Ideas For Evangelism - Way of Life Literature

One year, when our teenage son was on a LittleLeague baseball team, we held a birthday party forhim after practice on the baseball field. A friend and Iprovided food, sodas, and games for the team, thensat the boys down while our youth director sharedthe gospel with them. The next year, with many ofthe same boys on the team, we invited them to ourson’s birthday party that was held at our church aftera youth rally. The entire team came and therebyheard the gospel.For two years the Lord allowed me to be ‘TeamMom’ on that same Little League baseball team. Itook every opportunity to reach out in love to thoseboys, having hotdog roasts and dinners on the fieldbefore games, providing extra drinks, etc. After eachgame different parents were assigned to providesnacks for the team members. When my turn came,I put snacks and drinks in brown paper bags andincluded a very interesting gospel tape aimedespecially at teens. One boy on the team was reallytouched by the tape, came to us with morequestions, and was saved a few weeks later.I began to realize that these boys’ love of baseball,along with boredom during the summer months,could be capitalized upon for the sake of the gospel.Therefore, with our pastor’s permission we beganhaving regular baseball games every Fridayafternoon at a local park. I provided as much of theequipment as I could, though most boys had theirown bats and mitts. Providing drinks and snacks wasa bit expensive but very much appreciated by theboys. Usually I would call as many boys as I couldon Thursday evening to encourage a good turnoutfor Friday, though the second year we did this I didn’tfind it as necessary to call the boys. They wereeager to come! Each week a man from our churchwould come and, about the middle of the game, wewould sit them down in the dugout as the gospelwas shared with them. The Lord blessed one yearwith a very mature fifteen-year-old Christian boy whowas able to share the gospel several times with theothers. They really listened as one of their peersspoke to them. During these times we didn’t seek toget professions, merely to plant seeds and to water.118