Outreach
and
Evangelism
Ministry
About our Outreach and Evangelism Minister
Gene Simowitz a retired Baptist pastor, was raised in Kansas City until the age of sixteen, when his father, Anthony Simowitz, also a Baptist pastor, was called from his pastorate at that time to move to Southeast Kansas to begin pastoring a church in that area. Over the next several years Gene lived in various parts of Kansas. He felt called of the Lord in 1977 to go into the full time gospel preaching ministry. Upon graduation from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Kansas City, MO., in 1980, he moved to Baltimore, MD., to begin serving as Minister of Evangelism in a Southern Baptist church there. After two years on the church’s staff, he felt called to go into the full time pastorate, and went on to pastor churches in Maryland and Delaware. Evangelism, outreach, and church growth have always played primary roles throughout his years of ministry, whether he was speaking at conferences, seminars, revivals, doing concerts, or was the revival song leader at other churches. In April of 2010, Gene came “back home” to Kansas City, and started attending Gashland Baptist Church during that summer, and subsequently joined the church in September of that same year. Gene’s evangelistic approach is one he likes to refer to as 20-20 vision as found in Acts 20:20: “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.”
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing, music, and traveling.
Evangelism As A Priority
Upon His ascension into heaven, Jesus gave His marching orders to His disciples¾and to us¾when He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). His final command to Christians everywhere down through the ages can be found in Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” With these final words, Jesus gave us no alternative; he left us with no option. He told all of us, “You will be my witnesses.” Being a “witness for Jesus Christ” oftentimes causes many people to become nervous, but it need not be that way, because the primary qualification for being a witness for Jesus Christ is simply that Jesus has done something for you. The definition of being a “witness” is just explaining the facts as you know them. After all, how did you become a Christian? That’s all Jesus asks of any of us as witnesses. What my life was like before becoming a Christian. How I realized I needed Christ. How I became a Christian. How Christ helps me in my daily life.
The word, “evangelism” is often scary to a lot of people. But it need not be. “Evangelism” comes from a Greek word that simply means good news. “Evangelizing,” therefore, would be telling the good news. “Evangelism” covers a broad spectrum. At Gashland Baptist Church every ministry, activity, and event has as its focus, “evangelism.” The preaching, teaching, music, Bible studies, Sunday School, children and youth ministries, creative arts ministry, missions emphases, and various other events throughout the year are all geared to not only reaching and witnessing to people who don’t know Christ as their Savior, but also reaching Christians who are unchurched or have stopped attending church for whatever reason, and bringing them back into God’s House to experience the friendship, fellowship, and love of Jesus Christ and His people. THAT’S what evangelism is all about, and that’s what Gashland’s Outreach & Evangelism Ministry is all about. We invite you to come join us on Sundays and on Wednesdays to enjoy good Christian fellowship, good, sound Bible teaching/preaching, and warm friendship that will make you feel like, “This is where I belong.”
God bless you always, and in all ways.Yours in Christ,
Gene
Minister of Outreach and Evangelism
John 3:30
