Introduction to Fluid Missional Training

Simply stated, Rendezvous Church is an emerging community that draws, maximiz-es and inspires faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.

Our vision is Together building a great city for all peoples, by drawing Toronto near to God through faith in Jesus Christ, boldly professing our hope in Him and spur-ring on one another toward love and action. Our goals are to draw people near to God in faith, to maximize their hope in Jesus Christ in community and to inspire

one another to actively love their city, nation and world. To draw, maximize and in-spire faith, hope and love.

Our vision is based on a passage of scripture in Hebrews 10:22-25 which states,

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he

who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on to-ward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherand all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This verse emphasizes that because of Gods grace, Christ followers can have a pas-sionate faith relationship with God resulting in confidently sharing Christs hope with the world in relevant ways through our intentional acts of love and compassion and gathering together to celebrate Jesus as their life. Do you see it? Drawing people to God; maximizing hope in Jesus Christ; inspiring love into action.

The most common meaning for Toronto given in current references is a First Nations word derived from the Huron toronton meaning "place of meetings. We chose Ren-dezvous as the name of our church because it has the same meaning, to meet or come together. We chose Hebrews 10:22-25 as our emphasis passage because it commands us to meet God, meet people and meet together. Its our desire to help people meet God, to regularly meet with others and inspire others to meet God.

We are grateful you have decided to serve alongside Rendezvous Church to reach this amazing city for Christ. Although you are serving in a North American city, you

will be transported to another culture when you are here. In fact, while you minister

here, you will be transported to multiple cultures because Toronto truly is a multi-cultural city. Over half of Torontos residences are born outside of Canada making it the most diverse city on earth.

Toronto is not just like your city-only bigger. Many different types of people live here and their traditions influence the overall culture of tolerance. The fact is so many people live and work in Toronto that it dictates that simple things like getting

around, ordering food, buying necessities and just finding a tiny bit of peace and quiet are major issues in their daily lives. Its one thing to visit the city for 5 to 10 days. Its a whole other thing to make a life here.

Missional Training

To reach people for Christ we have to touch people in ways that are relevant to them. Some things that work in suburban America, or rural Canada, Mexico, Chi-na, or even LA - wont necessarily work here. There are even some evangelism strat-egies that will close the door here before you even open your mouth. There are even

some actions that, although well meaning, could hurt our ministry instead of grow-ing it.

There are a lot of things to consider when preparing a team to reach the people of Toronto. We pray heavily over every endeavor. All we ask is that you please defer to our insight and instructions while here working with our church. We welcome your experiences, suggestions and questions, and pray our combined efforts will not only

bless the recipients on the streets, but also grow each of us in our walk as a servant of the living God.

For these reasons and more, we created Fluid Missional Training. Our goal is to help better equip you for the types of urban ministry we do here and prepare you for

what to expect before you even arrive in Canada. This material is not exhaustive, but it is an excellent starting point.

Thanks for your sacrifices of time, giftedness and money to minister alongside us in this amazing city where the world rendezvous.

Living by the Life of Another, Scott Rourk Church Planting Pastor

Rendezvous Church Toronto http://crosswalkblog.wordpress.com

Introduction

Part 1: FLUID

Part 2: Canadian and Toronto Culture

Part 3: Physical Preparedness

Part 4: Spiritual Mapping & Prayer Journeys

Part 5: Relational Evangelism

Part 6: Servant Evangelism

In order to reach this city for Christ, we have to do things differently

than the way things have always been done. There is a word we have

learned to embrace and it goes beyond being flexible. Flexibility only

goes so far before it breaks. Stretching too far hurts.

The word we like is FLUID. To us, the word FLUID means for us to

always be moving forward and finding any way we can to go over,

around, under, or through any obstacles that might be in our way.

Just like water, we never change who we are, or what we are made of.

We just change our shape to find an opening.

We have broken down the word FLUID below. Please look this page over before you come to Toronto and be in prayer that God would

open your heart to a different way of doing things while you are here.

FLOWING easily.

Serving in Toronto is a lot like riding the subway standing up. If you

stand there rigid, you will bobble and sway and maybe even fall over.

Its best to have a fluid stance (sort of like surfing) so your body can

make small adjustments to keep you upright without bouncing off of

people.

Be easy going and flowing in your attitude. Go with the flow. Be able to

make those small adjustments throughout the day to be more effective.

