The Everyday Club Report for September: Why I Don’t Count

38 CommentsEVERYDAY CLUB

I have chosen not to keep track of the exact totals of how many tracts I’ve handed out, or how many conversations I’ve had, or how many times I’ve preached in the open air.

Why?

I actually found out that it was inhibiting me from enjoying the experience of graciously handing out a tract, which sometimes led to a long conversation. Instead of listening and graciously explaining why people needed Jesus, I found myself so ambitious to break last month’s totals that I wasn’t enjoying the experience of solely sharing my faith out of love for God and people.

So, I’ve stopped counting the daily totals.

I will still attempt to reach my daily goal of handing out at least ten tracts a day or witnessing one-to-one and preaching in the open air when I can, but I will instead focus on whether I met that goal only.

How are you doing with your commitment?

The Everyday Club  is a club where you make a goal to share your faith everyday through tracts, personal witnessing or open air preaching. You make your own personal goal and report it here every month. The minimum goal would be to hand out one tract a day, but you can make whatever goal you want. So far, nearly 100 people have made a daily evangelistic commitment.If you’d like to join the Club, click here for the details.

Comments (38)

  1. Robert Moss

    Reply

    The weather maybe cooler here near the mountain areas, yet tracts are still being distributed. Before Borders bookstore closed in my area, I hit the witchcraft and new age section like it was Christmas and put as many tracts in almost every book in the section during the liquidation sale. I still love putting tracts in the credit card offer envelopes. Many of these are mailed to Salt Lake City(Mormon country) so someone who opens the letter is most likely Mormon. We shall see once we get to Heaven.

  2. Wayne Dawg

    Reply

    Thank you for this post as I experienced the same thing Steve.

    Report for September –

    Unknown tracts distributed –
    Project Ezra participated –
    Open Aired –

    Thanks Steve

  3. Sheri

    Reply

    Most days in Sept., but not all, I met my goal of handing out at least 3 tracts daily. In Sept. I explained to my Sunday School class the usefulness of a handing out a tract when a one-on-one conversation is not feasible. Only one person appeared receptive, and the others simply gave the tracts I had given them to the children in church. This is not the first time I experience adults not willing to use tracts and children picking them up receptively. In fact, many Christian adults I’ve spoke to almost seem to have a disdain for tracts. I’ll continue to use tracts and encourage their use…and pray for those Christians that don’t evangelize at all 🙂 I respect your decision to not keep count. Thanks!

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      Don’t be discouraged. After three weeks of teaching evangelism to our college group, only 2 people handed out tracts—and one was a missionary’s kid!

  4. perdita

    Reply

    I usually stay away from these posts – but, Robert, that’s not cool. Those books don’t belong to you nor do they belong to the public. They belong to the store owners and you don’t have the right to insert your tracts. Some time ago, there was a similar issue here and I believe Steve and his church advised against this sort of thing. (Weren’t some people slipping tracts into pockets of clothes in a clothing store?)

    Another bad way to distribute tracks: Every morning I take a walk on a nearby bike path. It’s a beautiful bit of nature in the city and has been kept very clean. But about every third day, I find tracts stuck into signposts and benches. This is not spreading God’s word – it’s littering. (Of course I clean up after this irresponsible person.)

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      Good point, perdita.

      I teach and advise to hand out tracts one-to-one, mano y mano…hand to hand combat, if you will.

      It takes no guts or courage to leave them in places, but will certainly anger people when they see the litter. Still, I like Robert’s approach to putting them in that specific category and would encourage him to put them in the atheist book section, too.

      And I really appreciate Robert putting the tracts into credit card applications. What a great way to redeem that annoying mail! Go, Robert, go! Here’s my article on the subject: https://stonethepreacher.com/2007/10/04/postage-paid-preaching.html

      Oh! And here’s an article I wrote about witnessing in a bookstore, too! I almost forgot about this one from years ago. https://stonethepreacher.com/2006/04/05/e-vangie-tales-76-the-demon-section-by-steve-sanchez.html

      Nevertheless Robert, learn from this and move on. You are at least doing something!

