Witness to God’s Love Through Service – Denman Evangelism Award Series

Harry Lyness receives the Harry Denman Evangelism Award in 2015 from the Indiana Conference.
From Harry Lyness, 2015 recipient from the Indiana Conference.

As I look back on Ash Wednesday it kind of took me by surprise this year because it happened so early in the year. In answering the question “How am I tending my soul?” hopefully this might give you a little insight.

Honestly, I’ve not been very successful in fasting or giving something up for Lent. The real question for me is how will I repent and return closer to God as I prepare for Easter. I try to look at the places in my life where I have become distant from God.  During this season of Lent, I want to strengthen my relationship with God. I want to seek him with all my heart.

Instead of trying to fast or giving up something for Lent I would rather devote myself to performing works of charity.

Harry’s “workshop on wheels” which travels with him to worksites.

I believe charity is an act of witnessing God ‘s love to and in everyone. There are people who need to overcome obstacles or challenges in their life. One of these obstacles is just getting out of their homes. One act of charity to help them through this time is by building ramps. Building ramps and witnessing about God’s love has been an obsession of mine for several years.

No matter what these 40 days may look like for you, no matter what challenges you take on, what you give up, let’s pledge this: FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS.

That’s it. Fall deeper in love with Him. He’s the one you rely on for strength and wisdom. People see Him in you.

Harry Lyness received the Harry Denman Evangelism Award from the Indiana Conference of the UMC AND was named the Distinguished Evangelist all in 2015. He is a member of the Foundation’s board of trustees and a regular donor. He is a Certified Lay Speaker for The United Methodist Church who puts his faith in action through service in disaster recovery efforts and constructing accessibility ramps for those in need. He has connected his ministry and construction skills to minister both to the spiritual and physical needs of those in his community near the Indiana-Ohio state line and in places as far away as Alaska and Haiti.

Lenten Traditions – Denman Evangelism Award Series

For this limited series, we asked recipients of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award, “How are you tending your soul this Lent?” We’re grateful to those who shared. We hope you’ll find some inspiration and encouragement for your daily practices.

From Cindi Myers, 2017 recipient from the Indiana Conference.
Cindi and a friend participate in Courtside Ministries, offering prayer and emotional support for those going to court.

I love Jesus, and encouraging others to connect with Jesus in any way they can.

This Lent, [it] may sound strange, but I have a deeply spiritual, Jesus-loving Catholic friend who has introduced me to Dynamic Catholic (www.dynamiccatholic.com). During the Lenten season the MC has a 3 to 5 minute video, and one segment is on being extravagantly and outrageously generous! He then gives practical ways to be generous. And of course we all know it doesn’t have to be with money necessarily, but your time or your talents as well! Then another video segment is called: THE HARD TEACHINGS OF JESUS. Again, only 4 or 5 minutes long, but the different statements and parables of Jesus that are hard to live out. Then my friend Liz and I talk about it.

Also, ever since the movie: THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has come out, most years I watch it during Passion week to remind myself what My LORD went through for me! The Ultimate Perfect Sacrifice! Though it is not just Lent, but all year long, a few in my Sunday School Class at St Luke’s UMC in Kokomo and a few extra ladies are doing for the 2nd year in a row the YouVersion BIBLE IN ONE YEAR by Nicky Gumbel. OOOO soooo excellent! We also use this to challenge each other to get out there!

Finally, I have been a part of Courtside Ministries for 6? 7? years now. A group of us from different denominations stand in front of a courthouse with a table and cloth that says: NEED PRAYER? 50 to 60 % of the time we are ignored or rejected. Ah…but the 40 to 50% that need prayer, they gravitate towards us! What a glorious thing to be used by our LORD! TO ‘STAND ‘ FOR HIM! [Ephesians 6!] I do Courtside Ministries in Kokomo, I am a snowbird, and I have helped launch and then support the Courtsides in Bradenton and Sarasota, and my home town is Bad Axe Michigan, and helped launch with my cousin Deb there. The one picture I found is of us at the Bad Axe/Huron county courthouse! TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!

Learn more about the Harry Denman Evangelism Awards.

How Are You Tending Your Soul this Lent?

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

The Foundation for Evangelism recently opened nominations for the Harry Denman Evangelism Awards. In partnership with United Methodist Annual Conferences, begun over 40 years ago, these awards honor lay, clergy and youth whose exceptional ministry of evangelism brings people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we look forward to the 2022 awards, we wanted to feature the voices from among the 3,000 previous award recipients. We asked,

How are you tending your soul during this season of Lent?

Leading up to Easter, we will be posting their responses on our website and social media. We hope they inspire you in your Lenten practice or daily disciplines as you draw closer to Christ. And we pray that you might be encouraged to share what Lent and Easter mean to you with someone who may be searching for deeper meaning in their life!

If you’d like to share your Lenten practice with us, email communications@foundationforevangelism.org for a chance to be featured on our website and social media!