Mission

al Tra

inin

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LOW RESISTANCE to change.

Like everything in this life, ministry is ever changing. We do our best to plan our

strategy to help things run smoothly, but change is going to happen. Change is in-

evitable. The best way to help us serve Toronto is to be acceptable to the changes we

may spring on you. And boy will we spring it on you!

When we see what God is doing at a particular time and through a particular team

we tend to adjust our plans and join God in what he is doing. We have come to ex-

pect God to show up when we start concentrating our efforts and attention in a spe-

cific area of the city. Gods timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways.

So be ready, not ridged. There is no telling what Gods going to do in and through

your lives.

UNDERSTANDING in all situations.

Even if you really dont understand whats going on, be understanding anyway.

So much of daily life in urban settings is out of our control. Transportation can

come to a halt, the weather can turn suddenly, resources we are depending on can

disappear, etc. We just ask you please understand we are doing the best we can on

this mission field. Our goal is to make evangelism effective and relevant. Gods goal

is to also glorify Himself through drawing us close to Him. When things may seem to

go haywire, go to Him and pray. We all need to understand He is in control.

We are not just making excuses here either. We dont like it when things dont work

out the way we hoped any more than you do. But with over 15 years of urban min-

istry experience, Ive learned to surrender my expectations over to God and let Him

accomplish so much more than I could think or even imagine. When it comes to

Christ, even our best is rubbish to Him, but we still humbly put our best foot for-

ward in expectation He will take our best and turn it into something extraordinary.

Sometimes that means changing our situations into something He can use.

Remember, you will come in contact with people in various stages of their lives. Es-

pecially when working in the homeless shelters and on the streets. Dont take it per-

sonally if people arent automatically warm and friendly. Understand it takes a lot of

little positive Christian touches to start a relationship. You are part of the big pic-

ture of Christianity and maybe one of 100 touches necessary to create a receptive

heart.

I

ITS NOT ABOUT YOU.

No matter how many mission trips you may or may not have been on in the past,

even previous trips to Toronto, remember your expectations may not be what God

has planned for this experience with us. If you feel frustrated, disappointed, or oth-

erwise grumpy about how things are not going as you had expected, exchange the

word you for God and see if the new perspective makes more sense. Is this experi-

ence going how God expects? While we want you to love Toronto, its people and the

Rendezvous Church family, and enjoy your time with us, we strive to make this

journey all God intends for it to be. If this isnt how youve always done it, hey, cele-

brate you are learning something new!

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to serve.

Life in any big city is difficult. Needs are basic. Touching lives in relevant ways

means doing things that arent always glamorous. You will be asked to do some

things that are probably going to be outside your comfort zone while you are here.

Serving in Toronto is not for sissies!

One of the most interesting experiences to watch is trash pickup on the streets.

Most people turn up their noses and dread being asked to do this task. What could

be more disgusting than picking up street trash? It is also very humbling. It is also

an amazing witness to people of Toronto. They are so amazed they will actually ask

you why you are doing it. Then, they cant believe you would come to Toronto,

spending your money and vacation time to be here and go around showing Christs

love by picking up their trash! Most teams do this for the first time leave with faces

pale from the dread. They come back excited they actually got to talk to people on

the street. They realize this act of trash picking-up made a difference. More than a

few people have been blessed by the experience.

You will be stretched outside your comfort zone in a lot of areas. God stretches us

here at Rendezvous Church, too. His directions are not always the easy ones. But

we will do whatever it takes to serve Him because

He is worth it.

Canadia

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In a word, Id describe Toronto as unresolved. It is far from being a complete city, at least in its own mind. What would you expect from a city with over half of its population born outside its borders.

The ethnic diversity of Toronto is unlike any other place in the world; it is almost indescribable. It is our belief that if you reach Toronto for Jesus Christ, you will have reached the world. There is at least some representation of every major culture in the world found in Toronto. When you get here, be prepared to encounter every type of person you can imagine. Torontonians are crowded together and in a hurry

to get wherever they are going. Torontonians are law-abiding citizens except when it comes to driving on the 401. It is a fast-paced life in a city where everyone is going in a different direction.

