Every year, thousands of people gather on the grounds of the Iowa State Capitol for the Yankee Doodle Pops in Des Moines. It’s one of the city’s signature Independence Day celebrations—a night filled with food trucks, families spread across blankets, patriotic music performed by the Des Moines Symphony and guest musicians, and a spectacular fireworks display that lights up the summer sky.
While many came to celebrate America’s birthday, my purpose for being there was different.
I went to celebrate the message of a far greater freedom—the freedom found through Jesus Christ.
A Crowd Ready for Conversations
Large events like the Yankee Doodle Pops provide unique opportunities for evangelism. People are relaxed, enjoying time with family and friends, and many are willing to stop for a brief conversation. Not everyone wants to talk, of course, but nearly everyone is willing to accept a gospel tract.
This year, I spent most of the evening simply handing out tracts with the hope that they would lead to conversations about Christ. Every tract handed out represents an opportunity. Some people read them immediately. Others tuck them into a pocket or bag. Some may never read them at all. But once the Word of God is placed into someone’s hands, only the Lord knows what He may do with it.
Thankful I Was Not Alone
This year I wasn’t alone.
My friend, Kasin, was the only person who joined me for the outreach, and I was grateful he did. Having another believer beside you is an encouragement in itself. Ministry is always better when brothers and sisters labor together for the gospel.
Kasin also came prepared. He brought a generous supply of gospel tracts, including special editions celebrating America’s 250th birthday and tracts tied to the excitement surrounding the upcoming World Cup. Those unique themes served as excellent conversation starters while naturally pointing people toward eternal truths.
Since we were celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, I cheerfully said, “Happy Birthday!” while extending my hand to offer a gospel tract that matched the theme. It turned out better than expected and nearly everyone accepted one!
Sometimes people are willing to receive a tract simply because it connects with something they’re already interested in. Once that initial barrier is crossed, the conversation can move from earthly celebrations to eternal realities.
Some Conversations Through the Evening
Kasin and I remained together throughout the experience, and I was truly grateful for that. Although it was a gradual process, I felt encouraged through prayer and my trust that the Lord would provide the right words. I took a leap of faith and delivered my first message. Since we were celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, I cheerfully said, “Happy Birthday!” while extending my hand to offer a gospel tract that matched the theme. It turned out better than expected and nearly everyone accepted one!
Three athletic teens
The first conversation we had were with three athletic boys as we made our way to the stage area. Kasin handed them all a World Cup Million and started a conversation and asked them what the gospel meant to them. One of the boys, had a tattoo of Psalm 53 written out on his left arm. I thought it was pretty cool, and asked about it, but they seemed to be in a hurry and was flustered by the encounter.
Very few folks I run into with religious tattoos or jewelry can really talk about the gospel or seem pumped that someone took the time to share it with them. I just hope they check it out and think about the God whose words are inked on their arm.
Friendly neighbors
After a while, passing out tracts and trying to strike up conversation wears me out. Kasin and I decided to get some water at his wife’s picnic spot and sit down for a few. Two very nice ladies my age, Kim and Jessica, were sitting next to us, and I struck up a conversation in the natural to hopefully swing to the spiritual.
I found a break in the conversation to offer a a gospel tract and told them what Kasin and I were doing. Jessica pretty much checked out and walked off to get some food, while Kim read the tract and we got into a conversation about spiritual things, even sharing with them about how the Holy Spirit gives the words when I don’t have them. It was a meaningful one-on-one conversation and that I strive to have every chance I get.
Angry atheist
As Kasin and I were finishing off our patriotic tracts, he handed a less-than-gentle man a “Freedom For All! America 250” tract and immediately his continence changed and started rattling off critiquing questions insinuating that the information on the business-card-tract wasn’t true. I could tell Kasin was flustered and offered help. As the man talked I waited to find the perfect time to step in.
