The athletic guy in the Lexus looked up at me with tears in his eyes and asked, "Would someone like me fit into a church like yours?"
We had just conducted an absolutely free carwash in parking lot of one of the biggest bars in Cincinnati  not exactly the place most would expect Christians to frequent. We had set out plenty of signs to convince our skeptical city that this was truly a free project done just to show them the love of Christ in a practical way.
Our signs read: "Totally Free Car Wash" and "Absolutely Free Car Wash" and "No Kidding - Free Car Wash." And then there was the "Just for You - Free Car Wash!" sign. People in Cincinnati think everything has a catch to it. It took us a long time to convince the general public that we were for real and this wasn't an episode of "Candid Camera."
We washed about 30 cars during the two-hour event  all kinds of cars. When you hang out a sign that reads "Free Car Wash," you attract all sorts of people. We had every socio-economic group from the city; every age group, every ethnic group. I got tears in my eyes toward the end of the outreach as I reflected on Matthew 28:19 when Jesus called the Church to literally all "people groups." That day we had touched a microcosm of the city and nearly every people group via their dirty cars.
As we were winding down, I was tired. One of the kids had gotten a hold of the hose and soaked me. My shoes were making squishing noises when I walked. I was ready to go home. We had taken the signs down for the day and dumped out our suds.
Out of the blue an expensive Lexus came driving into the lot with the driver yelling, "Got time for one more?" After doing dozens of these washes I have learned that the best car of the day is often the last car of the day.
So I gladly yelled back, "Pull in here!" The washing team was a little less enthusiastic because they didn't understand the principle about the last being the best. But they were about to discover what I already knew.
As we washed his car this man had lots of questions about the wash. He started by pulling out his checkbook and asking how to spell the name of our church.
"We aren't taking any donations," I said.
"But what did the last person give?" he asked.
I had to tell him four times that it was free before he got it. Those who don't understand generosity think that the Church is all about two things  asking for money and parenting. When we connect with the not-yet-Christ-following public through acts of kindness, and don't ask for money or seek to parent them, we more or less blow their minds!
When they are shown an act of kindness in the name of Jesus, they are briefly operating under the power of kindness. They shouldn't operate heavy equipment. Their heads tilt. Sometimes they become dizzy. Their eyes tear up.
This is all supported by what I think is the most profound verse in the book of Romans, " … the kindness of God leads to repentance," (Rom. 2:4). I read that verse for years but didn't get it. I thought it was vertical kindness. That somehow God would come along and reveal his love to people and that somehow amounted to kindness  a nice interpretation but not very practical.
One day it hit me that God's kindness is more horizontal  that it happens from one person to another. God always uses people to do his bidding. That's the way he works throughout the ebb and flow of the Scriptures.
That means that something as simple as a free car wash can cause a person to desire to repent and come to Christ. We actually have experimented with lots of ways to share this kindness. You can find those at my Web site: www.servantevangelism.com. There are over 300 projects listed there that we have tried in various settings.
The man at the car wash responded to our act of kindness with tears that began to flow down his face. He began to confess his sins to me for a good three to five minutes. I felt like a priest hearing an intimate confession.
Then he stopped and asked a very practical question, "Do you think a person like me would fit into a church like yours?"
"We started this church for people like you," I said. "That's why we do everything we do. It's to make you feel at home. You're absolutely welcome."
I then led him in a prayer of repentance. He came to Christ right there in the parking lot of the biggest party place in Cincinnati.
He explained that he was a professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and had just retired and was thinking a lot about life and the future. I met him at just the right moment.
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Steve Sjogren is the founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati and author of numerous books on evangelism. Sjogren now speaks at conferences and consults with churches interested in the sort of outreach anyone can do. Contact Sjogren at stevesjogren@mac.com.
