And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  Acts 8:29-31

And so she guides them one by one.  They have been abused, mistreated, unloved, and found unworthy by the world.  But she introduces them to the One who can fill the void that the world and no man have ever been able to satisfy.  The women of Dorcas House, a local shelter for abused women and children, are being given an understanding of God’s Word and His Son that many of them had no idea was available.  Sarah Bowden, a woman who truly believed that she did not have an evangelistic bone in her body, has been faithfully ministering to some very broken and battered women through the Explore classes for a little over a year.   She is satisfying a hunger not just in their souls, but in her life as well.

Explore, a study by Robert Lewis that walks believers and non-believers alike through a process of understanding what it means to be a Christ-follower.  It is not in-depth theology, just the Gospel in a way that can be explained and understood easily.  Lewis reworked what was originally known as One-to-One into a much more user-friendly study.  The information has been condensed down to three sessions making it much easier to train those hungry to share the Gospel.  It is also a non-threatening commitment for those hungry to hear the Gospel.  Sarah had done the study in its original form and though she gained knowledge about her faith, she did not gain the confidence she felt was necessary to share her faith.  It was not until she and some others at the church participated in a new training session of the Explore curriculum that she finally felt like she had gained a confidence that matched her desire to share her faith in Christ.

Sarah was not new to the ministry.  She and her family have been members of Fellowship since 1978.  She and her husband have raised all four of their children at Fellowship.  For twenty years, Sarah served in the children’s ministry.  Fifteen of those years she served in the nursery and her last five she oversaw the entire children’s ministry department.  No small task and one that finally led her to take a step back and a break from a defined ministry role at Fellowship.  But as often happens, the Lord drew her back into serving at the church and after a three year break she now works part-time in the administrative offices of the church.  Looking back over the life of her involvement with the church she stated that “…if you are called (to work in the church), God will make it easy.”  Her way of thinking also extends to evangelism.  Although she did not think she knew enough or was capable of sharing the Gospel in a meaningful way, she soon learned that we are all called to share the Good News and when she let God handle the situations, it all worked to His will.

So when the Dorcas House called a little over a year ago and asked her to lead a group of women through the Explore program, she decided her time had finally arrived.  But as sometimes happens in our attempt to help God with saving souls, her first experience was not all she had hoped.  The main reason was that the women were being required to take the course while they stayed at the shelter.  Thankfully, Sarah did not give up even when she was not feeling the call to continue.  She turned the situation over to God praying that He would give her what she needed to share His Word.  The opportunity arose for her to give a “pitch” for the program during one of the chapel services offered by Dorcas House and the response was overwhelming.  Ten women accepted her invitation to begin the Explore program!

Sarah began meeting with the women one-on-one.  She discovered early on that group settings did not work for these women because it made being vulnerable to God’s Spirit that much harder.  These are women that have been taken advantage of in every way imaginable and learning to trust in God and be vulnerable in front of Him is a very scary thing.  As with any ministry, there have been peaks and valleys.  Of course, the peaks are when one of the women gives her life to Christ and the valleys are when someone rejects Christ and all that He offers them.  Sarah has seen both and she has seen those that originally rejected the Gospel finally cling to it with their whole being.  Sarah passed out a survey to the women about their thoughts on the course and one response she received has stuck with her ever since.  One lady told her that going through Explore and learning all that Christ has to offer was “like pouring understanding over my head.”  That is what Christ does.  He uses people like Sarah and studies like Explore to feed those so desperate for His love.

The women of Dorcas house are not the only ones that learn as they journey through Explore.  Sarah learns something new every time she goes through the course with one of the women.  Even though many of these women come to the program not knowing that there is an Old and New Testament in the Bible, Sarah said that she now understands that she does not have to have all the answers to their questions.  She does the best she can with what God has given her and she then has to leave the rest up to Him.  Sarah has gained a new knowledge from her training in Explore, a new courage from stepping out in faith that God would walk with her through this process, and a new boldness from witnessing Christ take a hold of these women and their lives.

So one woman, who never saw herself as an evangelist, but had a love for women and a desire to share the Gospel has developed a team of five women to walk these wounded women through Explore.  Philip was willing to allow God to put him where He needed him to be to guide a hungry soul.  Philip did not let the fear of failure or lack of confidence keep him from helping the Ethiopian understand God’s love for him.  Sarah and the other women serving with her are also guiding these women to a new life in Christ and helping them understand how deep and wide Christ’s love is for them.  Sharing the Gospel is always a risk.  Andrée Seu, a writer with World Magazine, states is this way, “Risk-taking is nothing fancy, just an everyday pressing into little things that we have no confidence of doing without the help of God.” (World Magazine, Nov. 7, 2009)  Sarah had no confidence in her ability to share the Gospel, but with God’s help that is exactly what she is doing.