This is What it Looks Like to Give God Something to Bless – Julie’s Story
Mt. Bethel Church member, Julie Nowak, is a member of Panera’s “Sip Club,” which is a reward program for coffee and other drinks at the chain cafe. She frequents the Roswell Road location so often the employees know her by her drink order. She often goes there to study her Bible.
Recently, as she sat down and opened God’s Word, a young man approached her.
“Are you reading the Bible?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Can I read with you?” he asked.
Surprised, she agreed. He sat down and they began to talk and discuss the passage she was reading. She learned his name was Isau.
Remembering our sermon series on evangelism, she prayed the Holy Spirit would give her the opportunity to invite Isau to church. Next thing she knew, he was asking if she attended church anywhere!
“It was a total God-thing!” she remarked.
Excitedly, she told him about Sunday services at Mt. Bethel Church, and how she served on the Welcome Team.
“I didn’t actually think he would come,” she recalled.
But to her surprise again, Isau walked through our church doors the following Sunday just before the 11 AM service. She greeted him and invited him to sit with her.
Isau and Julie standing together at Mt. Bethel Church’s Wednesday Night Forward Fellowship Meal.
After the service, she took another step of faith and told him about Forward Wednesday Night Meals. Unfortunately, he responded, his job often required him to work on Wednesday nights.
But the Lord wasn’t through using Julie’s invitation. The following Wednesday was a rainy day. Because Isau’s job requires him to work outside, he found himself available to check out our Wednesday Night meal and activities.
Julie also helps greet people on Wednesday nights, so when she saw Isau approach the ticket table, she was shocked.
“You’re here!” she exclaimed, before telling him she would cover the cost of his dinner. He smiled back at her, thanked her for the meal, and moved into the fellowship hall to eat. Later that night, they both attended Wednesday Night Fire featuring Bryant Wright
Isau isn’t the first person Julie’s met and extended an invite to church from Panera. A few weeks back, she noticed when she went for her weekly drink one of the employees looked distraught.
She took a step of faith as she picked up her coffee and asked, “Ma’am, are you okay?”
The woman told her she was fine, but it was obvious to Julie something was on her mind. So, before she walked away, Julie took another step of faith.
“I’m about to sit over here and do my Bible study and I always start with prayer,” she told the woman. “Is there something I can pray for you?”
The employee then burst into tears and explained her mother was experiencing some health trouble. Julie was able to pray for her and they began talking about church. Unfortunately, the woman worked most Sundays.
On Thursday morning that week, Julie came to Mt. Bethel Church for a Bible study she participates in, which at the time was just beginning a new study. One of the other women in the study happened to have an extra study book and asked if anyone else needed a copy. All of the other women in the study had their own copies, so this one was counted as extra.
In that moment, the Holy Spirit reminded Julie of the worker she met at Panera. ‘
Julie pictured here during Thursday morning Bible Study at Mt. Bethel Church.
The next time she came to pick up a drink at the cafe, she stopped to talk with the same employee.
“I told her about my Thursday Bible Study and that if she wanted to the extra book, it was hers to use,” Julie explained.
Amazed, the woman revealed Thursdays were her off-day from work each week. Delighted to learn of her new friend’s availability, Julie invited the woman to join her at Bible study the following week—and she came!
She has since returned most Thursdays to study the Word with Julie and other women at Mt. Bethel Church.
You can be intentionally invitational, too. All it takes is a willingness to ask the Holy Spirit to give you the opportunity to join Him at work.
This is what it looks like to give God something to bless. Because Julie was willing to live out her faith and lean into the Holy Spirit’s prompting, two people who otherwise wouldn’t be connected with our church now are!
You can be intentionally invitational, too. All it takes is a willingness to ask the Holy Spirit to give you the opportunity to join Him at work.