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Touch Point - On Track About Tracts
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Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2009 – Give ‘em Heaven
Touch Point – Are You On Track With Tracts?
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
“How about a million dollars? There is a million dollar question on the back.”
We walked through the streets of New York and Washington DC handing out Christian tracts that contained the simple Gospel message of Jesus Christ. The astoundingly realistic million dollar bill was by far the most popular. People grinned as they took it. A group of construction workers came over and asked if they could have one. When people saw us giving them out, they asked for one. I’ve never seen anything like it.
On the back was the question, “Will you go to heaven when you die?” It then went on to tell them that Jesus Christ was the way to heaven. People walked away smiling and reading it.
Most of us handing out tracts on the Hope Tour were committed to this approach and not shy. My husband RoBob the Science Snob has never before been comfortable handing out tracts. On this trip, he finally found an approach that worked for him. He put the million-dollar bill sticking up in his shirt pocket and waited for people to ask about it. He’d whip it out, hand it to them, and tell them to read question on the back. RoBob likes to make people laugh and this tracting approach certainly does that.
RoBob and I took a break from evangelism to visit the Smithsonian History Museum in Washington DC. Bob is a Roboticist and the Smithsonian had a display that included a picture of the robot car he worked on in the DARPA Grand Challenge race. What a thrill it was to see my own personal scientist’s work in the Smithsonian. We took many pictures (see Photogallery under New York Bobs Robot in the Smithsonian.)
Immediately after we got home, Bob flew to Pennsylvania for a job interview. They asked him to prepare a Power Point Presentation about himself and his technical abilities and present it to the entire group. Naturally, he included pictures of his work in the Smithsonian.
“What’s that in your pocket?” someone asked as they spotted the picture of the million-dollar bill in his pocket.
Because of Bob’s willingness to try handing out tracts, God gave him the opportunity to tell an entire room full of professors and technologists that he was a Christian and that he had just returned from a mission trip. He was able to tell them what was on the back of that million-dollar bill. Later, he even got to tell a couple of them about the marriage retreats we do where he gets to play the character “RoBob the Science Snob.” That conversation opened the door for the man interviewing him to reveal that he was also a Christian. Through willingness to tract, my RoBob is becoming quite the evangelist.
Are you on track about tracts? I’ve heard various statistics about how the effectiveness of handing out tracts. Inside Out Ministries said that 10% of people who read a tract pray to receive Jesus. The American Tract Society says 3 people out of every 1000 who read tracts pray to invite Jesus into their lives. The exact statistical number doesn’t matter. The point is that lots of people get to heaven by reading tracts. I have two close friends who prayed to receive Jesus because of tracts left in bathrooms. Tracting is an effective evangelism technique.
Every Christian can hand out tracts. It is easy. Surprisingly, most people take them. Only a few act bothered by being offered a tract and more appreciate them. Some throw them away but many read them. If you use the million dollar bill from Living Waters, most people will be delighted to receive them.
If you are having trouble getting started, below are some tips for handing out tracts:
Smile and make eye contact.
Organize tracts so you can easily get to them.
Have tracts appropriate for language and age.
Make sure your tracts are clean and neat.
Ask, “May I give you a gift?”
Offer the tract.
Never push. If they say no, smile and walk away.
I challenge all Christians to try handing out tracts. Carry them in your purse or brief case. Give them out in grocery store lines and at the mall. Put them in envelopes as you pay your bills. Go online to purchase them. You can even find them for free. Your church might have some. You will be amazed at the results. It is an easy way to evangelize and God will open doors like the one he did for RoBob the Science Snob.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road as a traveling missionary, send your tax deductible contribution to Pocket Full of Change Ministries, POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240 or go to the donate button on the home page of this website.
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