By SEAN TAYLOR

Sometimes, finding out how your church fits into your community can be a bit befuddlinglike completing a puzzle only to find that the last piece doesnt fit the remaining hole.

By utilizing special events, churches across North America are finding ways to reshape that last puzzle piece. They are discovering how to break free from the stained glass, overcoming barriers and getting involved in community life.

Tears of joy after sincere prayer are a common occurrence at uncommon events like block parties. Churches can reach their communities in ways individuals cant. PHOTOS BY GIBBS FRAZEUR

Gone fishin
For Al Odum, of Sumter, South Carolina, founder of the Fishers of Men Bass Tournament, getting out from behind the stained glass meant chucking it all and going fishing. His outreach tools? A boat, a rod and a tacklebox.

What weve done is use the infrastructure of churches to assist us in conducting our bass fishing events. We run competitive fishing tournaments with a little different slant to them, he says. Were trying to catch men for the Lord, as well as catch fish. And weve seen more than 40 men come to know Christ this year.

The tournament depends on church members getting involved and joining the tour. Tour members form two-person teams and fish together for the entire tour. Odum encourages partnering with non-Christians.

The tournaments strength is its philosophy of bridging gaps between Christians and non-Christians. What makes this unique, says Barry Leach, one of the fishermen, is that we all have something in common to start with. We love the outdoors. We love fishing. And that certainly gives you opportunities to talk about other things. For me, it obviously leads to opportunities to talk about the Lord and how to know Him.

Theres a deeper bond, according to John Blair, another fisherman in the tournament. Its a way to bring people into the common need we all havethe need for a Savior, he says.

Before sending the competitors out to fish on Saturdays, the tournament always begins with a meeting on Friday nights, a meeting that is mandatory for fishermen wanting to earn all the points they can.

Its a pre-tournament meeting at a local church, says Odum. Its a time of inspirational singing and speaking, a fishing seminar, and during that time we challenge them with the gospel and give them an opportunity to make a decision. Decisions are recorded privately on cards that Odum uses for follow-up.

The original concept is what we still follow, says Leach, a member since the beginning. We want to bring people to the Lord, people who may not have gotten around to hearing the message. This way, weve invited people to come spend some time with Christians, to see and hear what we do, to come eat and fish with us and enjoy the outdoors with us.

And hopefully get to know Jesus along the way.

The ABCs of outreach
Helping people get to know Jesus is the ultimate goal of special event outreach. According to Toby Frost, Evangelism Events Manager at the North American Mission Board, There is a difference between an evangelistic event and a church fellowship, he says. In event evangelism you use an A-B-C formula to intentionally reach people for Christ. The goals are to attract the unreached people around you, build a relational atmosphere and communicate the gospel.

Event evangelism assures people that theyre not sharing their faith alone. Its easier to be more vocal when you see others around you doing the same thing. It also alleviates the ambush factor. People know they are coming to a church-related event. Its not as if they are being blind-sided in the midst of their busy lives. That helps keep the automatic defense mechanisms deactivated.

Perhaps the most important benefit of planning evangelistic events is that they accomplish the core of the Great Commission, putting Christians in contact with non-Christians to share their faith. They allow a church to find its fit within the local community and the local population of unreached people.

Party in the hood
When the North American Mission Boards School of Evangelism went to Philadelphia, William Scott, then pastor of Second Pilgrim Baptist, knew the opportunity had come to inject his church into the inner-city community around it.

When you look at the black church, he says. Id say that most of the time 90-95 percent of the members are not from the community. They commute in and get back out. And I really wanted to touch the community, to let the church know it is part of the community.

Special events like football and basketball games provide a ready-made audience for ministry and outreach.

Scott agreed to host a block party to give both the visiting School of Evangelism students and his own congregation an opportunity to share their faith in an inner-city environment. After preparing food for about 1,500 people, and attracting an almost full-capacity crowd from the neighborhood, the party resulted in 300 people coming to know Christ as their Savior.

Community healing also resulted.

People came from four blocks away to say, This is the first time in all the time Ive been here that someone has reached out to me, says Scott.

