Through the many years of being a spectator, and also leading teams to go out and share the gospel at Pella Tulip Time, I’ve learned a couple of things. It takes spiritual, mental, and physical preparation before participating in an event like this. You want to be as comfortable as possible doing uncomfortable things. This list will give you an idea of how to prepare, what to bring, and what to do to make this year’s Pella Tulip Time Outreach, May 2-4, 2024 as enjoyable and memorable as possible.
Pray
Whether you are a leading a team to hit the streets to share the gospel, or being led to share Christ at the event, you need to be prayed up. From the moment you decide you want to take part in Pella Tulip Time Outreach, you must be praying because the enemy is relentless and will do anything to keep you from attending.
Not only that, but the three days will be packed with spiritual, mental, and physical activity that can easily wear you out. In order to be poured out, we need to be filled. Filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with the Word, and everything through prayer.
Register
Before you do anything, you must register as early as possible with Tulip Gospel Outreach for several different reasons.
First, we want to know a little bit about you so that we can serve you and assess your needs to place you with a well-matched team leader. It also helps the team leader to know a few things about you to prepare and assess your needs, pray for you specifically, and reach out if you have any questions or concerns. It’s good to share what your strengths and weaknesses are, and areas you want to work on while you are attending Tulip Time.
To register, go to the information page here:
https://www.tulipgospeloutreach.org/events/event/pella-tulip-time-gospel-outreach-2024
Click the REGISTER HERE button at the end of the schedule and fill out the pop-up form. Click the COMPLETE REGISTRATION button to finalize. There may be other information that pops up you may need to fill out, not to mention check your email for any other information that is sent to you.
Invite friends and family
This is a great event for any Christian. Invite your friends and family to this and enjoy it together. Since this is a relitively safe, family-friendly atmosphere, it is a great place to train and equip kids to share their faith. Many families do this together and it has been a rewarding experience for everyone. Watching them grow up to have a family of their own and share their faith together is heartwarming. Start building that legacy at the Pella Tulip Time Gospel Outreach.
Bring a pocket Bible
Even though Tulip Gospel Outreach provides witnessing material like tracts, books, videos and so forth, it is helpful to have a pocket-sized Bible handy for those witnessing encounters. There are so many times during the event I have used mine, and when people read the Word for themselves the first time, it is life-changing. People are looking for answers and don’t want to be told, but shown. I strongly recommend getting a pocket bible, one that can easily fit inside your pocket, or one that is not heavy that can fit inside a backpack without feeling like you are lugging it around.
Also, mark Bible passages that may be helpful with sharing the gospel so that they are easy to find. Some useful information may be:
- The Romans Road
- Where dinosaurs are found in the Bible
- Creation
- Ten Commandments
- The gospel
- Passages about hell and heaven
- Certain parables.
- That Jesus is the only way, the only mediator, and the only savior.
- Mark the Jesus passages in Colossians: He is, by Him, for Him, in Him, to Him, in Christ, with Christ, to Christ; and all the references to ALL. You will be amazed how much is in there about who Christ is, and who we are in Him as believers.
- Ephesians chapter two has always been a go-to chapter for me, and I love to see people’s eyes light up when I share it.
You may think to yourself that you can just have a Bible on your phone. Don’t count on it. Cell coverage during the event is extremely limited with the amount of data traffic through the local tower. I found it best that no matter where you are, it’s best to have good old reliable paper.
Other things to bring
To prepare for Tulip Time Gospel Outreach, there are some things you want to bring to make your time here more memorable and enjoyable.
Since you will be doing a lot of walking during the event, get yourself a good pair of comfortable walking shoes. There is a lot of area to cover during the event. You also will be doing a lot of standing while passing out tracts, having conversations or waiting in line for food. Comfortable shoes are a good friend to have. You will be glad you did, or wish you had.
Bring painkillers with you like Tylenol or Advil just in case you need them. Team Leaders will have a first aid kit on hand, but are not authorized to prescribe pain killers or medicine. It is better to have them with you and not need them, than to need them and not have them.
