From Patty Petersen, leader:
Praise the Lord for providing
workers for the table ministry in Boulder and for the many people who stopped
by to talk and take literature. From February to April we were on
Pearl Street (outdoor pedestrian mall) twice a month on Saturday afternoons,
and once in May. Here are the highlights.
JANUARY
We set up the table in our church
basement each Saturday night when we host the homeless as an overflow
shelter. After supper there are always a few who browse the table,
taking literature or tracts or a Bible. We also have a few conversations
weekly to answer spiritual questions and share the gospel or pray
for someone. They have many challenges to overcome, but we know our love
and the table materials give them hope. Please pray they take that
step of faith to put their hope and trust in Jesus.
FEBRUARY
Despite chilly weather, we almost
never lacked for people with whom to speak in downtown Boulder. Tracy talked
with a young man named James who had lots of objections to Christianity, and to
a couple named Jenny and Brian who were open to hear the gospel. I talked
for 30 minutes to an atheist farmer (John) with a brilliant
mind. He raised many objections but did admit he didn't have an answer
when I asked how evolution could explain how we have male and female of each
species. He wouldn't take any literature. A young man couldn't stay
but took a copy of Mark Cahill's booklet, "The Second Greatest Lie Ever
Told." Please pray these conversations and literature bear fruit.
A Christian couple were glad to see
us on the mall. After I talked about how we share Christ with people, the
husband said there was no need to talk about repentance with sinners; just
stress new life in Christ. I explained that without repentance and godly
sorrow, there would be no new life in Christ, and we looked at a few Bible
verses. He took a few tracts along to pass out to friends.
MARCH
We are praying for "Don" a homeless young man, open to take a tract but doubtful of
organized Christianity. He has studied various world religions
and thinks they all have bits and pieces of truth, but no one has all the
truth. He was bitter toward a Southern Baptist pastor who called him
names and gave him a hard time when he asked to use the church bathroom.
We are praying for an older gentleman from Argentina visiting
his son in Boulder. He took the tract on Roman Catholicism in
Spanish. We pray he sees the truth of salvation by faith in Christ alone and
gives his life to the Lord.
A Chinese tourist stopped by and took the "How to Know
God" booklet in Chinese. He didn't speak much English but seemed
pleased to find the tract in his language.
We spoke with a man who buys jewelry from Native Americans to re-sell.
He had taken the book Muddy Waters a few weeks ago
and said he has read it through twice. It's by a Native American
Christian woman who grew up in a family of medicine men. Mike
is rethinking the wisdom of selling some of the jewelry that has special
spiritual meaning to Native Americans. Please pray he comes to a deeper
commitment to Christ and victory over areas of sin.
A
woman on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ stopped to see what we were doing
and prayed for us. I always appreciate that.
We met "Mary
Ann," a homeless fellow Christian going through a hard time in her life.
She witnesses for Jesus whenever she can.
One man described himself as a "free thinker" and believes there is just one overall
religion in the world. He had a long conversation with Dave. Dave had
brought his poster board with million dollar bills featuring celebrity
caricatures so people could guess who they were and then answer the
question on the poster, "What do all these people have in common?" The
answer is, "They will all one day die." And from there we ask what people believe about life after death and other spiritual things...
I
talked with a sweet young woman from Tibet who is Buddhist and whom I had
met before at the nursing home where she worked and where my father lived for a
couple years. I met her husband that afternoon also and asked them
questions about their lives and religion. The husband said he is a
student of world religions and had a Bible at home which he took from a hotel
room, so he could study it more closely. He hoped the new Pope would
emphasize to Catholics the need to love one another and follow the golden rule
which Jesus taught. He believes Jesus was a good teacher and emphasized
love, as all religions should. He accepted from me the Mark Cahill tract
which describes the basic principles of major religions and what Biblical
Christianity teaches ("Second Greatest Lie"). Please pray
they give their lives to Christ.
APRIL
Rob,
Brenda and I were kept very busy with the crowds on Pearl
Street when they were having the annual "Tulip Fairy Festival"! Many
people stopped to take the IQ Test from our large sign. We all
had a few long conversations with very interested people. One young man agreed he was bound for hell but not concerned because he doesn't believe
in hell. He asked some very tough questions: Do you favor the
separation of church and state? What is your position on gay
marriage? What if someone is born gay? Later he said he wants to
run for public office one day and wants to understand what various groups
believe. He told me I was an "unconventional
Christian." I pray that means I'm an authentic follower of Jesus
and my answers made him think about taking the Bible more seriously and
investigating the claims of Jesus. He asked for and took one of
the Bibles and a tract which gives the testimony of a man who was saved by
Jesus and left the gay lifestyle. May God save this young man and use him
mightily for the Kingdom.
One Saturday there were many marijuana rights advocates on
the mall with signs. There were also a few people with signs advocating
for gay rights. Some of them gathered around a man preaching the
gospel from a footstool, to heckle him. Dan, from our table, stopped
there to talk with a few of the lesbian women who were shouting back at the
preacher, and found one, Katie, who was open to talk a bit and said her parents
were Christians. Later I went by and located Katie to offer her the tract
about the man who left the gay lifestyle. She was again open and
appreciated me coming to talk with her one-on-one and not shout at her about
her sinfulness. She took the tract and promised to check it out.
Stephen
is a man in a wheel chair who regularly comes to Pearl Street to
collect donations, to help him pay rent and utilities. He is a believer
and I've talked with him a number of times but this day I was especially
encouraged as I listened to stories of God's faithfulness as he
traveled around the country hitchhiking in the years before he was
disabled. God protected him and provided rides and food in unexpected
ways, over and over.
MAY
A couple evangelist friends from Denver joined us and we
talked with many people, despite the occasional sprinkle of rain, including a group of eight
college students from Singapore who were open to talking about spiritual
things, heard the gospel, and took some literature.
It's been a huge blessing to lead the table ministry in
Boulder for the past three years, and I know God will continue to bless this
ministry going forward under new leadership. Please pray for the
transition and for ongoing witness for Christ in downtown Boulder where
there is real spiritual hunger and too many wrong answers readily
available. Thank you for the prayer support!
