t always just one single event. Oftentimes it’s a chain where one event leads to another; one person brings one person to church and then that person brings another. It goes to show how the seeds we sow of evangelism can grow into something bigger when we work together to share His word.

—by Rachel Beaver