Volunteer uses spiritual gifts in prison

Posted: 11/18/05

Volunteer uses spiritual gifts in prison

By Laura Johnson

AUSTIN–John Luck, a volunteer staff member at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale, wandered longer than Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.

“I waited 56 years wandering in the darkness,” said Luck, who served time in and out of the Texas prison system between 1969 and 2001. “Moses only wandered 40 years. I am the recipient of miracles in the church.”

At a seminar held in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting, Luck told how he experienced a “life-changing experience with the Lord Jesus Christ” and currently leads his church's ministry to more than 35 detainees in the Dawson State Jail each week.

“Prison ministry was perfect for me,” Luck said of his opportunity at Sunnyvale to use his experience and spiritual gifts in an outreach effort. He was one of two presenters who joined facilitator Jim Packwood, minister of missions at Sunnyvale, to share how the 102-year-old church has seen tremendous growth in recent years in missions and evangelism.

In 1991, Packwood said, 300 people attended the church. Now, more than 3,000 worship. The church had one local ministry four years ago. Now it sponsors 21 ministries and eight overseas locations that help start churches

“The word of God needs to be sounded forth like a trumpet through the gifts he has given us,” Packwood said.

Pointing to 1 Thessalonians 3:1, he said his goal at the church is to not allow the gospel to “walk or trot” but to “spread quickly beyond the boundaries of the United States.”

The key is equipping church members with knowledge of their spiritual gifts, Packwood said.

First Baptist Church in Sunnyvale asks all new members to participate in an eight-week training seminar during the Sunday School hour called DNA, which stands for “Discover, Navigate and Apply.”

According to the church's DNA brochure, the class “helps in determining one's God-given gifts and how to actively use them in conjunction with other members of the body of Christ for his honor and glory.”

Luck noted most churches tend to “plug” people into areas where the church needs them. However, what really may be needed is to find the person's spiritual gifts and allow the church member to minister accordingly.

Jose Delbosque is an example of this approach at Sunnyvale. He leads services at Iglesia Bautista Sunnyvale.

Last month, the congregation baptized more than 35 individuals.

“Every culture has a different way to be reached,” Delbosque ob-served.

Relational evangelism is very important in his ministry, he said. Some-times as simple as one person sitting down with someone else for a visit over coffee and pan dulce, a sweet bread popular in Hispanic culture.

Delbosque explained how he sees entire families coming to church and following Christ because of one church member who shared Christ with one member of a family.