The Principle

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NKJV)

The Bible teaches that those who have the Holy Spirit are to be witnesses for the Lord to those around them.  For the early church in Jerusalem, the gospel was to go out like this…

     First – “Jerusalem”
     Second – “All Judea and Samaria”
     Third – “To the end of the earth.”

The Neighborhood Missionary Ministry (NMM) recognizes the need to reach the ends of the earth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ without neglecting our own Jerusalem.  What is our Jerusalem?

Our Jerusalem is our local town.
For Salina Bible Church, our
“Jerusalem” is Salina.

What Is A Neighborhood Missionary?

Neighborhood Missionaries are families or individuals who are members of SBC, love our Lord and are burdened for the lost. They volunteer to reach one of our targeted neighborhoods / units with the gospel. These initial targeted neighborhoods surround our church.

• Each missionary family or individual will take one neighborhood / unit and coordinate with the pastor to lead a ministry team sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with each household.

• These missionaries will take the initiative to lead and organize this effort to their mission field (neighborhood) once each quarter or more/year.

• These missionaries will meet with the pastor to discuss strategy and resources as each deem necessary.

• The distributed materials will be provided and approved by the pastor and/or Missions Committee.

• These missionaries should encourage the congregation through verbal testimony each quarter.

The Principle

Operation Onesimus (O²) is based on one of the principle teachings recorded in God’s Word. Philemon, a wealthy friend of the apostle Paul had a run away slave by the name of Onesimus. During his time away from his owner, Onesimus encountered the apostle Paul who shared the gospel with him. Onesimus then trusted the Lord Jesus as his Savior and became a believer. Onesimus was now a new man. Aware of the change in Onesimus, Paul urged Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to welcome him back granting him freedom.  Note what Paul said…

“I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains… For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever.” Philemon 1:10, 15 (NKJV)

There are many things we can observe from these two verses.

First – Sometimes people move and relocate
(for positive or negative reasons).
Second – God can use their move to bring them into contact with the gospel message.
Third – It takes someone with the love and concern of Paul to share the gospel message with them.

Operation Onesimus is a ministry designed to bring the gospel to those who are new to our community and/or church. It is a tool that we can use to mobilize men and women in our church that have the love and concern of Paul — desiring to reach the unsaved with the gospel.

What It Looks Like

A unified effort to bring a welcoming gift bag/basket (approved by the Evangelism Coordinator) to all of those who move into our community. This gift bag/basket will include a clear presentation of the gospel in written form and on compact disc, along with gifts, community information and an invitation to visit and worship at Salina Bible Church.

This ministry also includes delivering a gift to those who visit Salina Bible church within two days of their visit with us. This may include baked goods along with a written (tract) and recorded (CD) presentation of the gospel message.

What You Can do

Pray. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as we seek to reach those who need Him as their Savior.

Make yourself available to be a “Paul,” working with the Evangelism Coordinator by:

• Preparing gift bags/baskets as needed for delivery.
• Delivering the gift bags/baskets in a “welcoming way” to each Onesimus.
• Inviting an Onesimus to hear the gospel with you at Salina Bible Church.
• Informing the Evangelism Coordinator of an Onesimus that you are aware of.