      • Robert Moss

        I prayed about it before doing the book thing. I believe the Lord gave me a creative idea about it via free bookmark to the readers of the books. Another reason I do books is because i have friends in close countries that cannot do tracts in public or risk getting kicked out of the country and must resort to underground tactics. I believe that day will happen in the U.S. and thus I am preparing myself to do underground missionary work in the U.S.
        I do hand out many tracks person to person. You are welcome to click on my name which will take you to my blog to see what occurs when I publically evangelize for the Lord.(Not to toot my horn, but to share and encourage other how to evangelize with spiritual creativity.)

    • perdita

      Reply

      Robert – that sounds like you’re justifying your behavior. Is it the worst thing a person can do? Obviously not. But it still isn’t something you should continue. If you were a bookstore owner you wouldn’t want Buddhist tracts or Islamic tracts left in the books you’re selling. You wouldn’t want people to think you were promoting those things and you wouldn’t want to waste your time going through books and pulling out the tracts.

      I believe that day will happen in the U.S. and thus I am preparing myself to do underground missionary work in the U.S.

      Rather than argue that point, since putting tracts inside merchandise for sale isn’t a very difficult thing to do, why not wait on the underground stuff until it’s needed? In the meantime, work to keep all our freedoms intact (mine too :), kay?)

  5. Kostya

    Reply

    Steve, thanks for making a good point about numbers, I agree 100 %! Had a great time of witnessing today after church in downtown St.Pete, Russia having few good conversations and handing out some tracts including two in English to two elderly gentlemen from UK, but unfortunately I chickened out to address the whole group on their tour bus while I had my small amplifier with me and I practiced my short message in English many times before! (thanks for your examples of preaching at shuttle bus stops and at stop light) I would appreciate prayers of Every Day club members for boldness, God bless you guys and be faithful in reaching out the lost!

    • perdita

      Reply

      …but unfortunately I chickened out to address the whole group on their tour bus while I had my small amplifier with me…

      I hope you’re kidding. Preaching to folks on a tour bus doesn’t require you to be bold, it just requires you to be a jerk. Please don’t be a jerk. The shuttle bus stops and stop light preaching are much better ideas.

  6. Steve Sanchez

    Reply

    I met my goal of handing out at least ten tracts a day,or sharing my faith with at least one person and open air preaching when I can except for maybe 2 or three days.

  8. Steve L.

    Reply

    Steve:
    Keep up the good work, I’m proud of you! John the Baptist would be as well!!

  9. Thomas Moore

    Reply

    Well September was not as good as August was but I’m pressing on and praying that October will be better. I continue to at least get a tract out a day but I missed quite a few days in September. But like I said Lord willing October will be more fruitful!

  10. Samuel

    Reply

    This month I met my goal probably 20 out of all the days of the month. God has been challenging me to make the most of the opportunities I have (fast food restaurant….), instead of always going out for a time just to evangelize.

  11. Cory McKenna

    Reply

    The fact that my September was spent doing a considerable amount of church teaching/preaching affected my “street stats”. Here are the goods:

    Tracts passed: 250
    One-to-one conversations: 20
    Open Airs: 5
    “Inner Airs: 5

    I thank God for you all!

    In Christ,
    Cory

  12. anthony varon

    Reply

    My goal is to share my faith 1 one2one a day or 10 tracts a day, I missed 2 days i believe but the Lord opened up many doors!! I got the opportunity to lead many people to Christ and also got into some amazing conversations, some days were tough, others were easy but God gets all the glory!!

  13. Richard Chavarria

    Reply

    Today at the DMV a gentlemen stood in front of us while we OA preached and said “excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.” And,” why don’t you go to the schools or go to some other place or why don’t you do such and such.” All he wanted to do was to stop us from preaching. Because as soon as we finished he went away.

    I’m amused with people who disagree with one’s efforts or means by which one spreads the good news. These types of individuals (as the gentlemen at the DMV) are quick to point out your errors. Yet, if you ask them what their method are for sharing the good news they usually say, “I don’t have one”. I like the responds of a famous preacher who in replying to objections to his method said, “what is your method of sharing the good news and the person said, “I don’t.” The preacher than said, “I like my method better.”

