IDEAS THAT WORK

The Encouragement Card

A hush has fallen over the Sunday morning sanctuary. I’ve preached and prayed; now, my own eyes still closed and my head bowed, I speak to the church family which faces me.

“It’s time to pray in silence for someone you love or know to be in need. After you have prayed, take an encouragement card from the pew rack in front of you, and write that person a note to show you care.”

I sit down on a bench behind the pulpit; we are all praying. In a moment, a gentle rustling begins throughout the room as cards and pencils are taken from the rack, and we start to write our messages of love. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Encourager, is moving in hearts. Now, everyone becomes a minister by sharing fruits of ministry far more widespread than anything I or a few other “official” pastors could accomplish. In a short while, the order of service changes; the cards are dropped into collection plates.

“Stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” exhorts Hebrews 10:24-25, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day draw near.”

For some time I sought to find ways to help people do this. The idea of encouragement cards came to me after observing the use of prayer cards in another church.

Our cards are regulation postcard size, come in a variety of colors, and have our church picture and the logo “Encouraging one another” printed across the top. When writing to someone, we write the name on one side and our message on the other.

We ask that the message be encouraging, and that people sign the cards; we will not mail unsigned cards. On Tuesday our office staff members sort and address the cards. Multiple messages to the same individual are sent in one envelope.

The encouragement card packs a double punch: the power of encouragement and the power of the written word.

We need each other. God admonishes us over and over to build each other up. Sometimes a word of encouragement gives another person just what is needed to take the next step. Hebrews 10:25 concludes, “. . . all the more, as you see the day draw near.” Encouragement includes the attribute of courage: an attitude of moral and mental strength that helps us to venture, to persevere, and to withstand danger, fear, and difficulty. The encouragement ministry, ordained by God, gives us the power to help each other face our trials.

Then there’s the power of the written word. Marvin Woods, one of our “untitled elders,” never throws away an encouragement card. Many others feel the same way. A written message does not fade as might a spoken word. It can be pulled out at any time to relive the moment of joy it brought.

The written word enables those who are shy to participate in the ministry of encouragement. Paul wrote an interesting phrase in II Corinthians 10:1. “I . . . am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent.”

Although Paul’s context was a different one, we also might be too “meek” to tell someone face to face that we care. It is easier to write about it; and when we have done so, we have given a gift that remains.

Writing encouraging words edifies us because it is a ministry of the Holy Spirit. And encouraging words bind us together in Christian love. Our missionaries, especially, feel this bond. To someone far away, the notes we send are lifelines to our church family. They carry with them the emotional impact of our support.

One of our missionaries recently reminded us of this. Emphasizing the importance of the encouragement cards he said, “Tangible expressions of love and prayer support mean so much where one is far from home.”

Most people rarely set aside time to sit down and write letters to their missionaries, but during our quiet Sunday morning minute, when the atmosphere is one of worship and sensitivity to God, our missionaries usually come to mind, along with other friends. Though we may not always know why God brings someone to our minds for encouragement, he knows, and we are given the opportunity to act on his behalf.

The encouragement card idea has helped make our church family extremely responsive. A short time ago I pointed out the unusually long list in our bulletin of those who were ill, and asked our members to write to at least one of them. The following Tuesday, our office was inundated by a flood of cards to mail.

When I visit the hospital to see one of our people, it’s a great joy to take a stack

of cards too thick to put in one envelope. Just imagine the lift it gives to be the recipient of so much compassion.

Recently a young man in our congregation suffered the death of his father. My co-pastor, Pete Schwalm, and an elder, Jim Thompson, attended the out-of-town funeral. A couple of weeks later, this man stood to speak during our Sunday evening service.

“I want to thank all of you who wrote encouragement cards,” he said. “Pete and Jim left a big pack of them at the funeral, but I didn’t get to read them until the next day. It was overwhelming. It took me over half an hour to read through them. Some were long, some were only a few words; but you were feeling my sorrow, and your words were a comfort to me.”

How long does the encouragement card idea work? Well, we have been involved in this process for nine years, and it is more effective and meaningful today than ever before.

If you are interested in introducing this system to your congregation, keep in mind that a new idea does not always catch on like wildfire. Be patient with those who will find it difficult to reach out to others. Jim Thompson, a quiet, hardworking farmer, reacted with reticence at first. He said his parents had taught him that you don’t sit and write in church! After this initial reluctance he gradually began using the cards and now writes notes regularly. In his role as church elder, he reports that encouragement cards open doors to friendships with people.

Two of our major priorities as church leaders are to help all of our people love each other and serve each other. A small percentage serve as elders or deacons or teachers; but even a little child can be a minister of encouragement. Many children use our cards to the special delight of adults who receive them.

In this day of sophisticated programming and methodology, the encouragement card is a powerful yet simple tool that everyone can use to build the body of Christ.