Dangle the possibility of winning a high-dollar Harley in front of people decked in black leather and strapped with an abundance of clanking chain, and what do you get?
New Christians, Dakota Baptists found out last year.
In a first-ever venture for the state convention, Dakota Baptists rented booth space on a busy street at South Dakota’s massive Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2006 and offered the 400,000-plus visitors a chance to win a new Harley-Davidson limited-edition motorcycle. All they had to do was to listen to a three-minute gospel presentation and they could put in their name for a chance to win a pristine white Harley.
When the dust settled, about 2,500 people had been willing to listen to the gospel and 744 of them made a profession of faith.
Dakota Baptists sent to each person who made a profession of faith a Bible, discipleship book for new believers and a letter encouraging him or her to immediately connect with a church home.
They also followed up with those who lived in North and South Dakota. Names and contact information from people in other states were sent to the North American Mission Board’s evangelism response center to pass on to churches near the new believers’ homes.
To do it again this year, Dakota Baptists need at least 60 volunteers a day from Aug. 4–10 to share the three-minute gospel presentation and at least one prayer team each day in Sturgis for the 30 days before the rally, said Garvon Golden, sharing Christ team leader for the Dakota Baptist Convention (DBC).
Golden said he does not want youth groups to come to Sturgis. He’s looking for adults unruffled by swarming motorcyclists, many of whom may smell of beer or marijuana and will use words not usually heard in church.
For more information about needs for the outreach at the 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, contact Golden at garvon@dakota
baptist.com or DBC Executive Director Jim Hamilton at jim@dakotabaptist.com. (BP)
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