What a GREAT CONVENTION!

I have always enjoyed the North American Christian Convention. However, this year was better than most. The services were great and the messages inspiring. It was also great to see friends and renew relationships.

One man, Robert Kitchen, or "Dad", as I call him, was there. I was able to connect with him after losing track of him for few years. Bob was the man who spent hours and hours talking to a rebellious teenager about God, the Church, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After a year or so, things began to make sense to me and I accepted Jesus Christ.

The funny thing is most of Bob's kids went to college and two of his own sons were planning to be ministers. None of them are still in the ministry. Only I remain in the ministry. I think Bob is pretty proud of that fact.

Another thing happened at the convention. MaryAnne and I were in the elevator going back to our room after the evening service. There was just us and a little old woman. When I look at her, she seems familiar to me, but I could not figure out how. I looked at her name tag (everyone wears a name tag at the NACC), and saw her name - Lois Wool. Finally, I just had to ask her if she was married to a man named Ruby. She answered that she was, but he had passed away about ten years ago. Then she looked at my name tag and said my name. I could see the light go on. "You're Mike Duff!" she shouted. "Yes I am", I said, "Your husband baptized me!"

Her husband. Ruby, was an elder in my home church. One summer Sunday morning, when the preacher was gone on vacation, he preached his first sermon from the pulpit of the South Redford Church of Christ. Not only that, but I think I was his first baptism as well. He looked pretty shocked when I came down the aisle of that auditorium. One thing you should know about Ruby. He was short. Like Dave Nance short! I was as tall then as I am now, maybe even taller. He struggled baptizing me, but he got the job done.

All this got me to thinking. You know my conversion was the product of the efforts of several people, many of whom, were not paid staff. Now in fairness, the minister of the church had also worked with me and was an important factor, but it was a team effort. From Sunday school teachers, to youth sponsors, from caring church members, to leadership that was not afraid to step out of their comfort zone, all these people were used to reach me for Christ.

To often, church members forget that evangelizing the lost is EVERYONE'S job. There are people in your life right now who need to hear about Jesus Christ. Some of them might just need a ride to church. Some of them might just need a friend. Some of them might need someone to ask the question, "Do you have a daily relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son?" Reaching the people of this community is a TEAM effort. Why not get in the game?