If you are wanting to find out more about our work, head to our website www.rachelaustralia.com.au and find about all the places you can get developed as a leader.Now today we are talking about evangelism, but we’re talking about in the context of a new ministry resource, taste and sea.

And a key part of it is food.And so, well, Pete just asked me to wax lyrical with you about about my favourite cooking show, but I thought I’d bring in our two guests.So Wendy Potts is a learning consultant in evangelism at Anglicare in in Sydney and Paul Young is the lead pastor of Providence Bayswater, a church plant a few years old in WA in Perth.

So guys, tell us, tell us your favourite cooking show, Paul, do you want you want to go first?It’s.Going to be Iron Chef?Nothing beats good old Iron Chef.And where the host takes a massive bite out of the capsicum, or the bell pepper, as he calls it, that’s a classic.

To say, I haven’t watched a cooking show in a long time.It’s probably since the era of MasterChef, so sorry.It’s a it’s a while it’s been awhile between drinks.Well, can I encourage you?I’ve been watching Stanley Tucci in Italy.It’s on its second season and he basically is going through the regions and just spending, spending time just surfacing all these interesting things.

But it’s amazing just just how geography, geography impact impacts food, so and there’s all these beautiful stories, so I, Stanley said.She SBS free.It’s a it’s a good one.For now you’ve pressed play on another episode of The One Thing.

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And now back to the podcast.So it’s really good to have both Wendy and Paul here today.Paul’s a bit of the sort of evil genius created behind the course and and he has been working with Wendy over the last few years kind of honing this and putting this resource together, which has been I guess launched publicly recess recently.

So I guess the question that is sort of begging is, do we need another evangelistic course?Aren’t there already, like heaps of excellent courses out there, Paul?What kind of prompted you to write a new one and write your own?Yeah, we don’t need another one, to be honest.There’s so many good courses out there and so many courses that have done really well as strategy shouldn’t change.

Like we always wanted to tell the gospel to people and explain that clearly and really persuasively and winsomely.I think our tactics do change bending on context.And the people that were in front of So Taste and See started because they had a group of mates around me.And I wanted to give him one last shot to kind of before we moved Disney for a little while here the gospel and just wanted some way to connect with them and they all love food at that time.

We’re all involved like love and master Chef and kind of cooking some fancy stuff and so that’s that’s how it started.It arose from the need from that, you know, it’s not like, oh, that’s a great idea because it’s kind of like let’s make it into a resource.

But other people started to hear about it.And when people who heard about it from other churches that have tried it, just like the very initial draughts that were scribbled on pieces of paper, started to give it real shots and started to feedback that they really liked it, seem to suggest actually maybe there’s something in how we’re using Tyson Seed that could really be useful for other churches, not just our own.

Now, Wendy, you’ve been around, you’ve been around doing mission and thinking about evangelism in a whole bunch of different contexts.For many, you know, for many years, another course.Yeah.Do we need another?Course, yeah.Look, I it’s a great question, isn’t it?And there I agree with Paul, there are lots of great courses out there.

But I’d have to quote Chapo here, John Chapman, because he just said you’ve got to keep recreating fresh gospel resources.And I think something that’s homegrown, created for our time by Australian people is a good thing.

And there’s some unique things about taste and see that that I think mean that it fits a slot that isn’t necessarily being covered by other courses.So we can go into that a bit more.Well, yeah.How?How does taste and see work as an evangelistic course?

You know, I guess what?What’s this point of difference?Yeah, well, I think there are a few things.Obviously the food is a big one, but lots of other courses use food and hospitality.But I think what Paul’s really picked up on here is using food not just for the communal community thing, which it is a powerful community connector, but also as an illustration, A3 dimensional illustration of the gospel.

And so each week the food represents that content of the gospel and we have got four weeks.And I think that’s another factor.It’s a short course.It’s not sitting alone.I think that it it’s an introduction, it’s an invitation, It’s the big meta narrative of the gospel in broad brushstrokes.

So as you say, food.Food is a part of most courses, you know, putting on hospitality.You know, I remember some kind of Rd testing simply Christianity with, you know, John Dixon at Saint Clements Church.And it was, you know, glass of Chardonnay and cheese board.And Dickies.Yeah, that’s it.That that was a that was a key part of that sort of home, you know, home and inviting people in.

Yeah, Taste and see.Though, food, food, food is kind of a key part of each of the weeks just unpacked a little bit more.So, So the food is a universal language.It brings people together.It breaks down barriers and we know that when we do dinner parties with friends.

So there’s that.And that’s what you’re describing with Chris.Simply Christianity anyway.But the thing about taste and see is that week one, it’s, it’s, it was good.It focuses on creation and the beauty and wonder and design of creation.

And we use fresh beautiful food from the ground and salads and vegetarian and then in that way it it illustrates that concept.And then week two it’s what’s gone wrong and it’s the fall.

And we use fast food junk food and and use the food to illustrate that concept.And week 3, the the great rescue.We focus on the Middle Eastern food and we have a a modern day Passover meal and we hear how Jesus theory interprets that to to share the message of the cross.

And week 4 is the future hope.We have an international banquet picturing the nations coming together and God’s new creation.So that’s almost like a a bring a bring a plate as well that kind of almost involved.Can be involved in Group?Yeah, some churches have tried that to great effect.It doesn’t have to be.

Depends on your context.Yeah.OK.So, so Paul, you talked about kind of having that one last shot with your mates and it seemed like food, you know food was the attractive thing that actually got them in.You know, it was the, it was the IT was the bait of the switch, you know come and I’ll cook you, you know.

So in that first instance was that you who was kind of cooking these meals, organising them, organising the food and and and getting everyone over and you know and then you open up the Bible and and talk through, talk through stuff.Is that kind of how it worked at the start?Yeah, it pretty much was how it worked at the start.

I was just, you know, I remember that year just wanting to try half a dozen things and that was one of them.And Taser scene was one of them.And yeah, mates would come over, would cook a meal, would talk about a part of the Bible and how the meal explains that.And yet that’s kind of that’s how it run.

And I think that’s, that makes sense of a lot of things for me, like we’re not just brains on sticks that think about stuff and interpret information and process it like a computer.Like where humans were embodied that feel and touch and sense that we want to play with concepts and we do things in the world.

And food is that opportunity to engage the other senses as we learn and hear about God and the Bible.Hmm.So what’s the shape of a of a knight?What does?What does it look like, Wendy?

Well, depends a bit on your context.But if it was a typical church hosted evening, then there’s a time and space for welcoming, mingling, gathering over perhaps a stata getting seated.

And then there’s the main course, an introduction to the night by the host’s main courses served.There might be a starter question around the table to get people discussing things and and then the presentation happens sort of midway through that meal.

The presenter might share their story at the beginning just to brag to, to break the ice a bit and get them known the presentation happens and then through that presentation is some discussion moments around the table.