Crossover Birmingham volunteers to blitz Veterans Day parade

On Nov. 11, an estimated 30,000–50,000 people from all walks of life will flock to the place where Baptists will hold Crossover Birmingham.
   
They just don’t realize it yet.
   
But when the day arrives for the National Veterans Day Parade in downtown Birmingham — the site of this year’s Crossover event — parade-goers won’t be able to miss the bright-shirted Baptists among them. This year, instead of inviting the community to block parties and other events, state Baptists opted to try something new — take Crossover to the parade, the nation’s oldest and largest Veterans Day celebration.
   
“Since the parade fell on the Saturday of Crossover, we didn’t want to compete,” said Mike Jackson, an associate in the office of evangelism for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). 
   
“We have some churches still planning wonderful block party events and other things on different days in conjunction with Crossover, but our main effort Saturday will be on the parade,” he said.
Five metro-area Baptist associations — Birmingham, Shelby, St. Clair, Bessemer and North Jefferson — will set up tents on five strategic corners of the parade route (see map, page 4) to pass out water, talk with parade-goers and register passers-by for giveaways.
   
Other Baptist volunteers — such as students from the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and several other area colleges — will be connecting with people through JoePix, a ministry that will provide free photos of parade-goers, giving volunteers an open door to share the gospel.
   
“I feel like [holding Crossover at the parade] was a good idea. We will touch a broad base of area people we wouldn’t normally reach,” said Steve Loggins, director of missions (DOM) for North Jefferson Association.
   
The Baptist presence at and support of the parade will be strong, Jackson said. A contingency of Baptist bikers will be riding in the parade, and evangelism teams will use gospel tracts with patriotic themes as they talk with people there. Contacts made through the giveaway registration cards will allow the associations to follow up with prospects in the area.
   
Volunteers will use the UAB BCM building at 1216 15th St. S. as Crossover’s central hub on parade day for resources such as JoePix training sessions and picking up tents, T-shirts and supplies for use at the sites. 
   
Though more volunteers are needed, large numbers have already been recruited — and according to Shelby Association DOM Hugh Richardson, they’re ready to go. Meadow View Community Church, Alabaster — a new church with 25 or 30 in Sunday School — got so excited about the opportunities afforded by the parade that it committed early to buy 150 cases of water to give away at Shelby’s site, he said.
   
The associations plan to be in place at their sites before sections of streets used for the parade route close at 11 a.m. 
   
From then until the start of the parade at 1:30, volunteers will have the opportunity to mingle with the crowds as they trickle in.
   
“We hope to reach as many unchurched families as we can as we honor our veterans,” said Ben Chandler, St. Clair Association DOM. “We hope they will see that Southern Baptists are honoring the veterans who fought and died for our freedom and connect with us that way.”
   
According to Jackson, the parade idea was one way to “do something we’ve never done before” for Crossover this year. And state Baptist leaders are looking toward future years and already thinking of how to use new resources more effectively. 
   
For example, in coming years, Web sites for Crossover events in each city will be up for use in coordinating volunteers and disseminating information.
   
“They should serve as a very effective tool,” Jackson said.
   
For more information on how to get involved with Crossover Birmingham, call the SBOM evangelism office at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 368.