Shauna Pilgreen and her God stories

The Christian Index
July 6, 2016 |
Reaching the World Through Mission Georgia | www.christianindex.org
Shauna Pilgreen and her God stories
The Pilgreens and three
other couples moved to San
Francisco in the summer of
2010 to plant Epic Church
in the heart of the city. By
Feb. 13, 2011 the new
church was launched with
weekly services.
In just over five years the
church has grown into a formidable fellowship composed
of people from 44 different
states and 16 countries.
Shauna stated, “We have a
church that is representative
of the city where our church
is located.” The average
attendance now is 500 and
on Easter of this year the
church had over 900 in
attendance.”
Diverse, unchurched
population
Shawna Pilgreen shares God
Stories from Epic Church, San
Francisco while speaking in chapel
at the Georgia Baptist Missions
and Ministry Center. J. ROBERT WHITE/
Special
By Geral Harris
Editor
The city’s political affiliation includes 57 percent
Democrat and 9 percent
Republican. The rest of the
population is either identified
as Libertarians, members of
the Green Party, or declined
to state their party affiliation.
A Religions Statistics
Profile of San Francisco
County reveals that 64.7 percent of the population classify themselves as “nones” or
having no religion, 15 percent are Catholic, and only
3.8 percent are Evangelical
DULUTH — Every
Wednesday we have chapel at the Georgia Baptist
Mission and Ministry Center.
Generally, the speaker or
presenter is someone on staff
and the worship
Georgia Baptists are in a
times are always
meaningful and
sister-state partnership
inspiring.
A recent chapel with the California Southern
was extraordinary,
Baptist Convention.
because we had
a young woman,
Shauna Pilgreen – the wife of Protestants. There are more
a church planter – tell stories Buddhists, more Muslims,
and more Mormons than
about how God is at work
Southern Baptists in the
in the church where she and
county.
her husband, Ben, serve in
Ben and Shauna Pilgreen
San Francisco, CA.
went to a city that one might
think would be resistant
to the Gospel, but God is
blessing their efforts. It is
wake up, so I decided to
start a conversation with
her.”
Shauna found out that the
nurse just moved
to San Francisco
from Philadelphia
to be close to her
boyfriend. After
a brief conversation the nurse
said, “The only
thing that I haven’t found is a
church.”
Shauna said,
“Well, there is a
reason my son
is asleep and I
am having this
conversation
with you. And I
told her about
Shawna Pilgreen shares God Stories from Epic
our church. The
Church, San Francisco while speaking in chapel at
nurse said, ‘I
the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center.
have visited a few
J. ROBERT WHITE/Special
churches, but
they don’t even
probable that no church in
preach the Bible.’
Georgia has grown as rapidly
“About that time Asher
in the past five years as Epic
began to wake up and he
Church in San Francisco.
was very groggy, but he said,
Six years ago Ben Pilgreen ‘Mom, tell her to come this
was on a church staff with
Sunday. I’m getting bapa good salary and plenty of
tized.’”
security, but Shauna stated,
The story continues with
“We started our journey by
the nurse and her boyfriend
holding hands, looking at
attending Epic Church the
each other, and stepping
Sunday when Asher was bapoff the cliff into the great
tized and she was the first
unknown of this faith jourone to come up to speak
ney into church planting.
to him after the baptismal
service. She is now working
“I haven’t found a church.” with children in the church
and beginning this summer
Shauna told many stories,
she will be teaching Asher in
but there is one I want to
Sunday School.
share. The Pilgreens’ son,
I had the feeling Shauna
Asher, was in the hospital
Pilgreen could have continto have adenoid surgery.
ued for hours telling God
Shauna recalled, “Asher
came out of surgery just fine. stories about their ministry in San Francisco, and I
There was a nurse nearby
who was doodling on a piece would have been happy if
she had.
of paper waiting for him to
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX | July 6, 2016
2
Rebuilding more than cars
By Scott Barkley
Web Content Editor
tions come easier than you’d
think. In the end, it’s just
guys talking while they work.
A project was needed,
so without asking they
borrowed – okay, took, but
wait for the ending – a ’71
one-on-one conversations
sure to follow.
had a question with that
much honesty. It’s not a
question you get at church.