    My everyday club goal for 2011 is to do something evangelistic to spread the good news. It could be to pass out one or a hundred tracts; it could be to witness to one or more persons using the Law and Gospel; or it could be to preach in the open air; or in doors as the Lord directs.

    This month a met my goal everyday except for two days.

    To Christ be the Glory.

    Colossians 2: 3 “…Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      We’d welcome you and invite you in for coffee, Jim. A lot of our congregants would probably invite you out to lunch as well because we have a very loving church.

      But, remember, you’d be on private property… The DMV is public/state property.

    • Garrett

      Reply

      Except you’re not loving. Doing nice things for an ulterior motive is not nice. It’s just being sneaky.

      Every one of those lunches or coffees would result in proselytizing. That’s a sales pitch, not an act of kindness.

      • Steve Sanchez

        Garrett,

        If I took you or Jim out to lunch I promise I wouldn’t proselytize. I’d just get to know you. Really. You already know where I stand and I know where you stand. What would be the point other than to make a friend?

    • Nohm

      Reply

      Steve, note that he wrote “outside in your church’s parking lot”. I’d have to look it up, but I’m not convinced that’s private property.

      How about the sidewalk outside of the front door to the church?

      (Not that I would ever do this myself. What’s rude for others is rude for me.)

      • Steve Sanchez

        Same offer applies.

        We have a verrrry loving congregation.

        Plus, I’d videotape him and add a Gospel message, post it on YouTube with atheist tags and get thousands of viewings thus promoting the message further (his and mine. But mine has power).

    • Nohm

      Reply

      Yet his appears to be winning, if you check the numbers.

      “Nones” are the fastest growing segment of society, religion-wise.

      So, that’s power also.

      Again, not my personal style; I’m confident enough that “we” will win in the end.

    • Nohm

      Reply

      I was trying to be nice by using the word “appears”, as opposed to your assertion that yours “has power”.

      So, I’ll instead write:

      Yet his message is winning, if you check the numbers.

      “Nones” are the fastest growing segment of society, religion-wise.

      That’s why I’m not worried. There will always be religions, but fundamentalist Christianity, in America, is sliding into irrelevance. In my opinion. Appears. 😉

  14. Steve L.

    Reply

    Steve:
    Count me in for The Everyday Club. Feel good or not, it’s the least I can do. I want John The Baptist to be proud of me, too! I like the “face to face” method!

  15. Beth

    Reply

    Praise God that somene else has issues with keeping count – now I don’t feel as bad 🙂
    I love passing out tracts and sharing the gospel, but keeping track of tracts given out is a bother — from now on I will keep my goal of passing out at least 5 tracts per day. If I am blessed with a conversation, that will be gravy.
    In September, I failed to pass 5 tracts on 2 days. God bless Steve S.

  16. Toni alvarez

    Reply

    I waited a while to report because I wanted to the last one, but now I see that doesn’t matter because of the new notification feature 🙂 I am reporting that this website encourages me to keep track of my commitment. I met my goal, passing out tracts, doing one2ones.

  19. Dale Adams

    Reply

    My wife and I were on vacation for 3 weeks in September. We traveled from Idaho, to Oregon to California, to Arizona, to Utah and back home to Wyoming. We had great opportunities to hand out tracts and share the gospel. I will send you two photographs from the trip. One was with a man holding a large sign about changing gold for cash. I handed him a million dollar bill and shared the gospel with him. The other photograph is of the ‘Moaqui’?? cave in Utah where there is a museum that displays different currency from all over the world. In the display case is a million dollar bill. I will send them via your email Pastor steve.

  21. Kevin Long

    Reply

    I did not meet my goal in august or september. I am a little discouraged, but want to be held accountable here. Thanks for your example

  22. Carl Kalbfleisch

    Reply

    Handed out a tract or somehow witnessed to someone every day during the month. We held a number of outreaches in and around Dallas. Went to the shopping mall every Tuesday to witness to people. Held an outreach at a local community college. Preached the Gospel and handed out thousands of tracts at the Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins game. Handed out thousands of tracts and shared the Gospel one on one outside the Texas State Fair.

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