A car pulls up to the drive-through window of a local burger spot and the driver extends his hand to pay the cashier. “The car in front of you paid for your order and said to give you this,” the attendant explains, handing the driver his order and what appears to be a business card.
The stunned driver looks at the card and reads, “We just wanted to show you the love of Jesus in a practical way.” Below these words he sees a church’s name, address and worship times. He turns the card over to reveal a simple map and written directions to Gardendale’s First Baptist Church in North Jefferson Baptist Association.
This man has just experienced Fast Food Friends.
“It is a creative way to show people … the love of Christ,” the church’s Web site, www.GFBConline.com, explains. Church members who participate “drive off praying that God will use that act of kindness to bless the recipient of [their] generosity.”
Pastor Kevin Hamm first introduced this ministry in March, having seen remarkable results at his previous church.
“I was baptizing a couple who had just accepted Christ, and I asked how they’d come to know Jesus. ‘Somebody bought our meal at McDonald’s,’ they answered. That was when they had begun visiting our church. That’s what ultimately led that whole family to salvation,” Hamm said.
The cards are made available on tables throughout the church campus and members are enthusiastically using these to share Christ’s love with others. Correspondence continues to pour in from people who have been touched by these simple acts of kindness.
One family wrote: “Thank you so much to the mystery party that paid for our meal. … We were traveling back from Florida where we attended a 50th wedding anniversary. Though we had a wonderful time, our trip back was to a funeral for a 10-year-old family member. With all the sadness and evil in the world, it lifted our spirits to see God work in such a practical way.”
“There are people in the faith who aren’t ready to present the gospel and share their faith. They’re growing, getting there, but not there yet. This gives them a simple means to be a blessing to other people’s lives, to invest in others’ lives, invite them to church and then watch God impact their lives,” Hamm said.
“And if you’re going to impact a community,” he continued, “you’ve got to get out in it. It’s easy to fall into the trap of ‘Come see what we’ve got to offer.’ We need to combine that with ‘Go and tell.’”
Phil Cronin, community outreach pastor of Gardendale’s First, concurs. “Fast Food Friends has given our people a practical tool that allows them to easily apply the love of Christ. Every believer wants to do good, and they feel great when they do. This has given them a way to make that happen.”
From simple to upscale, restaurant tabs are being picked up by congregants. One woman wrote the church extolling the mystery person who had paid for a full tank of gas for her SUV.
Responses constantly affirm God’s hand in the distribution of Fast Food Friends’ benedictions. A recent letter came from a member of a family who was blessed while dining in Gadsden: “I have recently been diagnosed with cancer … I really took this as … a confirmation that God is with me.”
As one member said, “It’s not about getting people to Gardendale’s First Baptist Church; it’s about reminding them that Jesus loves them. When we prayerfully do that, it’s our hope that they’ll plug into a Bible-believing church wherever their home is.”
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