“So, the signers of the Declaration of Independence died and suffered horrible deaths and had horrible lives, let’s see, where does this fit in to your ridiculous religion? Oh, here it is…’Jesus Christ was imprisioned, beaten, and crucified on a cross for our freedom. Our sins condemn us to a life in hell, which is the ultimate prison.’ Well, God is the one who condemns people to hell.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Looking at me like I’m crazy he said, “Well, we don’t send ourselves to hell, so…”
“We don’t? God created us for a purpose. If we fail to live up to that purpose or obey what He tells us to do, then…?”
“He kills us just like Job’s family. Which I agree with his wife when she said, ‘Curse God and die.'”
“And where would that have gotten him in the end? When bad things happen it should cause us to run to God, not away from Him. Our sin and rebelling against God is what sends us to hell. But God who is rich in mercy and grace sacrificed His one and only Son so that we can be right with Him.”
“I used to believe in God and He didn’t help me and I never got what I wanted, so…”
“You broke the first and second commandment. You created a god to suit yourself to cater to your desires. Face it, you worshipped yourself. You didn’t believe in God; you never did. If you had, you would have ran to Him and not curse Him to His face. He sacrificed His one and only Son so that you could have eternal life and that wasn’t good enough for you.”
Well, that pretty much ended the conversation and mumbled something as he walked away. But, the remarkable thing throughout that whole ordeal is that twice he dropped the tract that Kasin gave him and he put it in his pocket as he walked away from us and the conversation. Something was happening inside him. Most atheists would have gave it back, threw it out, or ripped it up and thrown it in my face. But he held onto it.
Measuring Success Differently
When people think about evangelism, they often ask, “How many people accepted Christ?” While we certainly rejoice whenever someone trusts in Christ, that’s not the measure of faithfulness. Our responsibility is to proclaim the gospel clearly and lovingly. Faithfulness isn’t measured by visible results but by obediently proclaiming the message we’ve been entrusted to share. God alone gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Some plant. Others water. God brings the harvest in His perfect timing.
A Different Kind of Freedom
As Americans celebrated 250 years of our nation’s history, I couldn’t help but think about another kind of liberty. Though we live in one of the greatest countries the world has ever seen, its laws and political freedom cannot free a person from sin. Only Jesus Christ can do that.
Our nation enjoys many freedoms, yet the greatest freedom anyone can experience is being forgiven, reconciled to God, and made a new creation through faith in Christ. Fireworks last only a few moments before fading into the night sky, but the hope found in the gospel has eternal significance.
Until Next Year
As the final fireworks exploded overhead and the crowds slowly made their way home, I found myself thanking God for another opportunity to be among thousands of people with the greatest news they could ever hear.
Please pray for everyone who received a gospel tract—that they would read it with an open heart. Pray for those conversations that took place, and for the seeds that were planted. And pray that more believers would step out in faith to join future outreaches. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (Matthew 9:37-38)
If you have never tried sharing your faith at a community event, consider giving it a try. You don’t have to be a gifted speaker. Sometimes it begins with a smile, a simple greeting, and a gospel tract placed into someone’s hand.
God often uses ordinary acts of obedience and faithfulness to accomplish extraordinary things for His kingdom.
Pens & Wrenches 
What I love about this recap is how clearly it shows the real texture of evangelism — not the highlight‑reel version, but the slow, ordinary, sometimes awkward obedience that God delights to use. The mix of encouraging conversations, hurried teens, checked‑out neighbors, and even an angry atheist reminds us that gospel work is never about controlling outcomes. It’s about showing up with the message of Christ and trusting the Spirit to do what only He can do.
The moment with the atheist especially struck me. His hostility wasn’t the end of the story — he kept picking up the tract. That’s the kind of detail we miss if we measure success by visible results. Faithfulness looks like planting seeds we may never see sprout, speaking truth with gentleness and courage, and believing that God can work even in hearts that seem closed.
And woven through the whole night is a deeper reminder: earthly celebrations of freedom are fleeting, but the freedom Christ gives is eternal. Fireworks fade; the gospel doesn’t. The outreach wasn’t just patriotic participation — it was a quiet declaration that true liberty is found only in Jesus.
This is the kind of witness the church needs: ordinary believers stepping into ordinary spaces with extraordinary news. No platform required. Just obedience, courage, and love for the lost.
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