Beads. More beads. And MoonPies. Many parade-goers who waited with outstretched arms made off with a lion’s share of free goodies during Mardi Gras festivities in Mobile Feb. 19–20.
But there were some who hit the mother lode in a different way than they were expecting. In the midst of the Mardi Gras hoopla, they met Alabama Baptists who introduced them to the love of Christ.
"We have to use every creative opportunity to meet people who do not know Jesus," said Thomas Wright, director of missions for Mobile Baptist Association. "Mardi Gras provides a unique setting to reach people who are farthest from the Christian lifestyle."
Because of this, Wright and other Mobile Baptists decided to blitz the festivities this year. A group of volunteers from several Mobile Association churches set up a ministry outreach for two days in a park fronting the parade route. The effort drew in families with lively entertainment for children, including face painting, clowns, balloon animals and salvation bracelets. The gospel presentation was creatively woven through all the activities, according to Wright.
"Our job is to make a clear, loving presentation of the gospel to as many people as we can while we can and to invite them to respond to Christ," said Charles Gibbs, pastor of West Mobile Baptist Church, Mobile.
In the same area, about 25 students from the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) at the University of South Alabama (USA) in Mobile also found that a few freebies buy some time with parade-goers.
Not to mention that a picture is worth a thousand words. At least so says Shannon Hughes, assistant campus minister of USA’s BCM, who sent the students out in teams of two during the Feb. 20 festivities in hopes of reaching revelers with free photos.
The effort marked the first time that Alabama Baptists have partnered with JoePix to reach out to the throngs at Mardi Gras, according to Mike Nuss, director of the office of collegiate and student ministries for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
In a JoePix outreach effort, two-person teams approach groups of people and offer to take their photo with a digital camera. The teams then provide them with a card with a code that allows them to access the -JoePix Web site, view their photo and request a free 5-by-7 print.
Once a person logs into the JoePix site, a flash animation and audio message begin to play that explain God’s role in people’s lives. Hughes said about 70 percent of the people photographed will fill out the appropriate paperwork to receive their free photo and about 35 percent will get involved with the gospel presentation online.
And the personal contacts made at the parade were equally productive, according to Hughes.
The student volunteers took approximately 600 photos, but many photos included more than one person in the shot, so students were able to reach many more than the number indicates, she added.
"The goal (of the JoePix outreach) was twofold," Hughes said. "First, it was an opportunity to reach our community with the gospel. Second, it gives students the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and share a word about Jesus."
According to Nuss, the outreach is a "great example of using an event that is ordinarily thought of as totally secular to share the gospel." (Lyle W. Ratliff and Donna Wright)
Share with others: