Your memory is probably better than mine, but I don’t remember learning to read. I’m a proficient reader now, but I don’t remember the learning process.
I do remember the people who taught me to read. Mrs. Duncan was my Kindergarten teacher. Christine Cranford, Firby Hall, and others taught me in a preschool Sunday School classes (also known as the nursery) in a small Baptist church. And my Mom and Dad were always nearby.
Reading levels are incredibly important. We can mark trends for crime, addiction, and poverty based on third grade reading levels. But more important than reading, or other academic skills, are the relationships that are forged when people give themselves to other people.
I recently heard pastor Tony Evans explain that when Jesus called his followers to make disciples of all the nations, all “ethnos,” he was calling us to meet people where they are, share good news, and serve them in a way that improves structures and systems that affect them. In other words, our Gospel life is both personal and public. Jesus moves us from death to life, and then enlists us as “ministers of reconciliation,” “missionaries,” “ambassadors” in every domain our communities.
The Christian teacher, factory worker, real estate agent, public official, healthcare professional, lawyer, business owner, and IT specialist are commissioned by the King of kings to love all kinds of people who face all kinds of challenges in every corner of our community.
The Dream
So the aim of Everyone’s Wilson is to clear pathways and build achievable steps for the everyday Jesus follower to live as a missionary in the community. We dream of uniting, inspiring, equipping, and unleashing thousands of people through churches, the marketplace, and nonprofits to give their lives to other people in mentoring, serving, teaching, and caring friendships that become life-changing for everyone involved. We dream of a Gospel movement that ignites personal and community transformation.
What’s Our Strategy to Make the Dream a Reality?
We Inspire and Educate.
We pray, share the vision, tell the stories of transformation, and provide practical resources and training for churches, marketplace leaders, and nonprofits who want to make a community impact.
We Connect and Collaborate.
We really do believe we are better together. So we provide opportunities for churches, marketplace leaders, and nonprofits to work together for the good of our community. We connect congregations with community partners who are already doing good. And we create “collaborative tables” where people from every sphere of influence can build lasting solutions together.
We Do Good and Deliver Hope.
When everyday Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, move into pockets of vulnerability and build meaningful relationships with their neighbors, genuine life-change and community transformation happen. So we love our neighbors in word and deed.
I don’t remember learning to read. I just remember the people who taught me to read. And in the process, I learned more than letters, words, and sentences. I experienced genuine love from other human beings who looked an awful lot like Jesus to me. They helped me. They gave me hope. They changed my life forever.
What about you?
Are you a pastor or church leader who wants to mobilize your church to be a local community missionary, but you’re not quite sure how to take the next step? Are you a marketplace leader who wants to make a community impact? Are you a nonprofit leader who could use some help?
We do not promise quick results, but we would love to begin a conversation about the great things we can do together. Click the Contact Button below where you will find my contact information.
The Prayer Wall
One primary way to join this movement is to pray with us.
A unified Church marked by local congregations working together.
Volunteers who serve with Everyone’s Wilson to organize and execute our mission.
Development of community partnerships that serve the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors
Financial partners who will invest in this work for the next three years.
An awakened, kingdom-driven Church that accelerates a Gospel movement in our community.