Working on the car had created an environment where
he felt safe to ask. It really
opened my eyes that we’re
GRAY — For seven
days, 12 hours a day Austin
“Using Bible truths
Blanchard, Kaleb Moody,
in everyday life”
and other students from the
“I like to apply Scripture
Baptist Collegiate Ministries
[while we work] and ask
of Georgia College in
Milledgeville took the rough
places and made them
new. What began as junk,
soon became something
award-worthy.
The group, working
under the watchful eye of
John Albrycht, restored a
1974 Volkswagen Super
Beetle. On April 23rd the
car won Best in Class at the
Watkinsville Classics in the
Country Car Show and will
be sold in the future to raise
money for SendMeNow missions for BCM students to
share the Gospel in Georgia
John Albrycht sits in the 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle restored by himself and a collection of others, includand throughout the world.
ing students from Georgia College in Milledgeville. Albrycht directs a ministry, Bugs 4 Christ, that rebuilds cars
Albrycht, a member of
for young men and women in need. BUGS4CHRIST/Special
Northside Baptist Church in
Milledgeville, has had two
daughters serve through
Volkswagen Super Beetle
not doing cross-generational
guys how they’re going to
SendMeNow, so the prothat been shut up in a stuministry like we should.”
use truths in the Bible in
gram is close to his heart.
dent’s barn to restore.
That openness isn’t coneveryday life,” says Albrycht.
And though this is the first
“It was gone for 16
fined to the younger crowd,
Before establishing the mintime he’s led the rebuilding
months, and he never knew
either. “Older guys, especialistry, he’d noticed how his
of a car to directly benefit
it until we returned it to
students were having trouble ly those saved later in life,
missions, he’s been using the him,” smiles Albrycht.
applying the Scriptural truths are honest about their scars,”
shop environment to
Albrycht contends.
taught at church
build up young men
A father of five, Albrycht
in their own
“Working on the car had created lives. “Follow-up speaks
for years, going back
in churches on the
an environment where he felt safe was missing,” he importance of men being the
to his youth minister
days at Plentitude
spiritual leader in the famto ask. It really opened my eyes admits.
Baptist Church in
ily. At last count he’s been
“One Friday
that we’re not doing cross-gener- around midnight part of restoring/rebuilding
Jones County.
“We had quite a
ational ministry like we should.” a guy showed up 26 cars and giving them to
few junior and senior
young men and women in
at my house and
guys involved in
need. He sees a direct spirsaid, ‘Mr. John,
the program,” remembers
It’s been ten years since
itual association with the
I need to go work on the
Albrycht. “A volunteer, Jeff
Albrycht and others began
process.
car.’ At church, we’d been
Weeks, suggested we find a
restoring cars for high school talking about sex and mar“Restoring cars is like
way to develop relationships
students, migrating toward
restoring lives through
riage. After 20 minutes he
with them outside of the
college students, as a menChrist,” he says. “I’ll use
admitted to me he’d had sex
church before they headed
toring ministry. As word
with his girlfriend that night. the repair manual of the car
off to college.”
got out more wanted to be
to show how when we live
Now, he wanted to know
involved and today 15-18
apart from the Bible we mess
what he should do.
men, ranging from 30-60
things up. To rebuild and
The shop is a great place
years old and stretching
repair the car we need to be
for ministry
“It’s not a question
familiar with the manual. We
They determined the shop across denominations, take
you get at church”
have to be ready and underwas the best place, a location part. And although projects
“I’d been involved in
often take place in a group
stand it, the same way we
where topics range beyond
youth ministry for 20 years
setting, growth occurs in the at that point and I’d never
study and apply Scripture.”
cars and spiritual applica-
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX | July 6, 2016
A
s long as I live,
I will never
forget that Sunday in
June of 1954 when
my father, who was
also my pastor, gave
the invitation at Main
Street Baptist Church
in Jacksonville,
Florida. I stepped
out into the aisle and
walked forward to
take him by the hand
and say, “Daddy, I
want to invite Jesus to
come into my heart
and to be my Savior.”
After making that
commitment, one
about which I had
thought for some
time and prayed about
considerably, I felt as
though I was walking on air. The Lord
immediately gave me
the unsurpassed joy
of knowing that my
sins had been forgiven
by His blood shed on
the cross of Calvary,
and eternal life had
been promised to
me through the very
resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the tomb.
