Monday Ministry Highlights: Candy Cane Evangelism
No, we're not going liberal! What we are doing is standing on street corners handing out candy canes and tracts! Saturday was our second annual Candy Cane Blitz. In November my husband orders a couple thousand tracts from Bearing Precious Seed Canada that tell the legend of the candy cane; then the two Saturdays before Christmas our church goes out onto the street corners of North Vancouver and we give a candy cane with each tract to everyone who will take one. This is just one more way to get the gospel into people's hands and to hopefully talk to a few people and maybe see them come to church.
We get varied responses. Some people are very suspicious. They stop for a second, look at us a little closer, look at the candy cane again . . . suspicious people don't often take the candy or tract. Then we meet those who don't eat candy; very common up here as Vancouver's a health-conscious city. Then we meet those who won't let their children eat candy. That's a little awkward when we're holding the candy, the kids want it, but the parents won't let them have it. I've learned to speak directly to the parents in that case and ask if their children can have candy before I even make eye contact with the children! There are some people who are so intent on their walk that they don't even notice you. Some people suddenly realize you're talking to them and stop long enough to find out what you're saying; they may or may not take a candy cane.
Then there are those people whose eyes light up . . . because you're giving them something for free, with no strings attached. They even take the tract! Those are the ones who make it fun to stand in the freezing weather with numb feet and drippy noses inviting people to church!
We'll do this again next Saturday and on Christmas Eve. Our people enjoy this type of tract distribution - it's fun and very interactive! It gets our church name out, letting people know there's a Baptist church in town that reaches out to people. It also gets tracts into the hands of many, many people we might not otherwise meet.
This entry is cross-posted at KJV Blog Directory.
We get varied responses. Some people are very suspicious. They stop for a second, look at us a little closer, look at the candy cane again . . . suspicious people don't often take the candy or tract. Then we meet those who don't eat candy; very common up here as Vancouver's a health-conscious city. Then we meet those who won't let their children eat candy. That's a little awkward when we're holding the candy, the kids want it, but the parents won't let them have it. I've learned to speak directly to the parents in that case and ask if their children can have candy before I even make eye contact with the children! There are some people who are so intent on their walk that they don't even notice you. Some people suddenly realize you're talking to them and stop long enough to find out what you're saying; they may or may not take a candy cane.
Then there are those people whose eyes light up . . . because you're giving them something for free, with no strings attached. They even take the tract! Those are the ones who make it fun to stand in the freezing weather with numb feet and drippy noses inviting people to church!
We'll do this again next Saturday and on Christmas Eve. Our people enjoy this type of tract distribution - it's fun and very interactive! It gets our church name out, letting people know there's a Baptist church in town that reaches out to people. It also gets tracts into the hands of many, many people we might not otherwise meet.
This entry is cross-posted at KJV Blog Directory.
What a great way to reach out to the lost. :o)
ReplyDeleteAlso, wanted to thank you for sharing the Homemade Kettle Corn Recipe over on Kelli's site "There's No Place Like Home"! I checked it out and saved it to favorites. I hope to try it out sometime.
Have a blessed week!
What a neat ministry!
ReplyDeleteSusan, Thanks for posting and for your etsy. I just now put two and two together that you were the one who contacted me through etsy. - Sometimes I'm slow on the uptake. Sorry. Sometimes when new people comment on my blog it takes me a few times to remember that I should check out their site. Glad to meet a fellow IFB pastor's wife - oooh I bet it is cold where you are! :) I love the idea of the candy cane blitz. We might try it here but it will be more of a door to door probably because not many walk down the streets in this area. It's not a city.
ReplyDeleteJules, you will LOVE that kettle corn!
ReplyDeleteTammy, I had wondered if you'd made the connection yet! :) It's ok - I'm slow to make connections sometimes too.