AY Honors/Literature Evangelism/Answer Key

1. From the Bible and writings of Ellen G. White, write a summary, at least 250 words in length, on the importance of the use of literature in leading people to Christ.

In Acts 20, Paul indicates that he operated by going house-to-house, as does the colporteur:

When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
— Acts 20:18-21 (NIV)

For Ellen White comments, see Testimonies for the Church, Volume 6, pp 321-340.

3. How is the colporteur supported?

The term "colporteur" is an alteration of French comporter, "to peddle" as a portmanteau or pun with the word col (Latin collum, "neck"), with the resulting meaning "to carry on one's neck". Porter, is from Latin portare, "to carry." It could also be interpreted to mean "to carry one's neck" which is not far from accurate. The colporteurs are self-supported, meaning that no money is provided to them by the church. Their income comes from the literature they sell.

7. Do one of the following:

b. Do a project of house-to-house or mail distribution of literature in your community for ten hours. Include in the literature a response card for addi­tional literature, Bible studies, and/or a Bible correspondence course.

The Review and Herald offers several editions of Ellen G. White's Steps to Christ at a price that facilitates large purchases (under $1.00US per copy). This book is available with a number of covers, and you should select one that you think will have the best effect in the community in which you intend to distribute it.

Determine how many copies you will need, then raise the funds to purchase the books. You may use other literature other than Steps to Christ as well, but this book has a proven track record. The next thing you must decide is whether you will distribute the literature door-to-door or via a mass mailing. Door-to-door is by far the cheaper option. You will probably not get the literature into as many homes as with mailing because each home must be visited, and some people will refuse to take the literature. However, those who do take it will have the opportunity to meet you and evaluate your character. For the receptive soul, this can make all the difference.

For mass mailing, contact your local post office for instructions. They will tell you their requirements and even provide you with information necessary to send a mailing out to every address in a given zip code (including how many addresses there are).

If you choose to distribute the literature door-to-door, assemble the literature into plastic bags which can be easily hung from a door knob. Do not hang the literature on any mailbox or put it inside one. Doing so is a federal offence! Don't forget to include the response card so that if the literature arouses an interest, the person will know how to get in touch with your church.

Before setting out, rehearse what you will say.

When you arrive, approach the house and knock on the door. Do not walk on the grass unless there is no other option, and be mindful of flower beds. If no one answers, place the literature where they will find it. This usually means you must select the door they are likely to use rather than the "visitor" door that they may rarely open. If someone does answer, you will have already practiced what to say. Be polite, even if the person is rude to you. If they tell you to leave, do so as politely as you can. Remember that you are an ambassador for Christ! Maintain a cheerful attitude throughout your day, even if you think no one is watching — they might be!.

f. Make a project of supplying a year’s subscription to Liberty magazine to the judges and/or lawyers in your community. Raise the money or get con­tributions for the gift subscriptions.

Contact the editors of Liberty magazine at http://www.libertymagazine.org/ (look for the "contact us" link). You will also need a list of judges and lawyers in your community. Lawyers will be listed in the Yellow Pages or in the business section of your local phone book. Contact your local courthouse to get a list of judges.

Once you know how many lawyers and judges are in your community, you will be able to determine the cost of the subscriptions. Then set a goal to raise enough money to cover them. Here are some ideas for fundraising:

• Car wash
• Yard Sale
• Bake Sale
• Recycle ink cartridges
• Rent a Pathfinder

For more fundraising ideas, see the fundraising section of the NAD Pathfinder forum.

g. Make a project of sending literature and/or Bibles to the mission field. Part of this project is collecting the literature and/or Bibles, determining where to send the material and packaging and sending the material.

Before collecting any material, figure out where you are going to send it. Your local conference office should be able to put you in touch with a missionary. Contact them first, not only to get a shipping address, but also to ask what types of literature they can and cannot use. Some countries limit the types of literature that can be imported, so it is important to check before you send anything. You would not want all your hard work to be wasted by having your literature destroyed at the border of the country you are sending it to.

Once you have made contact with the missionaries and have a list of things they can use, then begin assembling the literature.

Historical Notes

This honor was introduced in 1928 with the name "Colportage". The name was changed to “Literature Evangelism” 1956.