[ad_1]
If an individual have been to ask a teenage Russ Ewell the place he thought his life would find yourself, most likely the last item he would have stated is “executive minister at a church in San Francisco” and “working hard to bring people to Jesus.”
Ewell, government minister at Bay Area Christian Church, instructed Fox News Digital in a current telephone interview that his background makes him significantly devoted to bringing the religiously unaffiliated — the “nones” — to God.
As a teen rising up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ewell “had a lot of friends who were religious,” he stated — but he personally “wouldn’t have anything to do with that.”
FAITH FOR CHRISTIANS MEANS KEEPING A FOCUS ON ‘LIFE THAT IS EVERLASTING,’ SAYS CALIFORNIA PROFESSOR
“They tried to get me to go to stuff and do things, and I wouldn’t have anything to do with it,” he stated.
Looking again, Ewell says his teenage self would most likely be greatest described as “agnostic.”
When Russ Ewell was a teen, he didn’t go to church and didn’t contemplate himself spiritual, he instructed Fox News Digital. Today, he is the government minister at the Bay Area Christian Church. (Bay Area Christian Church)
“I did not want to go to church. I did not go to church,” he stated.
Instead, Ewell stated he aspired to go into politics and work as a politician.
That modified throughout school when he bought to know a person he performed basketball with, he stated.
“After I got to know him, I learned he was a Christian — and I began to give the Bible a chance,” he stated.
MINNESOTA PASTOR’S VIRAL POST ABOUT PEOPLE DRINKING COFFEE IN CHURCH IGNITES FIERY DEBATE
“And so when I gave the Bible a chance, that was a big deal, because I’ve not ever read the New Testament and I didn’t know anything about Jesus.”
Reading the Bible, he stated, was an eye-opening expertise.
“I checked out it, and I used to be like, ‘I didn’t even know this was all in here,'” he said.
After dedicating his life to Christ, Ewell set aside his political aspirations and turned to ministry, much to the shock of his family and friends.
Ewell thought he would go into politics. Instead, he dedicated his life to ministry and serving others, and he hopes to bring others to Jesus, too. (Bay Area Christian Church)
Right now, a report from Pew Research has found that about 28% of Americans consider themselves not religiously affiliated — “nones.” This is actually a slight drop from 2022, when 31% of Americans were “nones.”
Pew Research published its report last Wednesday. “The identical results we’ve discovered in three of the final 5 years are an indication of stability in the measurement of this inhabitants,” Pew stated of its findings. “At the same time, in two of the last five years, we obtained readings above 28%.”
Ewell, and his church, have a particular dedication to bringing these “nones” to religion.
“We built this program, and it serves thousands of kids.”
The Bay Area Christian Church has quite a few applications to have interaction the neighborhood, together with a program known as E-Sports. It’s a sports activities league for youngsters and adults with particular wants who play alongside those that should not have particular wants.
Two of Ewell’s personal kids have particular wants, he instructed Fox News Digital.
“And so we built this program, and it serves thousands of kids. And we don’t have any expectation that people have a religious affiliation,” he stated.
The Bay Area Christian Church additionally has a program to help drug addicts in restoration. It partnered with an area hospital throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with getting vaccines to susceptible populations.
One of Bay Area Christian Church’s applications is E-Sports, an inclusive league for athletes with and with out particular wants. An individual doesn’t want to be a part of the church to take part. Ewell hopes these applications assist break down boundaries between his church and the “nones.” (Bay Area Christian Church)
“Instead of coming in with judgments and with stereotypes of [religious people], and instead of speaking in a cultural language that’s more religious, we try to speak and understand the language of meeting people where they are,” he stated.
His church goals to “just be normal and friendly and caring about people,” whereas remaining engaged in the neighborhood, he stated.
It is his hope that, very like his personal encounter with Christianity by way of the world sports activities, he is in a position to attain those that have been identical to he was — and produce them into a spot of religion.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Part of that is breaking down the cultural barrier between individuals of religion and the “nones,” he stated.
“When I was a ‘none,’ it was entering into an extremely different culture,” he stated. “I’d never been in a religious culture.”
Bay Area Christian Church sponsored a toy drive this previous vacation season. (Bay Area Christian Church)
Rather than use spiritual language, Ewell goals to have a extra religious bent in his method.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that culture, sometimes within church, can be a culture that people outside of church don’t understand,” he stated. “But the numbers really tell the tale.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He continued, “People understand or are interested in spirituality, whether it’s in nature, whether it’s in searching inwardly to find who they are or to deal with and resolve issues of their life,” he stated.
“And if we can learn to speak the language of spirituality instead of the language of religiosity, I think we will have great impact.”
For extra Lifestyle articles, go to www.foxnews.com/way of life.
[ad_2]
Source hyperlink