Colethia Faison, a church member who took part in the party, spent most of her time meandering through the crowd seeking out people to talk to.

We were able to get peoples attention with the big party, she says. When they got there we were able to tell them about Jesus. One-on-ones varied from person to person and I did a lot of them at the party. Some people were more receptive than others, and then you found some who were absolutely ready. Some just wanted to listen and still others needed a quiet place to talk about it.

Those who shared their faith sometimes had to think fast to break through the barriers that people would erect, such as when one young woman worried that her skirt was too short. 

She wanted to come, says Faison, but she didnt want to come with the clothes she had on. A member assured her that she was fine in what she had, but she didnt feel comfortable. So she worked it out and got the girl something to wear.

Clothed in an outfit that made her feel less conspicuous, the girl decided to stay. She became a Christian and was baptized that night.

Clothes are not the thing, but if clothes are going to make somebody feel uncomfortable, and if theyre going to allow clothes to come between them and God, then wed better grab a garment. And if theyre hungry, grab some food quick. People have needs and sometimes they come to you talking about those needs before you can talk to them about Jesus, adds Faison.

An ongoing presence
As the national base for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Salt Lake City is one of the most religious cities in North America. So when the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) met in Salt Lake City this summer, many local churches used the occasion to reach out to their neighbors, Mormon and otherwise.

An impromptu rap concert can open doors to sharing with youth who may be tough to reach otherwise.

Marilyn Patrick, a member of Holladay Baptist, helped organize the church Schools Out Celebration.

We had a carnival with dunking booths, moonwalks and all sorts of things, but we also included in each of those a way to share the gospel, she says. We used the witnessing bracelets. We had a Christian band giving the message. We had puppets, and we had people walking around sharing. We were able to give out New Testaments. We had saturated the lot we were meeting on. There werent many places people could go that day and not be shared with.

Although rain lightened the events turnout, Patrick has found that the events reach extended far beyond the grasp originally imagined. Weve had a lot of visitors at the church because of it. And we have a whole lot more opportunities to talk to people around us about Christ. People are asking questions they wouldnt have before. Its been amazing to see how it continues to go on.

Few cities have no homeless population. There is always tremendous need if people are willing to get involved.

While Patrick and her church were hosting the carnival, Alta Canyon Baptist, in neighboring Sandy, Utah, conducted surveys in the areas around the church. Alta Canyon member Michelle Griffis coordinated the event and served as a contact for the survey teams, which were made up predominantly of SBC visitors from other states.

Were a small church and didnt feel like we had enough members to do something like this ourselves, but we wanted to be involved, she says. The church members have, however, spent themselves sacrificially to stay on top of the follow-up.

Half a dozen made firm decisions for Christ, but there are 25-30 more survey sheets from people who said they were interested in hearing more and maybe coming to Bible study.

Weve been visiting the people who made decisions for Christ. We take them a five-day Bible study and an introductory brochure for the church.

Then we go back a week later and give them one of the JESUS videos. We make sure that they have Bibles and that they understand the decision theyve made. And we try to encourage them to be involved in a church, says Griffis.

In spite of the churchs small size and few members, Alta Canyon is determined to reach out to those missed by the canvassing. The mission isnt over, she says. Were committed to go out and continue working the survey.

As a result of these events and many others that made up Crossoverevents such as block parties, street evangelism and drama ministriesmany Christians learned the joy of sharing one-on-one and leading others to Christ. Statistics show:

• 1,715 people made professions of faith.

• Some 5,000 people called the NAMB hotline.

• More than 2,000 wrote in to request the JESUS video.

• Nearly 500 college students took part in the events.

How bout you?
Event evangelism is not just for big churches with big budgets. Its not just for churches in urban environments. Its for churches that actively want to find their place in their cities or towns and are willing to reshape as needed to fit that place.

All it takes is the want-to, as summed up by Colethia Faisons simple prayer of submission: One night, I cried so much, and I couldnt understand why I was crying. I said Lord, whatever it is you want me to do, here am I. Send me.