It is also a spiritual place. With such diversity comes a variety of reli-gions to go along with each unique culture. Using relational evange-

lism, we are able to share that even though there are many different kinds of people here, there is only one way to true peace, happiness, and reconciliation with God Jesus Christ. Torontonians are just normal people like you and they are a people that God loves and has created for His glory. We are here to let them

know about that and to help them begin their own personal relation-ship with Him.

Torontonians are nice, but not as nice as they are civil. Thats what it takes to survive in a city, civility. Unlike Americans who hold to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Canadians hold loosely to

peace, security and good government. If you want to prove this to be true all you have to do is cross the street against the light and see the looks youll receive. Toronto is a hub for many different industries and higher education institutions. Entertainment, media and the arts, fashion, business,

finance, national and international politics are all shaped here, in Canadas largest city.

Here are some other interesting facts about Toronto: 6 to 1 believe in God. 2% Muslim; 1% Jewish; % Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist; 2%

are Agnostics.

Of those who believe in God 77% say God is an impersonal spiritual force while

17% view God as a person. 1 in 5 attends a place of worship on a weekly basis. 13% attend once a month. 81% Say you dont have to go to church to be a good Christian. 70% believe private beliefs are more important than what is taught in church. 13% of people distrust ministers while 87% trust ministers. (yeah, this surprised

me too)

61% say the Bible is full of myths. 43% of people say work is their number one stressor while 39% state the num-

ber one stressor is finances.

Below is one of the best pictures of Toronto Ive seen so far. Be sure not to just read the article, but also go online and read the responses to this article. This way you

can being to see the very real tensions that exist here and is a more accurate depic-tion of the city and those who call it home. http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/content/tim-rostron/being-there-toronto

From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Autumn 2009

Every morning I use the subway to take my four-year-old son, Frank, to school.

Were travelling during the rush hour, so there are often as many as a couple of dozen other people on the platform and on the train theres not always a spare seat. This being Toronto, though, someone always gives up theirs for my boy.

Frank, a Torontonian himself, likes to chat with the other Torontonians. Hes been known more than once to ask a black stranger whether hes the father of one of his school friends. Racist outbursts are unusual in this most mixed of cities, where 49% of the populace were born in one of a wide range of other countries. But so is any sort of unpleasant behaviour, and none of the three men challenged by my son so far has done anything but laugh. We alight at Spadina subway station and walk to the school. The strangers who are

using the same sidewalk smile at us and some even say good morning. That kind of behaviourcivil, decentand the trees in this street, and the 1960s and 1970s houses, and the Victorian schoolhouse in view, give me a feeling I often have in this

city: that Ive travelled back to the Britain of my childhood, or rather an idea of a lost Britain collaged together from bits of old Ealing comedies and films with Ken-neth More in them. Its the lack of menace here, of imminent violence, of binge drinking. Its the sunshine. Its summer here as I write, a brief season book-ended by biblical rainstorms and followed by a long and increasingly brutal winter. I arrived from London ten years ago and Ive never lost my appreciation for how emphatic the weather is here. The summers are for the most part hot and sunny, and the winters are reliably white

and cold. But the novelty of icy sidewalks, deep and ever-dirtier snow banks and life-threateningly low temperatures definitely wears off by February, which is also the harshest month. Torontonians develop meteorological amnesia in order fully to

enjoy what there is of summer. If Frank and I were walking to school in Februarywell, we wouldnt be walking, wed be in one of Torontos bargain-fare cabsbut if we were walking to school in November, strangers would be shouting to us: Can you believe how cold it is? or Can you believe its snowing? By February, of course, the coin has dropped, and these people have remembered that they live in Canada.

At school a couple of other besuited dads are hanging around the playground, but mostly the parents are dressed in casual attire like their childrens. My superb Eng-lish tailoring (Marks & Spencer) and accent are admired as usual. An English ac-cent wins you the warmest of this warm-welcoming peoples welcomes. It also rais-es your IQ by a good ten points.

