The Eternal Dinner Party
20 Executives met Jesus over a meal.
They could have simply given up.
Real estate agents Chet and Beth Smith, along with their friend Kathy Runion, had only 2 months to plan and host an elaborate dinner outreach event in South Carolina.
Normally, these outreach dinners take 15 weeks to put together properly-the Smiths and Kathy knew that from their volunteer training with Executive Ministries, Campus Crusade for Christ's ministry to the business and leadership community.
They had to quickly come up with a list of 500 professionals to invite, print embossed invitations and reply cards, reserve a venue, plan a menu and deal with countless other small, but important, details. What's more, the three of them were traveling during much of this time.
Nonetheless, they were committed to hosting the dinner because they realized its importance: Their objective was to present the gospel to professionals and other leaders not being reached by traditional methods of evangelism.
Getting a speaker on such short notice also was difficult. That job fell to Paul and Sue Johnson, staff members with Executive Ministries. At first, everyone they contacted was already booked and the search seemed hopeless-until former NFL player Harry Swayne (pictured above), now the chaplain of the Chicago Bears, agreed to speak.
Harry spoke about how he had achieved success in the world's eyes, but then his life fell apart -- a message that hits home for many professionals.
The rest of Harry's story -- his faith in God and how Christ transformed his life -- captivated the audience. Of the more than 90 guests, 20 indicated decisions to receive Christ, and another 14 expressed interest in attending a Bible discussion group.
For information on how to host an outreach dinner, visit Excecutive Ministry's web site.
