"What's Next?: Evangelism Campaign in Saginaw"
May 5, 2022 | Judy Klein | Communication
On April 11, Pastor Jerryn Schmidt and the Saginaw church kicked off a prophecy seminar “What’s Next?” Schmidt and his core group of about 15 members have been planning these meetings since the fall.
Prior to the series, Schmidt and his team conducted a seven-part health series in the Freeland Sports Zone, called Natural Lifestyle Cooking. The church chose the sports center because it was a neutral location in the city and familiar to residents. The cooking school lasted three and a half weeks, with meetings twice a week. Some of the people who attended the cooking school are now attending the prophecy seminar, which is being held at the same location.
During the last week of the cooking school, the evangelistic team began advertising for the “What’s Next?” evangelistic seminars. Schmidt explains that they only advertised for about a week before the series began. This type of advertising made the seminars fresh news, and guests could come at the peak of interest, instead of waiting a few weeks or even months, as is the case with some prophecy series.
Advertising was well-planned. “There’s a lot of work that goes into getting the advertisements ready and printed,” Schmidt explains, “I had 56 UPS boxes of materials unloaded into my driveway!” It may seem like a lot of boxes, but it pales in comparison with the number of materials distributed into the community.
Saginaw members prepared and sent out 45,000 flyers in the general Saginaw area. Within the vicinity of the Freeland Sports Zone, they sent out an additional 5,000 handbills. They also hand-prepared 40,000 6 x 11 postcards and sent those a little farther out than the handbills. All 45,000 homes received two notifications of the seminar, those close to the venue received a handbill and a flyer, and those further received a postcard and a flyer.
Church members also put 20 yard signs in their yards, and Schmidt placed an additional eighty throughout Saginaw on street corners. Saginaw residents saw these signs wherever they went. Members also invited friends and family to the meetings.
On opening night, the hard work and prayerful efforts of the church paid off. Seventy-five guests registered: 49 came from the mailed advertisements, 11 came from a personal invitation from a friend, and the other 12 came from the yard signs.
Over the first four days, there have been 101 different guests, spread out across the week. Meetings are held from Monday through Wednesday, and on Friday. “The key,” says Schmidt, “is that the members from our small church are coming together to sacrifice.” Schmidt is the main speaker for the meetings.
Saginaw church has pledged to hold an evangelistic series each year for the next three years, which is a costly endeavor. The Saginaw church, as Schmidt says, are all making sacrifices in order to win their city to Christ.
Please lift Saginaw church up in your prayers as they continue their evangelism journey and witness to the 100 plus souls who have already been in attendance.