Alabama Baptists minister to masses at Shrimp Festival

Alabama Baptists minister to masses at Shrimp Festival

Thousands of people from across Alabama and surrounding states made their way to Gulf Shores for the 36th annual National Shrimp Festival Oct. 11–14. Milling among the crowds at the art and music festival were Alabama Baptists, sharing the love of Christ.

From Huntsville to Birmingham to just down the street, they found creative ways to participate.

"Barefoot believers," staff and volunteers with Gulf Area Resort Ministries, stood out from the crowd with bright-colored T-shirts bearing footprints in the sand and Romans 10:15, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news."

The group, which is sponsored by Baldwin Baptist Association, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and the North American Mission Board, participates in evangelism efforts in the area.

Baldwin Association also reached out to children through crafts at the Children’s Activity Village. Activities included face painting, decorating paper-bag puppets and designing bracelets.

"People have been reached by Christ, and that is our No. 1 goal," said Nate Diehl, Baldwin Association’s director of resort and Baptist Campus Ministries at Faulkner University.

Other Alabama Baptist groups working during the festival included those from Huntsville’s Whitesburg Baptist Church in Madison Baptist Association and Trussville’s NorthPark Baptist Church in Birmingham Baptist Association.

The 24-member Whitesburg Baptist team distributed 657 gospel tracts and witnessed to about 790 people, said minister of missions John Crocker. He also noted that the team saw seven people come to Christ.

"God worked in the lives of Whitesburg Baptist team members in a wonderful way," Crocker said. "It was truly exciting to see them get turned on and directly involved in the ministry."

The 47-member NorthPark Baptist team helped children at the festival make salvation bracelets, using various colored beads to show the different stages of salvation Christians undergo.

"This is our second year (at the shrimp festival) and we really enjoy working with the arts and crafts," said Marty Lively, middle school minister for NorthPark. "This is a good introduction to ministry and evangelism, and it prepares the middle school age group for high school when they have the opportunity to go overseas or work on construction."

Tina Lopresti, mother of a middle school youth group member at NorthPark, agreed. "I think this is a good ministry for the middle school children and getting them started."

Claire Kellough, a member of NorthPark’s middle school youth group, said working with the children is fun but basically "it is a great experience to work for God."