Eighty-two-year-old Ron Jurké (pictured at right) has over 50 years of ministry experience. A high school English teacher by trade, Jurké has always found a way to be involved in ministry, from a stint as the interim pastor at the West Kittanning Grace Brethren Church in Kittanning, Pa. (Larry Edwards, pastor) and to serve with several evangelistic organizations, including National CE Children’s Cabinet and Child Evangelism Fellowship.
“I’m still doing what I can do,” said Jurké, who is hard at work with Child Evangelism as a committee member of two counties and as visitation pastor at the Kittanning church. He also continues his travels as an “evanvisualist,” reaching children for Christ throughout the United States. That’s why he came up with the Starlight Guide, a visual tool that expands on the timeless evangelism method of the Wordless Book, a classic evangelism tool that takes readers through the story of the Gospel using five solid-colored pages.
“My adopted daughter was showing me how to make an origami star with one dollar and five-dollar bills,” recalls Jurké. “As I was putting them together, the five colors of the Wordless Book came into mind.”
The origami star (directions for which can be found with a simple YouTube search) uses the colors from the Wordless Book by selecting simple patterned scrapbook paper from a local craft store: papers printed with roses, golden cubes, tangled cobwebs, grass, and snowflakes forming the five points of a star in assorted sizes. Jurké uses a modified guide sheet for evangelists, outlining each color’s significance, as well as prompts for the evangelist to ask the listener.
“The idea is to go through this with a child so he or she understands fully what takes place when one accepts Christ,” explained Jurké. “I chose these particular patterned sheets in order to bring out the Gospel without emphasizing that the heart is black with sin, since it can be offensive. Instead, you have cobwebs of sin. And then the rose-red star point, which signifies the blood of Jesus, trampled on the ground by those who crucified him [referring to the worship song, “Above All” by Michael W. Smith]. Next, the white snowflake star point on a blue background, referring to a heart cleansed as white as snow [Ps. 51:5]; and the rich, green grass emphasizing daily spiritual growth.” The gold point symbolizes the streets of gold that will meet the believer in heaven.
The tool is designed for children and adults both. Jurké gained more inspiration on how to craft this evangelism tool when he took a course called Teaching Children Effectively while being trained at Child Evangelism International Headquarters in Warrenton, Mo.
Jurké calls the tool, “Starlight Guide,” recalling the short song that was sung alongside the Wordless Book: “It was a little song: ‘My heart was stained with sin until the Savior came in.’ Remember hearing that? ‘His precious blood, I know, has washed me white as snow.’ And then you tell them why! It’s because Jesus was crucified, laid behind a stone, and rose again so you can be made right with God.”
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Send Pastor Jurké a note of encouragement, or request the Starlight Guide along with a three-dimensional 21st Century Star, by emailing him at ronjurke22@windstream.net.
This story first appeared in GraceConnect eNews. To subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter that includes news and information from congregations in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, click here.