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WHO WE ARE

Founded in 1866, St. Paul Berea, ELCA is a place where you will always be welcomed. By serving through relationships and love, St. Paul Berea is a space where everyone can grow spiritually.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

WHAT WE DO

Our mission is “To know and serve Christ by reaching out in love to all” and we believe in the importance of involving and experiencing God in all areas of your life. There are countless ways to grow in your involvement and your faith at St. Paul; regardless of where you are in your journey, there is a place for you here.

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Members and first time guests alike, we invite you to get connected to the community. Whether you're attending service on a Sunday, dropping in on a small group meeting, or stopping by to chat with Pastor Dan, you can anticipate a positive, encouraging experience.

PASTOR SKILLMAN

"We love the God we cannot see by loving and serving our neighbor, who we can see."

An Epiphany for Evangelism

Daniel Skillman

The word “epiphany” means, basically, a revelation or an unveiling.

Something that was previously unseen has made itself known.

In the Church, we speak of Jesus as the Epiphany of God.

I’d like to offer something that I think could possibly act as an epiphany for you about evangelism.

Often times, we think of evangelism as the act of deliberately and directly telling people who have never heard about Jesus (or who are, at least, unfamiliar with what Jesus could mean for their lives) the story of that first century son of Mary, who was also the son of God, and the savior of the world. Evangelism is about bringing Jesus into the lives of people who haven’t yet had the pleasure of his company. And that is one way to think about evangelism.

But I want you to consider something.

Jesus, the eternal word of God, is the creating and animating force of all things. Nothing that has been made was made apart from the word of God, and all things hold together by that same word. (see John 1:1-3)

Now, if that’s true, I think we have to conclude that there’s no one who stands outside of the life-giving, animating word of God that is Jesus Christ. The notion that the people of the world can be divided into those who are “in Christ,” and those who are “outside of Christ” comes crashing down. All people are in Christ, and Christ is in all people.

The distinction that we might still make is this: Not all people know this yet.

So, evangelism isn’t so much about bringing Jesus to places he hasn’t reached yet. Rather, it’s about pointing out that he’s been there all along. Whatever is true, and noble, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable--that is the presence of Jesus. The task of evangelism is simply drawing that connection--helping people to have that epiphany.

This means that you don’t have to be an expert in the Bible or “theology” to evangelize. All you have to do is realize that Jesus is the force in, with, and under all that is good.

I hope that’s a positive epiphany for you and for your evangelistic efforts.