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Fiesta de Futbol

By June 25, 2005June 19th, 2014No Comments
Reach Out

Our church’s community has the highest percentage of Hispanic people of any county in Michigan; many are full-time residents. Since soccer (futbol to the Spanish-speaking community) is a big deal in our area and because our city has several leagues, our church hosted a soccer tournament—Fiesta de Futbol. Many teams registered. We scheduled a half-time program, and a speaker shared the gospel. At the conclusion of the tournament, we awarded trophies.For our second Fiesta de Futbol we added a concert by well-known musicians who performed music in English and Spanish. We advertised heavily by sending mailings, extending personal invitations to people in Hispanic social centers, and displaying posters in area businesses. In addition to organizing the soccer tournament, our church people selected a neutral site for the concert, arranged for concessions and portable bathrooms, provided games for kids, trained counselors to assist with spiritual needs, and brought in Spanish-speaking preachers. Five people made decisions to accept Christ. Knowing that some people make “decisions” only out of politeness, we later look for spiritual fruit in the new believer’s life as evidence of an authentic salvation decision.It was amazing to watch our church family develop a vision and lend their financial support, for this event was an amazing process.

Mark M. Looman, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Hart, Michigan