Europe (MNN) — Many look forward to the Summer Olympics for the incredible athletic performances or intense global competition, but Helen Williams from World Missionary Press (WMP) is anticipating the opportunity for outreach the organization and their partners will have.
World Missionary Press, an interdenominational faith ministry, produces 48-page Scripture booklets, Bible study booklets, and New Testaments in 350 languages to send to people in countries all over the world.
Typically, they share these free Scripture booklets through the mail. Each of the 48-page Scripture booklets costs about five cents to produce and mail out.
Global events like this summer’s Paris Olympic Games, however, draw spectators and athletes from all over the world to one place, making it an opportunity to hand out these booklets and pamphlets in person to hundreds of people at once.
“We have groups that focus on reaching the athletes particularly, as well as the attendees, because we have material in so many different languages, and there’s so many different nations involved, gathered, this is the opportunity to share that might not be available within their country, or in wherever they live,” Williams said.
Wimbledon, the French Open, and the Tour De France draw similarly large crowds.
WMP’s in-person outreach plans don’t stop at the Summer Olympics or sporting events. The biggest rock music festival in Northern Europe, Roskilde, is estimated to gather 165,000 people in Denmark.
A WMP January blog wrote that young people, especially young men are open to things of God and they are praying for 1,000 souls to be won in Denmark during the days of the festival.
“It’s just being willing to go out and get into the crowds and do that,” Williams said. “So that’s a lot of what it is for the large events.”
Williams says that in events like these, where they don’t often get feedback through one-on-one conversations, it is hard to say for sure what the results of the outreach are specifically.
“The results are that the Word went out and was well received,” Williams said. “And then you leave it to the Spirit.”
Beyond these specific outreach events, WMP has contacts around the globe who use their booklets in their own outreach locally. Some of this type of outreach work happens behind the scenes and is unknown to WMP.
“It’s the free material, and it’s the word of God, and it’s in the heart language,” Williams says. “And that’s what keeps this generated and keeps this moving. And when people recognize that that is available, they’re willing to go use the literature.”
Williams encourages prayers for wisdom, strength, and divine appointment for those who are distributing these booklets, and that those receiving the Word would be directed by the Holy Spirit to follow up.
“It’s intense for several days or weeks, sometimes, particularly the Olympics and they need to be just encouraged that they’re doing the father’s work,” Williams said.
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of mcghavan/Unsplash
