| Evangelism priority emphasized Erik Alsgaard UMConnection Staff More than 180 people gathered on a picture-postcard perfect day in Waldorf Nov. 22, to continue their education in the ministry of evangelism. The School of Evangelism, sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Conference Board of Evangelization, was held at Good Shepherd UMC. Bishop Felton Edwin May has declared many times that evangelism is his number one priority for the conference. The bishop was unable to attend, because he was flying back from a meeting in Africa concerning United Methodist-related Africa University. Bishop May is the vice-president of Africa University, and the acting chairman of the finance committee at the school. The Rev. Donald Stewart, director of connectional ministries, greeted the school representing the bishop. May this be a day of new beginnings for us as an annual conference, said the Rev. Ken Walker, pastor of Lexington Park UMC. Let us remember today that its about God and not about us.  Keynote speaker of the morning was Saleem Gauhar, a lay member from Linden Heights UMC in Carney.
Pretty much everything the conference does has a component of evangelism, Gauhar said, naming dozens of programs and projects supported by the Baltimore-Washington Conference. A lot of good things are happening. And yet, if one looks at things from a different perspective, the view changes, he said. Since 1965, weve lost 35,000 members, said Guahar. In the last 10 years, weve lost between 18 and 19,000 members. Guahar asked rhetorically, Should we stop these ministries, these programs, because of this decline? I dont think so. We need to expand our efforts, he said. In 1965, the Baltimore-Washington Conference had 241,000 members. Current membership statistics indicate a membership of 206,000. He then identified a problem, not uncommon among many people. We spend a lot of our time teaching each other how to do evangelism, instead of doing evangelism, he said. Every endeavor, every program, it must by necessity include an invitation. We must do it ourselves. The reason invitations are so important, he said, is because between 75 and 80 percent of people who join a church will do so because somebody invited them. There are people out there, hungry, thirsty, beaten down, lonely, without hope, he said. He urged his hearers to think of their own local churches. Guahar said there is a common thread among excuses offered for not doing evangelism. We have abandoned our responsibility and let others do it, he said. It is time, as laity, to stand up and do our job. The good thing is, he continued, there are no committees needed. Just go and invite people to come to church. Citing the 75 to 80 percent figure repeatedly, Guahar said that evangelism is the work of all Gods people. You dont need permission, he said. We can no longer form committees in the church and do nothing. That time is gone. The speaker spent a few moments contemplating what type of church it is that we are inviting people to. Is your church a praying church? he asked. I have it on good authority that the average pastor prays 15 minutes a day. You cannot leave the prayer ministry of the church to the pastors. He also wondered aloud if your church was a church or a club, with stars, prima donnas and litmus tests about who can and cannot join. Following the keynote, participants joined one of eight workshops, on a variety of topics. | 
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