The Sojourner Story

The Sojourner program was a dream of Paul and Peggie Scott. Paul was a carreer Navy man and as such, had been in many places where the congregations of the Lord's people were small in number and struggling. It was his dream to do something to alleviate the situation by helping these congregations to become self-supporting and strengthen the Church.

While living in California they worked with congregations of all sizes and conducted workshops statewide. At the time he retired from the Navy, he was serving as an elder of the Pacific Beach Church of Christ in San Diego, California. He still had the dream and hope of a particular type of mission work, but had not fully decided just how this would be accomplished. They moved to Lubbock, TX and attended the Sunset School of Preaching to better prepare themselves. They worked for a short period in Wyoming and Kansas. While in Kansas, Richard and Georgie Jones joined them. They had a RV as did some others and an idea began to grow that this would be the way to accomplish what had become known as "Paul and Peggie's Dream".

The Conroe Church of Christ in Conroe, TX sent them to a mission field in South Carolina where they worked for three years. When they completed the work there, they went to Staten Island, NY for a 3-month mission effort before returning to Texas. Another couple shared in the dream with Paul and Peggie. They were Marvin and Linda Hall from San Diego where Marvin was serving as an elder with the Pacific Beach congregation. They left San Diego and attended the Sunset School of Preaching to participate in a study course for which Paul had made arrangements. In 1978 these two couples held the first workshop in Weslaco, TX. In January 1979 the group adopted their identifying name of NATIONAL EVANGELISM WITH SOJOURNERS. The number has continued to grow year after year. However, there are always more requests for help than there are Sojourners to do the work.

The congregation in Conroe, Texas sponsored the Sojourner program of work for 13 years. From 1991 to 2005 the work was under the oversight of the Elders of the Church of Christ in Burleson, TX . It was sponsored by the Eastern Hills Church of Christ in Marshall, TX for 2006. It is now back under the eldership of the Burleson Church of Christ in Burleson, TX. However, individuals are encouraged to remain under the oversight of their local elders, whenever possible. Every effort is made to maintain a scriptural mission of the Church of Christ and always do everything to the glory of God.

Above information is a reprint from the Sojourner web page http://www.sojourning.org