There are going to be many great lectures during conference time. “How to Use Creation Apologetics to Effectively Evangelize,” “The Gospel Roadmap,” along with evangelizing pro-choicers and atheists. It is good to bring a notebook and several pens with you so that you can take valuable notes that will help you share the gospel. I usually bring a mini-recorder as well. I’ve noticed through the years people just listen, but then soon forget what they just experienced. The conference speakers spend days preparing to teach you so we should write these things down and use them in our evangelistic efforts. Some speakers talk fast and flip through the slides. You may want to free up some space on your phone and take pictures of slides rather than writing them down.
We never know what the weather will be like. Sometimes it’s freezing and we need jackets; other days it is like a furnace. Not to mention rain. It’s good to be prepared for any weather situation, and to at least keep extra clothing in your vehicle just in case. I normally pack an extra outfit, rain gear, sweatshirt, jacket, baseball cap, sunglasses, sunscreen lotion, and an umbrella.
Bring cash. Many of the food vendors do not accept cards or checks. There is a US Bank on site, as well as several ATM’s; but it is better to have it on hand than to wait in line for a long time and wish you had it. Not only for food, but for the amazing books and evangelism material that will be on sale by the speakers and Team Leaders inside the church.
Come early to the church
Because parking is limited and there is extra traffic around Pella during the festival, I strongly advise you to come early and park in the street. There are many spots surrounding the church on the side streets. But as the day goes on, you may have to park further away. One year I came later than usual and had to park a mile away.
While you are at the church early with the rest of us, use the time to pray, get to know some of the Team Leaders, and talk with those who are selling their books and material in the church foyer. Start reading the tracts you will be handing out and brainstorm with other evangelists’ ways to use them to strike up conversation. Tracts are like fishing tackle: you don’t just use one, but several depending upon what type of fish you want to catch.
Plan to do the parade outreach
Twice per day during Tulip Time, there will be a parade that runs through the square. Once at 2pm and the other at 8pm. In the time before the parade starts, there is a great opportunity to hand out the valuable message of the gospel with tracts to those who are gathered to watch. This is a great way to get your feet wet if you are struggling to get conversations started. Just simply extend your hand with a tract and say boldly, “Did you get one of these?” Watch the video below to see just how easy this is. Fun for the whole family to get involved.
Read the tracts you hand out
I can’t stress this enough — read the tracts you plan to hand out. It is important that we look over the message that we will be distributing so that you get familiar with it, explain it, or answer any questions about it. Plus, with every tract you read, you get a new feel how to present the bad news and the good news that Christ came to save sinners because and each and every person is one.
Your physical is as important as your spiritual and mental health
This section may seem like overkill, and maybe it is; but it has helped me tremendously with long events like this. Before doing an event like this, I try to go out and share the gospel on the streets beforehand to be familiar with it if I haven’t done it for a while. Be physically prepared to walk more, and mentally prepared to talk a lot.
One thing I like to take with me to the event is magnesium, which is an anti-stress, calming nutrient that helps the body recharge naturally. Personally, I like Garden of Life’s whole food version as in the picture above.
But no matter what, stay hydrated, and eat snacks to keep your energy up. Stop to sit and rest often. If you have any issues, please let your team leader know.
Important information regarding the facilities
First Church Pella has been absolutely amazing when it comes to this event and letting us use their building and grounds. It is important that we make sure we leave it in excellent condition as we found it because of Sunday services after our event is over.
Please don’t eat or drink in the church building. That means the foyer and especially the sanctuary. It is their number one rule even for them during Sunday services and not specific to our group. So, I’m sorry to say there will not be any coffee or donuts available.
Upstairs is off limits. Doors to classrooms should be locked already, but we want to make sure those rooms are unused and ready for their pupils on Sunday. Also, if you move chairs around, like during prayer time, make sure you put things back the way you found them.
We love this church, have a great relationship with them, and would not want to hinder that in any way.
Trust me, it’s amazing!
This all may seem like a lot. Don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s not. This will be an amazing experience for you as you step out of your comfort zone and learn how to share Jesus with the world in a safe learning environment with people just like you.
If there is anything I missed, or want to add something, please comment to the original blog, and I would be happy to make changes.
See you there!
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