Before then, and
since then, the invitation has been an
unusually special
moment in the hour
of worship. The invitation hymns that I sung
as a boy still come to
my mind and in my
private worship times,
hymns like, “Wherever
He Leads,” “O, Why
Not Tonight?” “Just
as I am,” “I Surrender
All,” and many others. The invitation has
always been a very
emotional time for
3
OPEN DOOR
me.
How can we urge
people to come to
Christ, know that
there are lost people present, and not
weep when they fail
to come to Christ?
When you preach
for souls and no one
responds at the invitation, the heaviness of
the moment is almost
overwhelming.
During the closing
session of this year’s
Southern Baptist
Pastor’s Conference,
Greg Laurie, pastor in
California and a very
effective evangelist,
brought a message on
revival and our need
to pray for another
great awakening in
America.
In his message he
spoke of the importance of giving an
invitation to receive
Christ following the
presentation of the
Gospel. I agree totally
with what he said,
that whenever the
Gospel is declared,
people need to be
given an opportunity
to respond to an invitation.
He said that in
his church and in
his revivals he invites
those who want to be
saved to come forward
and he leads them in
a prayer in which they
invite Christ into their
hearts as Savior. Pastor
Laurie has seen tens
of thousands come to
faith in Christ through
his evangelistic events.
I am so pleased he is
J. Robert White
Executive Director
coming this fall to
the Infinite Energy
Center (The Gwinnett
Arena) across from
our Georgia Baptist
Missions and Ministry
Center for an areawide crusade. I
encourage you to
make every effort to
attend and to bring
lost people with you
so that we can see a
great harvest of souls
coming to faith in
Christ.
EDITORIAL
Judge Mallory’s plan to increase church attendance
J
ake Strotman
went to the
U.S. Bank
Arena in Cincinnati
on Jan. 23 to see the
hometown Cyclones
play the Fort Wayne
Komets in a hockey
game. It just happened
to be dollar beer
night at the game and
Strotman may have
done a bit more than
just slake his thirst.
After the game
he was in a celebrative mood over the
Cyclones win. He was
still relishing the sweet
taste of victory as he
exited the arena, but
his exuberance quickly
abated when he was
confronted with a
band of zealous Baptist
street preachers. As
Strotman, a Catholic,
approached the sidewalk evangelists he felt
condemned by their
message and decided
to give them his “twocents worth.”
Strotman’s comments ignited the
ire of another overly
zealous fan and within
seconds there was confrontation, screaming,
and threats. An altercation erupted resulting in a smashed camera, which one of the
Baptists had brought
to film any possible
clash that might ensue.
USA Today reported, “Strotman somehow ended up at the
bottom of a pile and
‘was eating asphalt.’
He pushed himself up
with one hand and
planted another hand
square on the face near
the bespectacled eye of
Joshua Johnson, who
had just been preach-
ing the Word of God.”
As a result of the
ruckus, Stotman was
charged with low-level
assault and recently had to appear in
court to account for
his actions and face
the verdict of Judge
William Mallory, who
has been known to
hand out some creative
sentences.
In Cincinnati,
Strotman, a self-employed salesman of
windows, doors, and
siding, was standing
before Judge Mallory
awaiting his sentence
and fearing the worst.
He could have been
sentenced to 90 days
in jail, but was hoping
against hope that he
would not have to be
incarcerated. He even
suggested the possibility of doing some
kind of public service
– even in a church.
Mallory heard
Strotman’s appeal with
interest and settled
upon what he believed
to be an equitable
solution to the problem. Strotman was
sentenced to attend
12 consecutive Sunday
services at Morning
Star Baptist Church
where Joshua Johnson
was pastor. He also
paid $480 in court
fines and a $2,800
lawyer bill.
What was
Strotman’s reaction
to the sentence?
According to the USA
Today, Strotman stated, “Three months,
that is not that bad. I
think it is a nice example of hearing people
out instead of getting
angry and jumping to
J. Gerald Harris
Editor
conclusions. I am
going to listen with
both my ears and keep
my mouth shut. Then,
maybe I’ll sell them
some windows.”
