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Dear <<First Name>>!

February 17th, 2022

In this continued pandemic season, we reinstated our face-to-face training, outside only.  Recently, I spent a couple of days with students from Youth With a Mission’s (YWAM) Discipleship Training School from Kona, HI. I trained them from the alleyways of Chinatown and from underneath the canopy of Golden Gate Park’s trees. Then I sent them to seek the shalom of the very places I’ve deeply engaged others in spiritual conversations.  They uniquely, refreshingly, and prophetically summarized their time on this Instagram post. 

“We spent today roaming around Golden Gate Park and the Outer Sunset district, learning about gentle evangelism from our new friend Steve.

We split up into pairs and went to different coffee shops - not with the agenda to present our views to others, but with Jesus’s beloved “ministry of presence”. This approach is centered around listening & forming trust with people. To love them just to love them, not to get something out of them. It challenged us to let go of the evangelism “tactics” that we’re used to, and just be with people and love them like Jesus would. Not trying to convince people, teach people, or act like we have all the answers before we even get to know them as a person. (Picture of YWAM in Chinatown standing in front of one of many historic churches planted in the late 1800s)

Partnering with the Holy Spirit to bring His light to people requires us to let go of what a “successful” witness usually means. Maybe a person just needs to know that a person sees them. Maybe they just need the gentle presence of a Christian when all the Christianity they’ve ever encountered has been forceful and damaging. Maybe they just need someone to treat them with dignity and importance. Maybe they just need someone to hear their story.” 

The Lord often plays the long game with wooing people’s hearts. He doesn’t work on our timeline or on our own efforts. Thank you, Lord, that you are God, and we are not!” 

 

I could not have said it any better! Now that we’ve reinstated face-to-face training, we’re also taking church staff & leaders and missionaries from all parts through these immersions. And we’re growing depth, which is why leaders from around the world are participating in successive Kingdom Rice cohorts; it’s training to embody this renewed Gospel so they can lead others. Our Vision and Mission summarizes this best… 

Our Vision:

A renewed embodiment & expression of the Gospel

  • centered around the biblical storyline of shame-reversal
  • and experienced as relevant, potent, and healing.

Our Mission:

We train influencers

  • to relate to God and their communities
  • more authentically and holistically

through the excavation

  • of honor-shame stories
  • of people and communities.

Visit our website to expand these statements. As always, I invite you to drop me a line here.

Peace be with you!  — Steve Hong

Copyright © 2022 Steve Hong/Kingdom Rice, All rights reserved.


Our website and email:
https://kingdomrice.org 
steve.hong@kingdomrice.org

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