I was completely unaware of the term “person of peace” this time twelve months ago.

As my wife and I began our equipping journey to join a Brook Hills church planting team in the metro New York City area, we quickly became very familiar with the idea that, as seen several times in the New Testament, a person of peace can have a huge influence on the spread of the gospel in his or her region.

Simply put, a person of peace is the first person to put their faith in Christ through the service of a church planting team. This individual has influence in his or her community and is able to share the gospel with people in places that missionaries often cannot go. We desire to reach and equip persons of peace who can communicate the gospel to their friends, families, and population segments.

Fast forward twelve months and I am standing in a small gift shop in the “little India” section of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Sam*, the owner of the gift shop, has expressed interest in receiving a copy of the Bible and learning more about Jesus. Like many Hindus, Sam believes that Jesus was a good man but that there are thousands of gods and Jesus is simply one of the many possible ways to attain salvation.

Sam is very influential in this Indian community. On top of being a small business owner, real estate agent, and president of an Indian organization in Jersey City, Sam is quite the networker and fundraiser. He was a key individual in raising millions of dollars to build the largest Hindu Temple in the world in New Jersey. A man like Sam would have incredible resources to help us spread the gospel throughout this Indian community.

Please join us in prayer as we ask for God to open Sam’s heart and change his mind about Jesus. Pray for Sam to turn from his current stance on Christianity, put his faith solely in Jesus Christ as the only way to achieve a relationship with the one true God, and become a person of peace to reach this community as we seek to glorify God by making disciples of all nations.

* Name changed to protect identity.

Jake S. and his wife, Ashley, are members of our church planting team serving among the Indian Hindu community of metro New York.