What would Jesus do if 250,000 people showed up on His "doorstep"? Hed probably go into the midst of the throng and find ways to connect with them. When Christians ask, "What would Jesus do?" the answer is often a straightforward "Get involved!"

"If your job is to pick peaches, the best place to do it is in the orchard," says Tim Knopps, event evangelism associate at the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

Woodstock 99 and the Winnipeg Pan Am Gamestwo huge events which occurred simultaneously last summergave on mission Christians a chance to do what Jesus would do and get involved. Local Christians saw the influx of thousands of people to their area as a God-given opportunity to share the good news.

One thing both these events had (and other large events have) in common was their sizeapproximately 250,000 visitors converged in one central location for a limited time and for a specific purpose. Another common factor was that local Christians were ready to receive the masses and prepared to do whatever they could to be servant ministers and evangelists. A third similarity of these two events was that they had access to excellent resources finances, personnel, materials and expertiseavailable from NAMB and the International Mission Board (IMB).

But your church doesnt have to wait for a mega event to take advantage of similar opportunities. What are the "gathering" times and places in your community? What could your church do at the next county fair, Thanksgiving Day parade, football game or similar event to serve people and build bridges to Christ?

Heres what other Christians and churches have learned that might help in your next special event outreach.

Chris Wells involvement in the Pan Am Games outreach dates back to Spring 1996 when a representative from Campus Crusade for Christ visited the Evangelical Fellowship of Winnipega group of cross-denominational evangelical churchesto give them a "heads up" concerning the Pan Am Games. This Olympic-type sporting event for the 42 countries of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean was scheduled to take place in southern Manitoba during the summer of 1999. The Games consist of competition in 41 sports and involve a little more than 5,000 athletes and team officials from participating countries.

Wells, pastor of River South Baptist Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, naturally assumed God wanted His people to be involved.

"We estimated 250,000 people would attend or participate in the Games, so God wanted us there!" Wells said. Following the 1996 Olympics he attended a week of training in Atlanta to gain insight and expertise in sports event evangelism. When he returned, he worked at organizing local churches and leaders to strategize and implement their plans. It was called Reach Out 99.

Wells quickly realized the outreach effort needed the focused leadership only a full-time person could provide. The IMB responded by sending a missionary, who coordinated the efforts of Reach Out 99.

Wayne Dyer had almost no notice that Woodstock 99 was coming to Rome, New York. Dyer is the Director of Missions for the Davis Association in upstate New York. As soon as he heard about the pending rock concert, the Rome Clergy Association made contact with the Family of Woodstock Corporation but was virtually ignored. Dyer, and other clergy, never received confirmation for involvement until a few weeks prior to the event.

"We were not sure up to the last minute whether or not we could do what we wanted," Dyer said. "The rules kept changing! This event was a moneymaker for the Woodstock Corporation. They saw religious involvement as a problem."

Dyer got involved in the Woodstock outreach for several reasons.

"Ive been an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and I knew I could minister personally. Ive seen all that stuff beforedrinking, drugs and nudityI didnt go in unprepared," Dyer said. "Second, as a director of missions, I wanted to give leadership. But most of all, with a huge group coming to our area, I knew some would be open to the gospel. After all, thats what the church and the association is supposed to be about."

Both evangelistic efforts hit upon a winning strategy, and both Wells and Dyer credit NAMB for helping them find creative ways to make an impact. Leaders of Pan Am and Woodstock outreaches were advised to discover the needs of their events and then find creative ways to meet them. They were also told to invest in only quality materialssomething people would see as a souvenir. Highly successful ministries and materials resulted from this advice.

An example of a practical approach to sharing Christ came from an unlikely source. Southern Baptists were the only ones with the foresight to print maps of the Woodstock area. Dyer and a group of 20 volunteers distributed 50,000 tracts that included a 27- by 18-inch foldout with a map of Woodstock on one side and a map to heaven (the gospel) on the other.

"People wanted our maps. They came to us," said Knopps, who spent a week in Rome volunteering at Woodstock. He was instrumental in leading the outreach efforts, and it was his idea to provide maps and Mardi Gras-style beads as souvenirs. "Our maps were so popular that the Rome Chamber of Commerce took cases of them and handed them out all over the area," Knopps said.

"Mardi Gras beads became a major hit," Knopps said. Volunteers mingled with the crowd wearing their beads, and people asked where they got them. They were directed to the "Christian" booth where beads were given with a tract.

In the same way, "More Than Gold" booklets and pins became hotly sought-after commodities at Winnipegs Pan Am Games.

"We learned that literature must be souvenir quality," Wells said. "We saw many religious tracts and leaflets littering the grounds during the Games but we never found one of our booklets."

"Give us jobs nobody else wants," Wells told the Pan Am Games organizing committee. As a result, the "garbage busters" were formed and this ministry won the notice and praise of local and national media. "We based our involvement in the Games on a servant attitude, and our primary target was not visitors, but the people of Winnipeg itself," Wells said.

Another commonality of these two events was the positive effect of Christians partneringregardless of denominationto achieve a common goal. Winnipegs churches had collaborated only one other time, during a citywide Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade, and they found the experience rewarding and encouraging.

"The service we provided gave the churches a good reputation in the larger community," Wells said. "The Games furthered a movement already begun in Winnipegs evangelical community. We have had joint praise, worship and prayer events in the past and the Games encouraged people to talk, pray and work together even more."

When the media suggested Wells was using the Pan Am Games as a springboard for spreading the gospel, he freely admitted that was true.

"We are using the Games," Wells said. "I dont apologize for that."

Connie Cavanaugh is a writer and speaker living in Cochrane, Alberta.