Blaring rap music, yellow crime scene tape, open-hooded vehicles on ramps
and young children running in the streets is an all-too-common scene throughout
much of inner city America.
Blaring rap music, yellow crime scene tape, open-hooded vehicles on ramps
and young children running in the streets is an all-too-common scene throughout
much of inner city America.
A similar scenario played itself out recently at the Cloverleaf Terrace apartments
in Indianapolis during the communitys annual luau festivities. However,
this year, Southern Baptist volunteers from across the Southeast joined in on
the celebration.
They hosted childrens games and crafts and provided free car washes,
oil changes and other maintenance. The rap music was of the Christian variety
– and the yellow tape sectioned off part of the parking lot where groups
of Baptist men serviced the vehicles while sharing the gospel.
The Cloverleaf outreach was just one of nearly 40 evangelistic block parties
held June 11-12 throughout metropolitan Indianapolis as part of Crossover Indiana.
Crossover is an annual Southern Baptist evangelistic effort held prior to the
annual Southern Baptist Convention.
Statewide, 100-plus churches were part of 75 Crossover events, including block
parties, street evangelism, neighborhood prayerwalking, door-to-door spiritual
opinion surveys and 40-plus revival crusades.
More than 1,100 professions of faith in Jesus Christ had been recorded as a
result of the various Crossover efforts through June 12.
Also, more than 900 phone calls had been received nationwide through the Southern
Baptist North American Mission Boards Evangelism Response Center. The
callers were requesting copies of “The Hope” evangelistic video in
response to a Southern Baptist television ad campaign underway throughout Indiana.
More than 25 professions of faith also have been recorded through the media
campaign.
As part of the Crossover effort, block parties featuring free food, games and
prizes were held in apartment complexes, city parks, shopping center parking
lots, on street corners and in rural open fields.
North American Mission Board Vice President John Yarbrough described the Crossover
effort as an evangelistic laboratory.
“Crossover helps us focus as Southern Baptists on what were all
about,” he said. “It encourages the churches locally and leaves a
residue of equipped witnesses to further impact the area for eternity.”
Back at the inner-city Cloverleaf Terrace apartments, men helped children make
miniature racecars out of wooden blocks, youth groups washed residents
cars and a bubble machine filled the air with glistening ornaments that evaporated
on contact.
Andy Boles of Magee, Miss., focused on sharing the gospel with 31-year-old
woman named Christina while she waited for a free oil change.
When the Mississippi Baptist pastor explained that Jesus offered forgiveness
for her sins, Christinas eyes brightened and she replied -“How
can I be saved?”
A few minutes later, she prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and savior, one
of four people who made such a decision while waiting for their oil changes.
Baptist mens groups from five states participated in the “BMEN
on Mission Pit Stop” by providing minor vehicle maintenance on about 30
vehicles in the apartment complex. Some men shared the gospel while the others
serviced the vehicles.
Ministry evangelism projects like the Pit Stop are part of a new adult mission
education emphasis by the North American Mission Board. “We plan to take
this back home and repeat it in our community because theres the same
need there,” one Kentucky Baptist volunteer noted.
Meanwhile, at Fellowship Baptist Church east of downtown on New York Street,
pastor Gary Pitcock credited the success of the churchs block party and
door-to-door witnessing efforts to prayer. The block party drew about 200 people
from the neighborhood and more than 50 professions of faith of teenagers and
adults were recorded by the volunteer workers.
Weeks before the block party, Pitcock and about 15 others in the congregation
walked about a dozen blocks near the church praying for the homes that might
be impacted by the evangelistic outreach.
Volunteer Mark Jackson said he had the opportunity to help lead a man to place
his faith in Christ as well as the mans fiancé and her mother and
brother and another friend. “Its always a miracle when they come
to Christ,” said Jackson, who also is a Southern Baptist Mission Service
Corps missionary in Wichita, Kan. “We find as we knock on doors that theres
people that Gods already prepared. …
“These folks out here are just waiting for someone to tell them about
Jesus.”
All in all, mission board leaders said 884 professions of faith were recorded
by workers sharing the gospel door-to-door and on sidewalks and street corners.
Mark Zdawczyk of Holt, Mich., said he was excited about the chance to help
lead two high school boys and a college-aged woman to make professions of faith
while canvassing one neighborhood.
“It was a day of joy and awe because youre allowing God to work
through you,” Zdawczyk said.
“All glory goes to God.”
Meanwhile, near downtown Garfield Park, about 700 people attended the day-long
“Jesus Family Picnic,” an annual evangelistic extravaganza coordinated
by an inner-city mission. The event included live music, free food, a 40-foot
inflatable slide for children and prize drawings for bicycles, tee-shirts, and
barbeque grills.
An Alabama evangelist preached – and more than 20 people were baptized
at the event in a portable four-foot-high rectangular baptismal pool.
Also, local pastor Dusty Selig said the 300-plus registration cards he collected
for the prize drawings will keep him busy for the rest of the year doing follow-up
visits.
Selig said one of the most enduring memories of the entire event will be the
opportunity he had to baptize a 74-year-old man who confessed, “I know
this is what I need,” upon becoming a Christian.
Back at Cloverleaf Terrace, John Barker said the block party will help the
church – which meets in the complex – build life-changing relationships
with residents. That is important because the 424-unit apartment facility includes
more than 600 children.
“They see they can have fun in a Christian environment,” said Barker,
who serves as pastor at Cloverleaf Baptist Church. (BP)