Affinity Evangelism

The whole idea for the event started rather awkwardly.  There was a Christian woman named Tammy, who was a CPA and having lunch in the board room with clients and other accountants.  It was her custom to take her depression medication at lunch every day.

Discreetly she took the pill bottle out of her purse but for whatever reason the childproof cap became adult-proof.  Using a little extra strength to wrestle the cap off she inadvertently spilled the pills across the boardroom table.  Immediately another person picked up a tablet and exclaimed, "Oh, this is Prozac! My husband takes these."  Tammy was mortified and flushed red with embarrassment.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, another person spoke up and said, "Don't be embarrassed I take Zoloft."  A couple others murmured, "Me too." while others mentioned Paxil and Welbutrin.  Word got around the office and others stopped by her cubicle and mentioned their medication and depression stories.  A rather embarrassing moment became a moment of holy transparency.

Tammy mentioned it to her small group at church, who prayed over her and then someone suggested they do something to bless these persons fighting depression.  So they planned an Affinity Evangelism event AND a follow-up Celebrate Recovery group.  As it was announced from the pulpit what this group was planning, there was a flood of other people in the church who wanted to participate and bring a friend.

They decided upon a Saturday luncheon at a restaurant in early January for those suffering with SADD (Seasonal Affective Disorder Depression) or the post-holiday blues.  Tammy invited her new found allies from her office and others at church did the same.

The program for the event had several components but the biggest were the three speakers that were lined up for short presentations.  After a word of welcome from a church leader, the first speaker was a Christian psychologist from a local university who gave a talk on strategies for coping with depression and also gave out a resource list of books, counselors and other things.

After lunch was served the second guest speaker, a nutritionist, gave an excellent presentation about eating habits, nutrition and their effect on mood disorders, especially depression.  She was followed by the church's worship team playing an upbeat version of Amazing Grace.

The final part of the event was a pastor/evangelist who talked about the role of faith and the importance of a relationship with Jesus when dealing with depression.  As part of his presentation, Tammy gave a testimony of how God gave her strength during dark times.  She also spoke of her pill spilling incident at work and how grateful she was to find so much support among her colleagues.  The pastor closed with multiple invitations: an invitation to receive Christ as savior, an invitation to a Celebrate Recovery group and an invitation to be prayed for that day by their confidential prayer teams.

The worship team played another song while people filled out a commitment card and some were prayed for.  The pastor pronounced a blessing over the people and they were dismissed.  As people left they received a gift bag with chocolate (everyone's favorite antidepressant), a book by a Christian psychologist, a Bible, an invitation to church, information about Celebrate Recovery and some other goodies.

The whole feel of the event was of compassion and celebration.  There was an overwhelming sense of gratitude by all who attended.