The Ripple Effect

by Kathy Marson

Jed Genson has noticed an interesting phenomenon in his work as a Bible Worker Coordinator. Jed and Jodi Genson are a BWC team at Riverview Adventist Church in Pasco where Jed is full-time and Jodi is part-time. The phenomenon is “the ripple effect.” They studied with one couple and one day the mom told them her daughter in L.A was studying with a Jehovah’s Witness. She wanted to find an Adventist pastor for her daughter because, she said, “The Adventists have the truth.” They located a Spanish pastor who has adopted her and now she has joined the church.

Another individual Jed studies with sent her lessons to the jail and three people have given their lives to Jesus because of this. One single mom sent studies to her mom who took them to her study group at church. Now ten ladies are studying with her.

Jed and Jodi have found it to be beneficial to work together. “When we first started at Riverview we had some six-month-old Bible study request cards and went to visit a Spanish family,” said Jed. “The husband was very interested, however his wife, who spoke mostly Spanish, was not. After a few weeks of studies, Jodi shared her Spanish/English Bible with her so that she could participate.” Because of Jodi, this couple has been attending church for over a year. The wife feels she is growing closer to Jesus and the husband is actively involved with the community services center as a translator.

Jed leads out in a ladies study group on Monday’s in a home in Pasco. Two of the ladies who attend were fed up with “religion” and gave up on going to church. Jed decided to share his testimony of how he left the church as a teenager and came back.

Jed continued, “When I approached God, I wanted to know He was real. I found out that if I go by the word of the Bible, I am safe.” He didn’t want to know what churches taught; He just wanted to know God. One day he told Jesus, “If you are real I’d like to know you. I started searching scriptures to know God and a still small voice started speaking to me saying, ‘I love you, I’m real.”

The two ladies started crying and said, “This is the truth!”

Jed and Jodi teach the Pastor’s class each Sabbath for new believers and these two ladies promised to be there the next Sabbath. They came, and Jed and Jodi were able to pray with them.

In the simplest way of looking at “the ripple effect,” Jed’s decision to follow Jesus is like the rock that plummets into the water. And the ripples that ensue are more representative of how Jodi came to Jesus. She was baptized at 13-years of age. At age 19 she realized she was not going anywhere and she was not making friends. Looking for something more, she was at a Heritage Singer concert and listened to the song, “Someone’s Praying for You.” Jodi said, “I thought of Ken Money, my Sabbath School teacher from Yakima who had often called me and let me know what was coming up at church even when I was not attending, he truly cared for me.” The song and this person drew her back to church.

And Jed and Jodi continue the ripples by facilitating new and existing ministries in their church. Members of the Outreach Leadership Team are following up on 54 requests for Bible studies generated by fliers sent to the community. An existing team holds a popular vegetarian cooking school. Another group facilitates a blood drive. A food bank, a store, and a booth at the fair also touch people’s lives.

A reaping series is planned in the fall where Pastor Shupe and Jed will hold a series called, “Spotlight on Faith.”

When I asked both Jed and Jodi what the most rewarding part is of being a Bible Worker Coordinator, both said they enjoy working with their pastor and seeing people they have prayed for and struggled with surrender their lives to Christ.

“We just had a baptism,” said Jed. “A lady noticed our reader board for a “Stop Smoking” class and she came. Through Bible studies and a depression recovery class, she made friends and met Jesus.” This is the reason they are Bible Worker Coordinators. This is why they believe in Christ’s method in reaching the people – He mingled, showed sympathy, ministered to their needs, won their confidence, and then said “Follow Me.” Are you making a ripple?