For Elaine, the journey began in her home, by her radio, where she heard 888-JESUS 2000. It was 2 a.m. She dialed the number and was routed to a man in Bakersville, California, a night owl like herself. Hed been trained as a telephone encourager for the Evangelism Response Center (ERC), a ministry of the North American Mission Board. He could have been in any time zone, but he happened to be in Elaines. They discussed the program shed heard on FamilyNet that prompted her call, including the spiritual questions it raised in her mind and heart. After an in-depth discussion, Elaine decided to trust in Jesus. The telephone encourager, who also was in his own home, led her in prayer.

Next came the journey of information to connect Elaine to a church. With her permission, the telephone encourager forwarded information to ERC staff, who routed it to the Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association, who emailed it to Lee Yarbrough, pastor of First Southern Baptist of Hanford. Lee contacted Elaine, wholike three other recent referrals from the ERCbecame a member.

Elaines journey was a satisfying connection point for many. On the day of her baptism, Tim Gentry, associate director of evangelism for the California Southern Baptist Convention, was visiting Hanford for a state missions emphasis. Fresh from his own training as an ERC telephone encourager, Tim appreciated seeing the process in action. The ERC is a perfect example of NAMB assisting churches to do what they cant accomplish on their own, said Tim. Carol and Ron Climer also were present for Elaines baptism. Carol, who at that time was association office secretary, happened to be the one who took Elaines referral from the ERC. And Ron, a NAMB missionary, happened to be preaching that day. Its amazing how God orchestrated the events that led to Elaines baptism that Sunday morning, added Tim.

Christians in North America are taking a page from a playbook we already know: penetrating the world of sports with the gospel. Its on these playing fields that weve made a significant difference with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, chaplains for professional teams, ministries at sporting events ranging from the Super Bowl to NASCAR to the Olympics.

But theres so much more we could do, say leaders of the North American Mission Board. Christians could harness the power of communication and direct it to a key mission field: the influential gatekeepers to the hearts and minds of North Americans. These influencers are like the people Paul met on Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-34). Today they are:

Lawyers, judges, the judiciary (Law)

Doctors, medical professionals (Medicine)

Print and broadcast journalists, the press (the Media)

Hollywood, Broadway, the entertainment industry (the Arts)

Washington, Ottawa, local politicians (Politics)

Executives, decision-makers (Business and Industry)

Teachers, professors, educators (Education)

With the conviction that reaching such influencers is answering Gods call, telling His story and changing our world, NAMB has adopted a strategy called Penetrating the Culture with Christian Communication. It utilizes all media channels to speak to those who dont attend church and outreach efforts that will help build bridges between Southern Baptists and those who dont know Christ. Do we really believe that whats happened in sports can happen in these other mission fields? challenges Randy Singer, NAMB executive vice president. Do we see a day when an Oscar winner would shout praises to Jesus the same way Kurt Warner did after he won the Super Bowl? When the cast of a Broadway play would hold a pre-performance Bible study? When Supreme Court justices and the lawyers who just argued the case would kneel in the courtroom and pray together, like professional football players kneel on the field after a game?

If not, then do we really believe that God is the God of the impossible?

Already NAMB has appointed missionaries to the diplomatic community in Washington D.C., to the United Nations in New York City and, most recently, to Hollywood. And these are only the tip of the iceberg.

This challenging but exciting mission field requires developing highly placed relationships, understanding unique sensitivities and engaging in dialogues with busy, remote and often hostile people who need Christ as much as anyone else. Its an intense, one-on-one mission environment, rather than a delivery to the masses. But reaching these people can lead to the hearts of many.

Reaching the masses
NAMB reaches into the homes of millions of families with FamilyNet, its television network and radio ministry. The most influential force of our secular culture is television, says David Clark, vice president for broadcasting, noting that a TV is on seven hours a day in the average American home.

Through FamilyNet, NAMB offers 24/7 viewing options, including entertainment, education, teaching ministry and worshipfamily-friendly programming of a quality that cannot be seen on any other channel.

FamilyNet is poised to grow into a national network, a position of enormous potential for evangelism.

Each program includes a phone number for spiritual counsel. Callers are directed to NAMBs Evangelism Response Center (ERC), which routes calls into the homes of trained telephone encouragers from across North America. A network of Southern Baptist Covenant Churches then follows up on each decision.

NAMB also presents the gospel through eight evangelistic web sites. Last year 1.3 million people visited one of these sites, spending on average six to nine minutes there. In the web world, if you keep someone on your website longer than 30 seconds, youve done something fantastic, says Siam Rogers, NAMBs Internet missionary.

Spanning more than just this continent, responses arrive from all over the world and are forwarded not only to North American churches but also to the International Mission Board.

Last year 2,500 people were referred to a local church through NAMBs evangelistic web sites. The Heres Hope website prompted an outbreak of decisions for Christ from Cairo last year as one Egyptian made his decision over the Internet, then sent the page to others.

Rogers says the Internet can be a vital evangelistic tool when family pressures may make even investigating Christ difficult. If a person then makes a decision for Christ, it would be solid and genuine.

Meanwhile, Rogers is working on a mail alert that will flash on a desktop to alert Internet encouragers, who have volunteered to share Christ over the Internet, that they need to check their email. Also in the works are online Bible studies, delivered in a distance-learning format, and a military presentation.

NAMB now offers local churches a means of directing respondents outside of their community to the ERC for follow-up. Thats the dynamic spiderwebbing of the Internet with the gospel, says Rogers.

Ultimately, the gospel message is personal, and whether by phone, email or face to face, North America must get the message: Jesus loves you.