My main purpose in going to my local town centre is not to hand out a large quantity of gospel leaflets. Rather, it is to engage in conversation with people regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, the leaflets/cards are not an end in themselves but I see them as a prompt or conversation starter.
Previously, I set aside a Friday morning but, living in the cold, often wet, West of Scotland, I decided to check the weather forecast to select a suitable day each week when people will be more inclined to stop and talk. Having lived and worked in Helensburgh for many years, and also having been involved in such church activities as “mother and toddler group”, means that there is rarely a week when I do not have an opportunity to speak to someone whom I know about the gospel, and then invite for a follow-up coffee or to attend a service. In addition to the gospel leaflet or card, I always use a small flyer incorporating a picture of my church, Bethesda (which has quite a strong local identity).
I have used a variety of leaflets over the years but in recent times have been using the double-sided A6 cards produced by UtG. The content is brief and challenging; a “one-minute read”. As such it is more likely to be read than weightier tomes and it provides the opportunity for the reader to follow up by referring to the UtG website (a QR code link is provided for convenience). It also provides a convenient opportunity to conversationally draw attention to the challenge on the card such as “Who is Jesus?”, “We are broken, only God can fix us”. Referring to these titles tends to provide a more immediate focus to the gospel.
My husband, Jim, accompanied me to the local square to take a photograph for the sake of this article. I wish I could say that my contacts ended with a conversion but perhaps the time with the couple featured in the photograph illustrates how the cards can be used: D&K are a German couple now residing in Glasgow but had come to Helensburgh to enjoy their Saturday together. I offered them a leaflet and asked them “Do you ever think about God?” As is often the case, they immediately responded by telling of their church connection, in this case, “Roman Catholic”. I then commented that I often meet people who identify with the church at the time of a wedding or a funeral, and they immediately admitted that they can relate to that, having no meaningful association with their church. They opened up a conversation regarding where they now live and their names, and we built up a rapport. In total I spoke to them for circa 20 minutes and explained the gospel using the card as a reference point. They expressed mild interest and said that they will use the QR code to link up to the UtG website. Another seed sown – I will now pray for D&K. Was the “coincidence” of me being on the square and them choosing to come to Helensburgh on this January day a ‘Divine Appointment’?
I pray each time I go out, asking the Lord to lead me to a particular person. Inevitably there will always be a number of people who rebuff approaches and for these I feel sad. However, I always get an overall personal “buzz” out of the experience and have always been encouraged. My prayer list continues to grow and there are developing relationships with people that would probably never have otherwise taken the initiative to attend an evangelistic service.
UtG material has been used to produce three gospel tracts. After receiving permission from the authors we lightly edited some UtG articles and then, in conjunction with a graphic designer, substantial quantities of high quality tracts were printed. These full-colour 16-page A6 tracts have been personalised with our contact details; therefore there is no need for additional stickers or stamping. When ordering quantities of 1,000+ the cost of these tracts is about 16p each. Without a doubt the UtG articles have greatly helped us to produce tracts that are biblically sound and highly presentable.
As part of the annual John 3:16 bag distribution in Edinburgh, 40,000 John’s Gospels were inserted into the bags and given out over a 4-day period in August. The UtG QR code and web information were included on the cover of the Gospels, giving people the opportunity to source further reading, videos and podcasts. Many of the people who receive these bags are tourists, and take the bags home with them.
In Bridge of Weir we produce a 16-page A5 magazine named after our building, Hope Hall. Twice a year we distribute this magazine around the homes of our community and, amongst other things, we include details of UtG in order to provide people with the opportunity of investigating the gospel at a distance, as well as coming in person to services at Hope Hall.
UtG business cards carried in a wallet have proved ideal for passing on during a one-to-one conversation, e.g., in the street, in hospital or at the till in a shop; they have also been enclosed with Christmas cards. A6 cards (titled “We are broken, only God can fix us”) with the UtG QR code are posted through letterboxes and, along with the “business” cards, are also displayed in the literature rack at Perth Gospel Hall for those who wish to engage further with the gospel in the privacy of their homes. A magazine, titled “The Signpost”, distributed in the area around Perth Gospel Hall, features a UtG item from time to time.
(Note: The A6 card, a cut-down version of a longer article on the website, is available in pdf format by request, as are four other titles)
At Riverside Christian Assembly in Aberdeen we distribute an A5 outreach magazine four times a year. We always include a UtG article within this along with the website address. We find the '1-minute read' articles the most effective in this context. In addition to this, we sometimes use a QR code taking the reader directly to a UtG video, perhaps linked to the article or the author. Using UtG content has made the creation of these magazines much easier and we find the short articles to be a great way to share the gospel “in a nutshell”.