One of the quiet achievers in the Bible is the Lord’s disciple Andrew who on at least three occasions brought people to Jesus.

The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus was to find his brother Peter and introduce him to Jesus. (John 1:41-42) Later, when a great multitude was hungry, he found a boy with five barley loaves and two fish and brought him to Jesus who multiplied the food. (John 6:8-9) When some Greeks asked Philip if they could see Jesus, Philip went to Andrew and together they brought the Greeks to Jesus. (John 12:20-22)

Andrew’s life reminded me that one of the most important tasks of a pastor is to help people bring people to Jesus. One of the ways I facilitated this calling was to conduct regular Friends Day Services in my church. Each service had a particular theme and people were encouraged to invite friends who had an affinity with the theme of the Friends Day Service.

The following are examples of some of the regular Friends Day Services:

• NEIGHBOURS APPRECIATION DAY.
  People invited their close neighbours to join them for the service.
• TEACHERS APPRECIATION DAY. People, including the children, invited their teachers to the service. I preached a sermon on Jesus, the great teacher.

• HEALTH PROFESSIONALS APPRECIATION DAY.
  People invited those in the medical profession to attend the service. My own doctor attended and gave the Bible reading and I preached on Jesus, the great healer.
• GRANDPARENTS APPRECIATION DAY.
  People invited their own grandparents or people they knew who were grandparents.
• EMERGENCY SERVICES APPRECIATION DAY
  People invited included Police Officers, Firefighters and Paramedics. I preached on Jesus the great Saviour.
• SENIORS APPRECIATION DAY
  This provided a wonderful opportunity to affirm the value of older people in our community.
• HOSPITALITY APPRECIATION DAY.
  People who were invited included those who had served us in our favourite restaurants, cafes or dining place.
• (GENERAL) FRIENDS DAY.
  A general friends day where people could invite any friend they wished to invite.

Friends Day services were visitor friendly and seeker sensitive and included:

• a specially worded certificate of appreciation that people could present to those they had invited to the service.
• a word of testimony by someone who represented the theme of the day, sharing how Jesus had impacted and blessed their life.
• a gospel message from the Bible on the life of Jesus that was relevant for the occasion with an invitation to trust Jesus as their Saviour.
• making available a booklet that explained God’s plan of salvation.
• following up the service with a special morning tea where guests could meet new friends.
• An invitation to a follow up What’s It All About course explaining the life of Jesus and His purpose for our lives.

Not everyone in my church had the gift of evangelism, but everyone could invite someone to come to a Friends Day service. Not everyone had the strengths of the Apostle Peter, but everyone learnt how they could be an Apostle Andrew and welcome the opportunity for friends to come and meet Jesus.

A pastor’s task is not just to communicate WHO Jesus is and WHY He came, but also to facilitate opportunities as to HOW people can bring their friends to Jesus. To communicate the WHO and WHY and not make opportunities for the HOW to take place, can lead to frustration. That is where FRIENDS DAY SERVICES and PERSONAL WITNESSING COURSES can have an important role in the life of a Christian fellowship.

The introduction of Friends Day services was warmly received by our members and provided a valuable opportunity for them to bring their friends to hear the good news of Jesus and trust Him as their Saviour