There are several examples of Roots-brand sportswear in the school yardsweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirtsbearing maple-leaf motifs and/or an explicit CANADA. One mother is in her vintage Barack Obama 08 t-shirt. Conspicuous Americana would not have done for this crowd until recently. Torontoniansliberal, left-leaning, never happier than when voting to have their taxes raised in or-der to improve schools and health care and standardise municipal recycling binswere down on Bushs America. America has been a problem for a long time. Its a country thats very nearOntario borders New York stateand superficially similar. Canadians sound very like Americans, look like them, watch American television and live in towns and cities full of American chain stores and fast-food outlets. Toronto plays New York and

Chicago in American movies starring Canadians playing Americans. (How do you break the ice with a successful Canadian actor? So, how do you like living in America?) Canadians are far more aware of this cultural takeover than the average Briton is of the one going on at home. Its a big talking point here. Tiny differences between American and Canadian Englishtheres an Oxford Canadian Dictionaryare treasured (colour, not color; centre not center, but tire for tyre: Canadians lost that one). At the same time, theres an active, covert preference for things American. My Torontonian wife is dismayed when the movie weve rented turns out to be Canadi-an: Did you see the money he snatched from that till? It had the Queen on it. Moderate enthusiasm from the New York Times tends to mean far more to the au-

thors whose books I edit here than a rave in the Globe and Mail. Canadian identi-ty is often discussed. Its time to go edit a book. I duck back into the subway and head downtown, requir-ing a change on the worlds least confusing underground system, comprising a u-shaped line dissected by a straight one. (You fill in the gaps with street carstrams

on electric rails.) The subway station at my downtown destination is connected, as a lot of them are, to the vast subterranean shopping mall that lies beneath the city. If I didnt have a pressing deadline on 100 Greatest Hockey Arguments I could walk for miles and miles and miles in any direction down here, Gap after Gap after

Gap, popping up into department stores through their basements, nipping into the department store next door by way of a connecting walkway on the 14th floor, and burrowing down again to explore the Chapters Indigo books emporia, the Shoppers Drug Marts, the vast food halls. The underground city really comes into its own when the city above is too cold and

slippery for human perambulation. On this sunny day I emerge on to King Street at Yonge, once the longest street in the world and another reason why this city is so easy to navigate. Yonges a handy thoroughfare and point of reference, dividing the city into east and west, and providing a major artery from the far north to the

downtown shore of our most awe-inspiring sight, Lake Ontario, half a mile from my office as the seagull flies.

Its summer hours at work, its Friday, and that means an early cut at one oclock. Hardly worth coming in, except to sample the home-made muffins brought in by one of my colleagues and the chocolate brownies by another. Soon Im back on the streets.

The architecture in this part of town is in some cases unusually old, nearly as old as the country itself: the turn-of-last-century St Lawrence Market, the wacky flati-ron Gooderham Building of 1892. Looming in the background are some of our more interesting skyscrapers. It would be wrong to suggest, though, that Toronto is

on the whole a beautiful city. Architecturally, it is a city for people who cant stand Venice. I find it an encouraging and hopeful place. It doesnt intimidate or remind you of your insignificance with all its grandeur and immortality. You can look it straight in the eye, as an equal. There are large parts of Toronto that you can look forward to outliving. Honest Eds discount store, for example, is surely the ugliest building in North America. Much of Toronto looks as though it was put up in a tremendous hurry and on a

tight budget in the 1970s. Theres a good reason for that. Until 1976, Canadas number-one city was Montreal. But then the scary separatist Parti Qubcois came to power in Quebec, creating an exodus of businesses and Anglophones. They

headed for dreary, second-fiddle Toronto the good (until the 1980s, it was illegal to walk with a drink in hand in an Ontario bar, or buy one at all on a Sunday). Up went the skyscrapers, out went the anti-social licensing rules, in came over-

compensation. When I first came here ten years ago there was more than one occasion in a public housethey can look deceptively like British oneswhen I would look at the clock and think, ah, 10.30, one more and then home. Then last orders would be called, at ten to two the next morning.

Buying alcohol in a shop requires planningthe Liquor Control Board of Ontario has the lucrative monopoly on off-licencesbut otherwise Toronto is catching up very well as a city that never sleeps. There are clubs here, there are bars that fit on-

ly a dozen very thin, young people, there is probably a whole other underground I

dont know about. Our nanny is picking up Frank. She came here from the Philippines on the Canadi-an governments Live-In Caregiver Program, a fast first step to residency and citi-zenship.

The Canadian embassy in Manila does little else but process the daily queues of nannies seeking economic refuge. All over Toronto, Filipino women are helping to raise Canadian children, and are organising for their own childrenbeing looked after by grandparents in the old countryand for their husbands to become Cana-dians too. Knowing that the future is Filipino helps middle-class Canadian parents

overcome their guilt.

