Meaningful Invitations
When Chris Roy stepped across the street to introduce himself to his new neighbor, he didn't know he was changing that man's story.
In 2016, Dennis Cloud moved into the Regency Trailer Park with his mom. Dennis had fallen on hard times resulting from a broken relationship followed by some poor life choices. He felt like no matter which way he turned, he was running into dead ends. Then, when Dennis moved in with his mother, Chris Roy walked across the street to introduce himself and invite Dennis to Pathway. It meant a lot to Dennis that Chris would go out of his way to introduce himself and invite a stranger to church. Not knowing which way to turn
and that his previous decisions hadn’t played out well,
Dennis took a chance and visited Pathway. Dennis said, “Chris coming over and taking a step out of nowhere
when I was already seeking God, that was it. Somebody I didn’t know, who didn’t know me. I’ve never known anyone to do that.”
Dennis and his daughter were baptized by Chris in May. They are growing in their faith and experiencing God like never before! Dennis now encourages others to visit Pathway in hopes they will come to know Jesus. Dennis said, “I think the biggest change is I’m not nervous to talk to people about my faith. In fact, I want to encourage them to find what I’ve found. Confidence and peacefulness and security. Once you take that step in faith, a lot of your other worries just fall behind you.”
Dennis has invited several friends to visit Pathway: some return, some don’t. To Dennis, the most critical part of growing in Christ is just the inviting. Dennis said his favorite invitation was one he extended to a coworker, Tyler. He and Tyler had a bet about a sales challenge at work. The loser was to buy lunch for the winner. Tyler lost the bet and Dennis said, “Instead of buying me lunch, why don’t you and your girlfriend come to church with me?” Tyler joined Dennis at a Pathway service and left feeling blessed.
Dennis credits God with inspiring him to invite others. “If you’re thinking about inviting somebody to church,
God’s telling you that. It’s Matthew 28:19: ‘Go forth and make disciples.’” Dennis said, “A lot of people that I’ve brought to church already wanted to come. God tells me to whisper in their ear, then they come. It wasn’t me—God did that.”