In this modern day
of travel, leisure, and
recreation it would
be difficult to find
many Baptists who
attend their church
12 Sundays in a row.
In fact, some of them
would likely consider
such a sentence cruel
and unusual punishment.
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX | July 6, 2016
ACROSS
1. “His ___ abhorreth
bread” (Job 33:20)
5.One-celled creature
10.Jerusalem to
Bethlehem (dir.)
13.Beautiful Japanese
city
15.“Can that which is
unsavory be ___?”
(Job 6:6)
16.Boxer Muhammad
17. “Count me for a
stranger: I am an
___” (Job 19:15)
18.Canned chili brand
19.Number of Job’s
children (Job 1:2)
20.First state in U.S.
(abbr.)
21.“Lift up thy face
without ___”
(Job 11:15)
23.“Not ___ your liberty” (1 Peter 2:16)
25.Trade possessions
26.“My ___ scorn me”
(Job 16:20)
28.Place of lodging
31.Soak
32.Contract
33.“He maketh peace in
his ___ places”
(Job 25:2)
34.T.B. vaccine
37. “American Idol”
host Seacrest
38.“Upon the ___ of
my feet” (Job 13:27)
40.Sore that afflicted
Job (Job 2:7)
41.Extension (abbr.)
42.Brand of coffee alternative
43.Main artery
4
44.“Gat our bread with
the ___ of our lives”
(Lam. 5:9)
45.Hummed
46.Pre-Columbian civilization
49.“In his ___ remaineth
strength” (Job 41:22)
50.Make joyful
51.“He shall not be ___”
(Job 15:29)
52.Coloring substance
55.Pig’s abode
56.“Who provideth for
the ___ his food?”
(Job 38:41)
59.“Let mine ___ be as
the wicked”
(Job 27:7)
61.Twentieth English
letter
62.To be
63.“And their children
___” (Job 21:11)
9. “I will speak in the
64.“Times ___ not hid___ of my spirit”
den” (Job 24:1)
(Job 7:11)
65.“There is no darkness,
10.Soft shiny fabric
nor shadow of ___”
(Job 34:22)
11. Starbucks’ daily
66.Parent/teacher
12.“Gavest thou the
groups (abbr.)
goodly ___ unto the
peacocks?”
(Job 39:13)
DOWN
14.“How much less
Put ammunition in
shall I ___ him?”
“Howl, ye inhabitants of
(Job 9:14)
the ___” Isa. 23:6)
2
2.VHS
alternative
“But the eyes of the
24.“The righteous ___
wicked shall ___”
it” (Job 22:19)
(Job 11:20)
25.Star Trek phaser
Stretch to make do
setting
Fable writer
26.Small fencing sword
First Gospel writer,
27. Toupees (slang)
familiarly
28.“Thou shalt give
7.Airport flight arrival
him his ___”
info.
(Deut. 24:15)
8. “To ___ I am
29.Gold
and “precious
ashamed”
___” (Job 28:16)
(Luke 16:3)
30.Type of jazz vocals
31.Hebrew term for hell
34.“Let the day perish
wherein I was ___”
(Job 3:3)
35.State your source
36.“The righteous see
it, and are ___”
(Job 22:19)
38.“Gray hairs are ___
and there”
(Hosea 7:9)
39.Newsman Sevareid
40.“Oh that they were
printed in a ___!”
(Job 19:23)
42. Tired: ___ out
43.Curved
44.“He maketh the
deep to boil like a
___” (Job 41:31)
45.Wintry month
(abbr.)
46.Saltine cracker
brand
47.“He shall not ___ it,
nor change it”
(Lev. 27:10)
48.One to whom
money is due
49.From the sixth to
the ___ hour there
was darkness
(Matt. 27:45)
51.“My sinews take no
___” (Job 30:17)
52.Make an impression
53.YWCA companion
54.“I made a covenant
with mine ___”
(Job 31:1)
57.“Abimelech took
an ___ in his hand”
(Judg. 9:48)
58.Road to the cross:
___ Dolorosa
60.Quick sleep
This special edition of The Christian Index is distributed online bi-weekly at www.christianindex.org to provide
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The Christian Index is a publication of the Georgia Baptist Convention, 6405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097.
Our editorial office can be reached at (770) 936-5590. J. Gerald Harris serves as Editor.