Tonight were having a few other parents over for dinner, including a male married couplenothing unusual about that here. Toronto supports numerous first-rate restaurants, but the dinner party thrives here too (thanks to our hospitable nature and spacious, more-bang-for-buck properties). If theres a new person at the table Im likely to be asked a question that betrays the average Torontonians slight un-certainty about their civic pride: You came here from London? Why? Dont get me started, I say. I love it here.

The average Torontonian walks two to three kilometers a day. (even when they use the bus and subway). Most Torontonians (85%) walk all the way to reach their destination and 31% use just walking as their main mode of transportation. Walking, all the way, is the main mode of choice when going to work, school, shopping or leisure/

entertainment activities for 31% of Torontonians. Even among the 41% of Torontonians who take public transit, almost all walk to their trans-it stop, which is an average 5 minute walk.

When you are here you will walk A LOT. It is important you physically

prepare for coming here, as well as understand the mindset of the peo-ple who commute every day. The quickest way to get on an urban

dwellers nerves and make you ineffectual for ministry is to get in their way. You will be reminded of sidewalk, subway/bus, elevator and building etiquette repeatedly. You can start thinking about and prac-ticing these things in your daily life back home. Here are some im-portant things to remember:

Sidewalk, Bus, Subway & Building Etiquette:

Think of Sidewalks as interstates or highways. They are the major ar-teries of travel in the city. Walk on the sidewalks as you would drive on a highway.

1. Dont take up the whole sidewalk. Always leave room for people to pass you (in either direction). It only takes three people, walking side by side, to take up the entire sidewalk. In busy areas think Noahs ark and keep it 2 by 2!

2. If you must stop for any reason, either stand up next to a building, or stand next to the street. Always leave plenty of room for people to pass. If anyone has to walk around you or say pardon me, that means you are in the way. (You wouldnt just stop in the middle of a road, well, we hope not!)

3. If you are walking as one big group, do so either single file, or in

pairs. Its better to travel in smaller groups and meet up at your desti-nation.

4. Dont clog intersections. When waiting at a crosswalk to walk in one direction (ex: east to west), always leave room for the people who are crossing in the other direction (ex: north to south).

Think of Subways as elevators. They are places where people are crammed together until the doors open again. (the same rules apply for buses)

1. Stand to the sides of subway doors. 2. When the doors open, let people off first and then get on. 3. Walk in as far as you can go. People are likely to be cramming in behind you.

(The doors WILL close regardless of who is waiting to get on.)

4. Be aware of how loudly you speak. The only people making noise on a subway are tourists, kids, and people asking for money. This is a quiet time for Torontoni-ans before they have to re-enter the busy and noisy city. Our building is another place to exercise common sense and etiquette. Unlike large churches that have a whole building to themselves, we share our building with many other tenants including 5 other churches. Most of the time this will not be an

issue, but please keep in mind the following courtesies. 1. Do not block the sidewalk outside the building. 2. Do not congregate in the Lobby (once you see it, youll understand why). 3. Move quietly through the hallways. Other people are working behind those

closed doors. 4. Keep the volume down in the common areas and conduct yourselves respective-

ly. Noise carries. 5. Enjoy being here and be friendly to the people in our building. (Being kind still

goes along way, even when youre a little loud!) Here are some practical things you can do to prepare yourself before you

come:

Invest in some comfortable shoes or insoles, especially for those with back or knee problems. Sandals are not very practical because you have no idea whats in the puddles you may step in. In the winter months snow boots are a must be-cause youll be schlepping around in gray snow and slush.

Do plenty of walking in those shoes before you get here. Toronto is NOT the place to break in new shoes. A blister on day one is awful by the end of the mis-sion, especially since you cant get out of walking in the city!

Walk as much as you can before you get here. Take the stairs instead of the ele-vator whenever possible. If where you are going is within a mile of where you are, try walking instead of driving. Park far out in the mall or Wal-Mart parking lots and walk to the store. (its good for you anyway!)

Go on a few prayer walks. In fact, go on a lot of prayer walks!

Wear the backpack or bag you plan on carrying while here. Get used to the weight and this will also help you decide if you really need everything you were planning on carrying around up here.

Be more conscious of staying hydrated. Time out on the streets goes by fast and its easy to forget to drink when you are between places.

