Surrounded by “friends,” around the age of 13, George Krebs found himself poised for embarrassment. The Sunday school teacher had just asked each of the students to recite his or her favorite Scripture verse. One by one, the passages began to come; each student taking turns down the line. Everything would have been just fine except for one small problem; George had no idea what a Scripture verse was. When the class realized George’s ignorance, laughter broke out amongst his peers. George failed to find true friendship within that church context.
George accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1974, watching Billy Graham on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day George began to read his Bible. Thirty-six years after accepting Jesus as his Savior, George Krebs finds himself being the friend he struggled to find growing up, the kind of friend that would walk him closer to Jesus. Through what some might call unusual discipleship, George has attempted to build significant relationships through various means. George is an avid fly fisherman. Living in Central Pennsylvania, George is in close proximity to some of best trout fishing in the United States. After gaining the respect of fellow anglers and writing an article on the sport, George has had the opportunity to begin the discipleship process with many non-believers that share his fishing interests.
George’s mindset, unlike many within the Church, is to meet the people where they are. This often means taking valuable time out of his schedule just to “be” where people are as their friend. Time is the operative term here; this is often a long discipleship process. George prescribes to the idea that often people will be likely to eat with you than to talk church with you. “People do not go to your church because of theology; it is usually a social barrier.”
Still remembering that Sunday school class he attended when he was thirteen, George notes that it is the way in which people treat one another that gets remembered, and not the content of the messages. Although George works directly for the church fellowship that he belongs to, George is committed to disciple making with individuals outside the parameters of his job description.
Today’s culture longs for connections, whether it be through internet social gatherings, or through meeting people at bars; all are looking for some level of friendship. What would the Church look like if it offered itself up for friendships, if people could be themselves without the threat of ridicule? It is in friendships where people can be challenged and grow. This is not a quick fix for humanity, but a lifelong commitment of investment. Lacking obvious excitement and "flashy-ness" it is doubtful this lifestyle will sell many books…that said, though it should, it will probably not catch on!
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