Evangelism Happens
http://www.thejournalofstudentministries.com/articles/119/1/Evangelism-Happens/Page1.html
Steve Case
Steve Case has been in youth ministry for nearly 20 years. He is the author of several books including the laugh-out-loud humor book Rejected Sunday School Lessons. He has been honored to have the "back page" of The Journal since it began. By Steve Case
Published on 05/12/2008
From literal Bible beating to applause for the “sinners”
The following is a true story. Names have been changed for obvious reasons.
Years ago there was a man who went by the name of Brother Al.
Brother Al was an old-school evangelist.
He made his North American tour every year and hit up all the state universities. Brother Al came to the institution of higher learning I attended in 1983, and he would stand in the middle of the student commons area, and as people walked by, he’d point at them and shout in a loud voice “SINNER!” or maybe “GUILTY!”
My buddies and I would get our lunch and sit at the picnic table outside of the student union and listen to him preach. Every time a pretty girl walked by, Brother Al shouted “HARLOT!” We’d stand up and give her a round of applause. Some people would argue. Some people would shout horrible things at Brother Al. But he was old school. He was there to do the work of God, and nobody was going to stop him. (Except the campus police, who eventually came and asked him to leave.)
Brother Al stopped at a university where a friend of mine attended. My friend called me once to ask if Brother Al had Sister Cindy with him when he was at my school. I said, “No, we got Brother Jake.” (Sometimes Brother Al traveled with Brother Jake, a younger version of himself—apparently Brother Al traveled with a variety of protégés.)
My friend told me that he and his buddies did pretty much the same thing at his school. The difference was that his student commons had a stage, and Brother Al and Sister Cindy would stand on the stage and evangelize from there.
My friend said his little group of friends included a guy named Carl—although everyone called him Onemug, which is another story. Anyway, Onemug was apparently that guy in your high school who, without too much effort, you could talk into running through the lunch room in his underwear.
One day someone said to Onemug, “I dare you to walk up there while Sister Cindy is praying and look up her dress.”
The story goes that Onemug went forward and sort of got into a pack of people walking by the stage. Brother Al and Sister Cindy shouted various “GUILTY!” exclamations at certain individuals. Sister Cindy pointed at Onemug and yelled, “SINNER!”
He shouted back. “Pray for me!” Which she promptly did. While she was praying, Onemug calmly walked up to her and leaned over so he could peek up her skirt. Sister Cindy spotted him and promptly beat him about the head and shoulders with her Bible. (Maybe that last part bears repeating: She beat him with her Bible.)
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so / Don’t smack my head and shoulders, please / I promise I only saw your knees.”
Was Onemug being rude and insensitive? Yes, of course. Was it funny? Well...kinda, yeah. Sister Cindy practiced her own special form of evangelism on his head.
Rumor has it there’s a picture of this incident, but I’ve never seen it.
I know Jesus loves Onemug.
And Jesus loves Sister Cindy.
And Brother Al.
And every kid who got pointed at and called “SINNER!” “GUILTY!” and “HARLOT!”
What I wonder is, Would Jesus have stood up and shouted things at people who walked by, or would Jesus have been at the table with us, applauding the “harlots” and the “sinners”?
(I’m not sure, but I am pretty sure if Onemug had tried to look up Jesus’ robe, Jesus would have turned him into a newt.)
The evangelism on that campus didn’t occur with Brother Al screaming and calling people awful names.
Evangelism occurred at that table of guys who applauded the “sinners.”
I got a T-shirt for Christmas that reads, Job 39:5. Who let the wild ass go free? When I wore it to work one day, my boss gave me this sideways look, but I told him it was evangelism.
Evangelism occurs when you drive by the black billboard with the white letters that display “quotations” from God.
Evangelism occurs when my students go on a mission trip and wear their dog-tags with the theme verse, “Isaiah 6:8” and someone asks, “What’s that mean?” or “What are you kids doing here?”
Evangelism occurs when the David Crowder Band or Jars of Clay slip over from the Christian rock station to the mainstream rock station.
Evangelism occurs when the kid who forgot his lunch hears, “You want my chips?”
Evangelism isn’t like a Play-Doh fun factory. It’s a song, an action, a glance, an opening.