Remember, if you think YOURE tired from a day sharing Jesus;

just think of how tired HE was

when He walked EVERYWHERE

to reach the people!

Prayer is so important to everyones relationship and daily walk with our Lord. It is vital for our ministry here at Rendezvous Church. We cover every decision and concern in prayer. We pray for our people and for those who will be saved. We pray a lot. We ask you to do the

same.

Before you come:

Pray for Rendezvous Church and our ministry here Pray for discernment about whether God is leading you to serve

alongside us in Toronto Pray for the right time to come to Toronto and serve Pray for Gods choice of team members Pray for the finances to make the trip Pray for the unnamed people you will encounter while here (God

already knows who they are)

Pray for how God intends for you to use your unique gifts, talents & skills

Pray for the Rendezvous staff to make all the necessary prepara-

tions for your work Pray for safe travel and health for the team Pray lives are touched through your obedience to His call

Pray your life is touched through this experience with Rendezvous Church

PRAYER JOURNEYS

What are prayer journeys? Its just what it sounds like, prayer while on a journey. A Prayer Journey is an intentional coordinate effort to pray for and share Jesus with every person in a chosen geographical area or cultural community. It includes prayer walking, biking, driv-ing, inline skating, subway riding, trolley riding and every other pos-

sible form of transportation.

We ask every group that comes to help us to go on a prayer walk in

our ministry areas. This is usually done before you serve or on your way to and from serving. This way you can get to know the area and pray specifically for the needs in the community.

As you walk through the area, you can both pray and walk at the same time (be sure to keep your eyes open!) or you can stop and pray in front of specific places. How you do it doesnt matter. All that mat-ters is you pray specifically.

Remember above most businesses, restaurants, stores, and even peepshows, are apartments where thousands of people actually live. For every square inch of a street you are praying over, you are actually covering thousands of lives. (kind of

like prayer on steroids!) Pray over the whole building, not just at what is at street

level.

Note anything or anyone special you encounter while prayerwalking and let us know if you feel we need to follow up. We are always looking for ways to touch the community.

Before you come to Toronto, we ask that you would go out with your group and prayerwalk through your own neighborhood. Prayerwalk around your local schools,

churches, community hangouts, etc. Ive even prayerwalked through the halls of my home church and stopped at each classroom door to pray for the people represent-ed there. It doesnt matter how far you go, just that you get used to doing it. You can also go on prayer walks by yourself. Theres no such thing as too much prayer before you get here!

SPIRITUAL MAPPING

Spiritual Mapping is the discipline of diagnosing and responding to the spiritual dy-namics at work in a given community. Mapping teams spend 3 to 5 hours in a fo-cus area gathering relevant information through praying, surveying, observing and interviewing local residents, business owners and public servants. While these

teams prayerwalk through an area, we ask them to identify and document four spe-cific area dynamics:

Ways to Pray (if you were to tell someone else how to pray for this area, what would you tell them?)

Strongholds (anything that has a strong hold on peoples lives and would keep them from a relationship with God. Ex: greed, false religions, pornography, etc.)

Points of Light (churches & organizations that preach the Gospel of Jesus clearly and truthfully, Christians you meet, etc.)

Points of Service (places where Rendezvous can potentially serve our community in relevant ways i.e. soup kitchens, shelters, schools, community centers, etc.)

This information is vital to our understanding the spiritual cli-

mate of an area. We are cur-rently mapping out the entire city of Toronto to identify spir-itual commonalities and identi-

fy specific neighbourhoods where God is particularly work-ing. It is our goal to plant 10 Rendezvous Churches in these neighbourhoods.

Here are some biblical examples of ways you can pray. Keep

this page with you for reference during your prayer journeys.

Praying for Personal Needs

Pray in repentance and belief in Christ. (Mark1:15) Pray in confession of sin. (1 John 1:9) Pray for our daily bread. (Luke 11:3) Pray that we can forgive everyone. (Luke 11:4) Pray that we will not be led into temptation. (Luke 11:4)

Pray for Gods will and not our will to be done in our lives. (Luke 22:42) Pray for the fruit of the Spirit to characterize all that we say and do. (Gal. 5:22-

23)

Six Ways to Pray for Those Who Will Be Saved

Pray for receptive and repentant hearts. (Luke 8:5-12) Pray for their spiritual eyes and ears to be opened to the truth of Christ. 2 Cor.

