Drawing Near
One way to draw attention in a crowd of people is through sketch board art or "chalk talks." We set up an easel on a sidewalk where there are crowds of people and someone begins painting on a large piece of paper. They begin to tell a story while at the same time continuing to paint various images. Normally the "talk" portion is delivered in English and translated by a bilingual team member. All of the stories end with a simple and clear presentation of the Gospel. Afterwards, the crowd is offered free literature and invited to come forward to receive it. As with mime routines, the Italian team members seek out those who are interested in the literature and begin striking up conversations. At times there are even English-speaking Italians that need someone to talk to, which gives the American Christians an opportunity to participate in sharing the Gospel.