Call me “GUILTY!” and I’ll probably agree and keep walking.
Call me “LOVED!” or “HEARD!” or “ACCOMPANIED!” or “BLESSED!” or “FED!” and I might just stay and listen.
Years ago there was a man who went by the name of Brother Al.
Brother Al was an old-school evangelist.
He made his North American tour every year and hit up all the state universities. Brother Al came to the institution of higher learning I attended in 1983, and he would stand in the middle of the student commons area, and as people walked by, he’d point at them and shout in a loud voice “SINNER!” or maybe “GUILTY!”
My buddies and I would get our lunch and sit at the picnic table outside of the student union and listen to him preach. Every time a pretty girl walked by, Brother Al shouted “HARLOT!” We’d stand up and give her a round of applause. Some people would argue. Some people would shout horrible things at Brother Al. But he was old school. He was there to do the work of God, and nobody was going to stop him. (Except the campus police, who eventually came and asked him to leave.)
Brother Al stopped at a university where a friend of mine attended. My friend called me once to ask if Brother Al had Sister Cindy with him when he was at my school. I said, “No, we got Brother Jake.” (Sometimes Brother Al traveled with Brother Jake, a younger version of himself—apparently Brother Al traveled with a variety of protégés.)
My friend told me that he and his buddies did pretty much the same thing at his school. The difference was that his student commons had a stage, and Brother Al and Sister Cindy would stand on the stage and evangelize from there.
My friend said his little group of friends included a guy named Carl—although everyone called him Onemug, which is another story. Anyway, Onemug was apparently that guy in your high school who, without too much effort, you could talk into running through the lunch room in his underwear.
One day someone said to Onemug, “I dare you to walk up there while Sister Cindy is praying and look up her dress.”
The story goes that Onemug went forward and sort of got into a pack of people walking by the stage. Brother Al and Sister Cindy shouted various “GUILTY!” exclamations at certain individuals. Sister Cindy pointed at Onemug and yelled, “SINNER!”
He shouted back. “Pray for me!” Which she promptly did. While she was praying, Onemug calmly walked up to her and leaned over so he could peek up her skirt. Sister Cindy spotted him and promptly beat him about the head and shoulders with her Bible. (Maybe that last part bears repeating: She beat him with her Bible.)
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so / Don’t smack my head and shoulders, please / I promise I only saw your knees.”
Was Onemug being rude and insensitive? Yes, of course. Was it funny? Well...kinda, yeah. Sister Cindy practiced her own special form of evangelism on his head.
Rumor has it there’s a picture of this incident, but I’ve never seen it.
I know Jesus loves Onemug.
And Jesus loves Sister Cindy.
And Brother Al.
And every kid who got pointed at and called “SINNER!” “GUILTY!” and “HARLOT!”
What I wonder is, Would Jesus have stood up and shouted things at people who walked by, or would Jesus have been at the table with us, applauding the “harlots” and the “sinners”?
(I’m not sure, but I am pretty sure if Onemug had tried to look up Jesus’ robe, Jesus would have turned him into a newt.)
The evangelism on that campus didn’t occur with Brother Al screaming and calling people awful names.
Evangelism occurred at that table of guys who applauded the “sinners.”
I got a T-shirt for Christmas that reads, Job 39:5. Who let the wild ass go free? When I wore it to work one day, my boss gave me this sideways look, but I told him it was evangelism.
Evangelism occurs when you drive by the black billboard with the white letters that display “quotations” from God.
Evangelism occurs when my students go on a mission trip and wear their dog-tags with the theme verse, “Isaiah 6:8” and someone asks, “What’s that mean?” or “What are you kids doing here?”
Evangelism occurs when the David Crowder Band or Jars of Clay slip over from the Christian rock station to the mainstream rock station.
Evangelism occurs when the kid who forgot his lunch hears, “You want my chips?”
Evangelism isn’t like a Play-Doh fun factory. It’s a song, an action, a glance, an opening.
Call me “GUILTY!” and I’ll probably agree and keep walking.
Call me “LOVED!” or “HEARD!” or “ACCOMPANIED!” or “BLESSED!” or “FED!” and I might just stay and listen.