4:3-4; Matthew 13:15) Pray for them to have Gods attitude toward sin. (John 16:8) Pray for the person to be released to believe. (2 Cor. 10:3-4; 2 Tim. 2:25-26) Pray for a transforming life. (Romans 12:1-2)

Pray for God to send them into His harvest field. (Matthew 9:35-38)

Eight Ways to Pray for Followers of Jesus Christ

Christ to send believes into His harvest fields. (Matthew 9:38) Christ to keep Christians in His name and character. (John 17:11) Christ followers to have Christs joy made full in themselves. (John 17:13) Christ to guard and protect Jesus followers from the evil one. (John 17:15) Christ to sanctify followers of Christ in truth of God. (John 17:17) Christ followers to be unified in one mission, purpose, and spirit even as the Fa-

ther and Son are one. (John 17:21-22) Christ followers to be where Christ is and join His work. (John 17:24) Christ followers to be filled with spiritual wisdom; pleasing in all ways to Christ;

strengthened spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally; and bearing fruit

in every good work. (Colossians 1:10-11)

You can come to this city and stand on a street corner, just handing out religious tracts to people as they walk by and you will fit right into the stereotypical group of people just trying to push something onto people, or even just another nut-job.

Most people dont respond to ministry in this way. Even though Toronto is a spiritual city, its not a Christian city. There are many religions, cults, cultures, beliefs and ideas in this world, and all of them can be found here. Many people consider Chris-tianity just like the rest of those things. They may be open to hearing about it, but they wont necessarily put much value to it. The way to get Torontonians to really hear about Christiani-ty is to first start a relationship with them. And then, out of that one-on-one connection, you can share your story. Dont feel pressured to have a memorized script for conversion while serving here. Speak about YOUR walk and what God has

done in YOUR life. Be sensitive to the situation. Just be your-

self. Your goal is to let this person know you care about them. Let God lead you in the conversation. Do be prepared to share the Gospel with them if the opportunity arises, and pray with them if they ask. Many Torontonians are open to talking to you if they are not in a hurry to get somewhere and if they feel like you are not trying

to convert them on the spot. They will not always agree with what we have to tell them. We want to at least get them to a place where they

will listen.

One tool we have been using is called Soularium. What is it? 50 original photographic images on 4x6 cards Instructions 25 business cards for a companion Web site A carrying case How to use it:

Show the cards to someone and ask them to answer 1-3 ques-tions by picking 3 cards that represent their beliefs or feelings. The thorough yet simple instructions list suggested questions and explain how to naturally transition to the gospel or another opportunity to meet.

Why to use it:

Takes 5 minutes to learn or teach Can be used with a stranger, in a bible study or with a friend Helps you connect with people and emphasizes listening Designed for a post-modern generation but effective with all ag-es

Life Conversation

Guide from NAMB

Mysoularium.com, a companion Web site, gives another opportunity for partici-pants to explore spiritual issues Where to get it:

http://www.campuscrusade.com/WSN/soul.htm

Check out this instructional video on YouTube to get an introduction to this meth-od of relational evangelism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gTauGIzQZg

We hope while you are here, you will try to building relationships with people you meet. We realize you will not be here for very long, so you will not be able to build

many deep and lasting relationships, but we at least want you to try to start mean-ingful conversations with people. It is our hope during the down times while you are here and feel you have nothing scheduled to do, you will try to meet people in places like coffee shops, parks and even your hotel with the goal of engaging them

in one of these conversations. Every encounter you have with someone, whether its a conversation or just a smile and a nod, is another instance of a positive touch of Christianity. If someone starts feeling that Christians are friendly people, they may be more receptive to the next person who starts a conversation with them about God. You are planting seeds. You are building foundations. You probably will not see the results of those seeds or see the building completed (this side of Heaven), but you are a vital part of someones journey to salvation by paving the road with positive and loving atti-tudes. Here are some practical things to remember as you share with people here:

Be intentional about the relationships you build. It will take some boldness on

your part. Be non-confrontational. If the Gospel offends, then that is between the person

and the God Who created them. If you offend by your behavior or how you pre-sent the Gospel, then you are not sharing the Gospel with the gentleness and re-spect that the Bible commands. (1 Peter 3:15, 16)

Remember you are sharing a Person, not a plan. We are just simply trying to in-troduce people to Jesus, not inviting them to join a religion.

