Your own friends and family are a few keystrokes away from beginning a journey toward eternal salvation. That was the lesson learned when 87 people participated in the Lake Hart Digital Day of Outreach Thursday, September 18, at the Cru International Headquarters in Orlando, Florida.
For two hours, participants shared the evangelical video Falling Plates with friends, family members, and those random acquaintances that you never really talk to but have as Facebook friends anyway. Utilizing WatchThinkChat, participants engaged in spiritual conversations with those viewing the video, often for the first time.
Over the course of two hours, participants in two packed conference rooms engaged in 296 chats, using Falling Plates and WatchThinkChat to empower the difficult spiritual conversations that people so often avoid due to fear of awkwardness. The WatchThinkChat platform allowed participants to chat with those watching the video while monitoring their progress, receiving updates when the viewer finished the video, when they responded to whether or not they will follow Jesus, and when they chose whether or not to take part in the Growth Challenge, where they can talk with a friend about four additional videos.
One participant ended up having a healthy spiritual conversation with his aunt. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with her before,” he said, holding back tears. Not just a spiritual conversation, he said, but “any conversation.”
Another participant chatted with a casual friend who lives across the country. This friend was agnostic and shared openly about being raised in the faith before turning away from God. He shared his current struggles, including turning to drugs as a means of escape. When asked if he would consider following Jesus, he said “I’m open.”
In June the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ held the inaugural Digital Day of Outreach, a wildly successful event that included CCCI staff, students, volunteers, and outside members of the community. Like with that event, God was able to use the Lake Hart Digital Day of Outreach to touch the lives of the lost and start the spiritual conversations that many people are craving but need the right prompt. There was great excitement in the room as participants watched some friends proclaim that they are following Jesus (or in some cases, “I’m trying”) and even greater excitement when they saw God soften the hearts of nonbelievers and create an opportunity for spiritual growth. We hope and pray that this is a sign of further great things to come. You can hold your own Digital Day of Outreach. Here’s how.