Life in His Name Ministries
Each year, the Foundation awards a limited number of grants to Virginia United Methodist Churches and affiliated agencies of the VA United Methodist Conference. This year’s recipient of the Hanna Memorial Grant Award was Greg West of Life in His Name Ministries. We recently had an opportunity to interview Greg and learn more about his mission.
Can you tell us about your mission?
Our mission statement at Life in His Name Ministries is: “Sharing the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom + Equipping the Church to do the same!” I serve as an Evangelist in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. I see my ministry as two fold: 1) An Evangelist has an equipping role within the body of Christ, just as a Pastor does. So I help people to be more effective in living and sharing their faith in Jesus with others. 2) I seek to reach people who do not yet know the love of God in Christ with the invitation to receive Christ and walk with Him. Then I trust that God will work in and through my efforts and some will become true redeemed followers of Jesus.
Can you tell us about a specific person or organization who has benefited from your ministry?
I have been in an ongoing dialogue with a young man who is trying to understand the meaning of life and the source of life. He identifies as an atheist, but is very interested in talking about philosophy, faith and the possibility of God’s existence. He and I spend time together at least once a week. He always has good questions about the Christian faith. We have been talking in great detail about the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
An organization that has benefited from my ministry is a group that hosts free health check-ups for the Hispanic community. This group of Christian medical professionals and other volunteers reach out to Hispanics to meet their physical and spiritual needs. These free health clinics are hosted by Hispanic Churches. I serve as a translator for the doctors and nurses. I dialogue with the people about their health and life situations. Often the conversations lead to a time of prayer in which the medical professionals also participate.
What impact have you noticed?
Last week this young man texted me and asked me to pray for him. This is big because he identifies as an atheist. He must now at least believe in the possibility that prayer may work, which means someone is listening! I look forward to the next meeting with this 22-year-old young man. God is drawing him in.
In ministering to the Hispanics, we often see a deep gratitude from them. The medical professionals sometimes prescribe medicine and certainly advise on how to care for their health in better ways. We often see connections being made with the clients and the host church.
What do you find most inspiring about your ministry?
It is an incredible joy to see someone come to understand that Jesus is the Son of God who came to show us how to live and love and ultimately to die for our sin; and for them to know that death could not hold Him, He rose from the grave! The Scriptures say that when we believe in Jesus and receive Him as Savior and Lord, we step from death to life; salvation is the free gift of God through Christ. In addition to helping someone say ‘Yes’ to Jesus and His ways, I am inspired when people grasp the bigger picture about the Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus’ life, ministry and message touch every single aspect of our lives.
Can you tell us how the Foundation’s grant award assisted your ministry in achieving its goals?
Life in His Name Ministries is a faith-based ministry where all of our income comes through the very generous donations from individuals, churches and foundations. So we are dependent on the gifts to this ministry from those who believe in our mission and vision. In addition to myself, Ashley Kline is on staff with Life in His Name Ministries. She handles our website, our social media, our newsletter and other administrative tasks. She just completed her Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies. The two of us are able to continue in ministry partly because of the grant from the Virginia United Methodist Foundation. We are very grateful!