Be yourself and share your own story. Anyone who has been to the Cross can

lead someone else there. You just have to tell them how you got there. Remember, your part may be opening the door in love, so the next Christ follow-

er they meet may be trusted enough to lead them to the Cross.

* Before you get here, get into groups with your team members and practice

sharing your story. Then, try going to places in your own

town and take turns trying to start conversations with com-

plete strangers.

For the life of Christ to be reproduced in us, it must be through hum-

ble service to others, because that is what Christ told us and showed

us. Humility is a lifestyle, not isolated incidents. It is an attitude to-

ward God, ourselves and others that permeates our thoughts and

deeds. The way humility is expressed takes on a cultural face. It is im-

portant to seek an understanding of the culture one will be serving in

to ensure that the service is appropriate for the recipient.

The Monkey Serves the Fish

A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a se-

cure, protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters

to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed

obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of as-

sistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree precariously dangled over the very spot where the fish seemed

to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far

out on a limb, reached down and snatched the fish from the threaten-

ing waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he

carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish

showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest. Joy and sat-

isfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped an-

other creature.

In this story, the fish likely saw the arrogance of the monkeys as-

sumption that what was good for monkeys would also be good for fish.

This arrogance, hidden from the monkeys consciousness, far over-

shadowed his kindness in trying to help the fish. Thus good intentions

are not enough.

To be as effective as possible in your service with

Rendezvous Church, its important to learn and

practice some important areas.

To Rendezvous Church, servant evangelism means sharing the love of Christ

through serving our community. It is our primary means of outreach because it has been the most

effective way we have to make contact with people. We do things like:

Picking up trash on the sidewalks

Cleaning up and weeding the area parks

Serving meals in various soup kitchens

Helping homeless people with job search and resume writing

Helping with clothing and other donations at homeless shelters

Free gift wrapping on the streets in December

Organizing and prepping materials and supplies for classes

Painting Schools, Community Centers and other not-for-profit organizations.

Maintenance of our space

Passing out water, coffee, granola bars, gum, etc on the streets when appropriate

Performing at places like the Senior Adult centers and Homeless Drop-in Centers, Womens shel-

ters, etc.

Teaching Wii games and organizing Wii tournaments at Senior Centers and Homeless Shelters

We do these things to serve our community and to make connections with Torontonians. When

asked why we do this, we answer with certainty, we are sharing the love of Jesus in a practical way.

This goes a long way with Canadians. Memorize this statement. You will say it a lot here because we

serve our city a lot. The reason we do this is our actions earn us the right to share our faith, hope and

love in Jesus Christ. We also so this because we are branding ourselves as a community of faith, hope

and love who loves this city and wants to serve its people.

When we do these things, we always hand cards to people that tell them who we are and where they

can check us out on the internet. Sometimes we hand out invitations to special events. We never

handout a single card to anyone without performing some kind of service for the community. We al-

so never hand out spiritual tracks.

The results are not always immediate. Sometimes it has taken months or even longer before some-

one who received a touch from us and contact us or come to a Worship Rendezvous. Were okay

with that. We know that the Holy Spirit is working and when the time is right in a persons life, they

will come to the church which served them with no strings attached. Many people come to know the

Lord from just such an experience. The important thing is this community knows we are here to

serve and it is out of our love for Jesus, and our love for them. Even if we dont get an immediate re-

sponse, you are helping us brand ourselves in the community as servants.

Special Talents: If your team is blessed with talents and skills and would like to share those with peo-

ple in Toronto, please let us know when you fill out the Team Information Form. We would love to

set up an opportunity for God to be glorified through those creative passions He has placed in you.

We always have some kind of projects on the back burner waiting for the right people to come

along!

Before coming here, we recommend you go and do some kind of servant evangelism project. Go

clean a park in your area. Give a free car wash thats not a fundraiser. Just do something to serve

your community. It will be good practice for when you are here.

HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR SERVANT EVANGELISM

Cross Cultural Servanthood

by Duane Elmer

Servant Evangelism

by Alvin Reid/ David Wheeler

Late summer

SUMMER/ FALL 2015

FLATWOODS, WVA

SEPTEMBER 2015 Downtown Richmond Working with SBCV churches