Evangelistic Benevolence

Being the administrative assistant at my church, the most common phone call I answer is a request for help of some kind.  Yesterday, someone called the church asking for help getting a ride for a friend from one part of town to another part.  Usually when we get "benevolence" calls, I pass the info on to our head Deacon who is wonderful about helping people however possible.  But this time I figured it would be more complicated to pass it on then to help the woman out myself.  I called a friend and together we went to pick the lady up and take her to her destination.  The trip was relatively short and uneventful.

Later that day I was thinking about the trip.  I had done everything I could to make the woman feel comfortable with me and my friend, and had tried to take the opportunity to let the woman know that we would be happy to "be there for her" if she needed it.  I told her about the gatherings our church has during the week and that she could call my number if she ever wanted a ride to church.  But while thinking about it later, I wondered, "What might she have thought of all that?"  Did she think I gave her a ride only because I wanted her to come to my church?  

Have you ever been in that place before--asked someone for help, and while receiving it, got an invitation to something church-related?  How did you feel about that?  Did you go to the event?  Why or why not?