Street Ministry 'Dream Team' Shakes Unbelievers Awake

While others curse the darkness, Chick Publication`s customers Jack and Sandy prefer to spread the light. Their newsletter describes them as "Your missionaries to the streets of America." From a distance you can see them by the scripture banners they carry.

Up close, there will be a lot of people standing (or sitting) around reading Chick tracts. And for those who care to listen, Jack will be on a personal PA system preaching the gospel. No event is too small be it a sidewalk in Flagstaff, Arizona (5 tracts taken) or a big farmer`s market in Madison, Wisconsin (1500 tracts taken). Two of the hardest places were a California college (25 tracts taken) and a sodomite parade in Chicago (maybe 1 tract taken but they got the message anyway from the banners and preaching).

Their burden for America is well placed. "I am certainly interested in foreign missions," says Jack. "But, have always been mindful that when America goes, everything goes, including foreign missions. Shouldn`t we be as zealous to evangelize our own backyard as we are to send someone over to a foreign country?" The Bible tells us to warn the wicked and to warn the righteous (Ezekiel 3:18-21). We found that street preaching and Chick tracts are the quickest ways to reach the most people for the least money."

Jack says, "We use only Chick tracts. I`ve never seen anything like it. Often we hand someone a tract and they ask for a different one because they have already seen that one. Even unbelievers will tell us they have a collection at home. At a Catholic conference in California, 2000 people took a copy of Why is Mary Crying?

Jack and Sandy travel the country looking for any busy park, parade, rock concert, biker rally, union station, false church, traffic median, shopping mall, marathon, national capital, Muslim or Mormon festival, or crowded beach. Their in-your-face methods sometimes get enough wash back to need police protection. They have had rocks and bottles thrown at them. The worst is at Muslim and homosexual events. When someone creates a commotion, it attracts more people and they just try to get out more tracts.

They carefully research the local laws and know their rights when on public or private property. This does not prevent occasional damage to their PA equipment, stolen eyeglasses or even a knock on the head. Police often seem indifferent to protecting them. Today, the accepted way of "witnessing" is "relationship" evangelism. Ministry leaders poo-poo tracts and "street preaching" as either useless or counterproductive, driving people away from the gospel.

They argue that a single piece of paper handed to a stranger is not going to do much in the whole process of conversion and discipleship. Street ministers like Jack and Sandy do not feel called to carry out the whole process, only part of it. The Apostle Paul described the process in 1 Corinthians 3. One plants the seed, another waters it and the Holy Spirit produces the increase.

Street preaching and tract saturation can quickly cause a large group of people to think about their relationship with their Creator. For some, it will be momentary, but others may be ready to respond to the gospel. Christ`s parable of the sower in Matthew 13 speaks exactly to this situation. Some gospel seed will be quickly choked, but others will bear fruit 100 fold.

If you would like to get involved in their ministry, or get help starting your own, you can reach them by email at thedreamteamforchrist@gmail.com or by calling Jack at 772-584-2613 or Sandy 772-584-2612.


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