ELCA Evangelism Network Blog
Why the First and Last 10 Minutes Matter in Creating an Invitational Church by Rev. Dr. Moses D. Barrios
AUG 03, 2026
Belonging is Evangelism
The historical narrative of my great-grand mother goes something like this: In the late 1950s an indigenous woman from El Salvador, small in stature, but large in passion, would daily fill small plastic bags with rice and beans prior to traveling on the bus (el camion). She would spend the day sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with words, but those plastic bags of rice and beans represented the action behind the words, food for the body and the soul. It points to the words of John the Baptist, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” From this ancestry derives my thinking, my posturing, my ministry and calling.