Dr. Matt Friedman, the evangelist for the first four days of the 2023 God’s Holiness Grove Camp meeting at the Central PA Wesleyan Campground near New Columbia, loves to tell stories.
One in particular involves an illustration he observed while listening to a popular nationwide syndicated Christian radio station while driving down the highway about a decade ago.
“This DJ was talking about a person to whom she wanted to share the Good News. She took this friend to the mall, and she wanted to go to the jewelry store. The unsaved friend walked to the guy at the counter and asked him to show her the crosses,” he remembered from the radio clip, adding that the DJ admitted this was a good sign until the friend asked the man behind the counter if he had any with “that little guy” on them.
“That story still blows my mind and is a good example of how even here in America, there are more people than we’d like to admit who don’t know who Jesus is.”
Friedman was one of those people well into his teenage years.
“I grew up Jewish and never heard the gospel in a way that made any sense to me. I remember trying to understand the idea of the Holy Trinity. Obviously, God is the Father. But the Son? Was that Jesus? Joseph? And who or what was the Holy Ghost?”
As an adult, Friedman lived in South Asia for 20 years. It is where he met his wife, Chandra, with whom he will be celebrating his 30th anniversary a week after preaching at camp meeting this month.
“We lived among many Muslim people in South Asia who didn’t know Jesus or had heard of the gospel,” he said. “So it is an issue abroad as much as it is an issue here in America. We need people to learn about, know and have a real relationship with Jesus.”
This will be an important theme among his evening sermons during family camp week, which runs from Sunday to Sunday, July 23-30, 2023.
“I want to try to walk people through the idea of missional holiness,” he said. “What does it mean to truly be in a relationship with God and transformed by the grace of God in a way that not only the inner-self is transformed, but also empowered to go outside of ourselves to share the Good News with people not only in our community, but also around the world. What does it look like to proclaim and to serve and to make disciples?”
Friedman’s morning adult bible studies during the week will look at concepts such as the apologetics and addressing pluralism through tough questions with which many Christians struggle.
“Things like is Jesus the only way? How do we engage with people we disagree with? How do we do that in a way that engages and furthers the conversation without shutting it down? How can you explain complex concepts of Christianity to someone simple enough a 12-year-old could understand and yet not come across as condescending?”
Friedman and his wife, who has served as a prayer coordinator for their church and holds a M.A. in pastoral theology from Kingswood, have just wrapped up living in New Brunswick, Canada, for seven years. He has a long track record of teaching at both Kingswood and the Asbury Seminary.
“I am praying for a great time of fellowship and revival at camp this year,” Friedman said. “Wouldn’t it be great to see God move like He has at places like Asbury earlier this year?”
See the full info about Family Camp 2023 including all speakers, schedules and much more by clicking here.