A true story from the great mission field of America's Inner Cities
"God's Bumper Sticker"
By Mrs. Barbara McCain
Even though it was a hot July, we had planned for three days of apartment hunting to help our new missionary co-worker, Linda. With only two addresses left on our list of possibilities, we were almost ready to call it a day. As we drove down the street where one of the apartments was located, my husband spied a rarity in the inner city, an empty parking place. As the car slowed, I noticed a bumper sticker on the car parked in front of the space, and read it with surprise. "God is the Pilot, I'm just the Co-Pilot!"
In our American city, that had been without much of a true gospel witness for many years, it was unusual to see a "Christian" bumper sticker. "Look, honey, look at that bumper sticker. And oh, look the car is driving away! Quick, stop them!" "Right now, are you kidding?" asked my practical husband. "I just feel like you should!" "Okay, here goes," and with that my husband jumped out and ran alongside the car, tapping on the window as it started away. The driver brought the car to a halt.
As Linda and I watched from inside our car, we saw my husband leaning into the car window having an active conversation. Soon he was reaching into his pocket for a church tract. Little did we know he had stopped an armed constable on his way to serve a summons! But soon the man was out of the car, slapping my husband on the back and then turning, he yelled up to one of the open tenement windows bordering the street. A beautiful young woman holding a toddler leaned out the second story window and soon a stream of Spanish conversation flowed between the two adults. It took Linda and I a few sentences to realize we were instantly translating. We both spoke Spanish, but had been struggling with the Azorean Portuguese spoken more often in our ethnic city. The English translation was beautiful to our ears!
"Maria, guess what. This is a Baptist missionary! He has come to our city to start a church."
"Oh, Louie, how wonderful!" "Sweet wife, can we have the pastor and his wife over tonight?"
"Certainly!"
"And you call some people. Tell them we will have a good Bible question and answer time!"
"Okay," with that Maria flashed a big smile.
As quick as it had started, the encounter ended. Before our wondering gaze, the men shook hands and exchanged a few words. Louis jumped back into his car and drove off. "Did you hear that, ladies?" Brother McCain smiled really big, "We have us an invitation to their home tonight."
"Oh, we heard, tell us more," I said. "Seems this couple got saved in another city recently and don't really have a church to go to. So, they want us to come over tonight and answer some questions about the Bible, and about us! I'm sure glad you saw that bumper sticker and made me dash out in the street like that!" This was accompanied by a grin and a little squeeze of my hand.
The apartment listing for Linda was a disappointment, but we were not in the least bit disappointed in our prospects for the evening.
At 8:00 PM, as the sea breezes cooled the city, we parked our car on the same street. All three of us entered the small tenement and met Louie, Maria and their friends. For the next two hours, we shared our burden to start a church in their city. They heartily agreed that there was no Bible preaching church there. After giving their testimonies to us, Louie and Maria invited questions from their friends. About 10 PM., the friends left but we were asked to stay.
"Brother McCain, you can count on Maria and me to be at your services Sunday," grinned Louie.
"Praise the Lord, brother, we will be most glad to have you."
"And there is a nursery for your little boy," I added.
"I'll bring the other one along with me," laughed Maria as she looked down at her expectant motherly condition. "Oh, Louie, you should have Brother McCain go talk to Bud and Lauren!"
"Hey, that's a great idea, they really need to get saved."
"Great," said my husband, "When can we go?"
"What about right now! This is the best time to catch them at home," said Louie, " Oh by the way, he's a biker and - well can you go?"
"If Linda will take my wife home, I would love to go. It's almost 11 o'clock and the children are at home."
"Sure thing," answered Linda.
About 2:30 A.M., I heard the key in our back door and in a few steps my husband was into the bedroom.
"Honey, they both got saved!"
"Really, wonderful!" I was instantly awake.
"And they have a cute little baby boy, and you are going to meet Lauren tomorrow. And, honey, we're going to have our first church wedding! Boy, am I tired! It must be almost morning. I'm sure glad you saw that bumper sticker!"
When I met Lauren the next day, I offered to make her a wedding dress.
"Would you really do that?" she asked, her eyes misting, "Could it be old fashioned and lavender?"
"Of course," I laughed. The smile in response was worth all the labor I knew the dress would take.
Two days later, the phone rang. It was Lauren. "Mrs. McCain, could you come right away? Remember that friend I told you about yesterday, Marge? Well, I contacted her and I think she's desperate. In fact, I think she is on the verge of suicide. She agreed to talk to you first. Could you come? Here's her house number, she has no phone."
Linda and I quickly drove to the address and knocked on the door. We could hear scuffling and feet running, then doors shutting, but no one came. Knocking again, and getting no response, I pushed the door open. We walked into a large unkept room off of which all the other rooms to the tenement were joined. All the rooms had closed doors and behind the doors, unknown to us, were the people whose feet we had heard. In the middle of the room, seated at a table was a woman in her late twenties.
"Marge?" My voice spoke the question and seeing her head slowly nod, I advanced. "I'm Mrs. McCain, Pastor McCain's wife and Lauren said she told you I would come."
"I know," she answered without rising, "Won't you please sit down?"
I quickly moved to the closest chair at the table and laid my hand on her arm. "Marge, I know we haven't met before and maybe you won't understand this, but I love you." Her eyes turned towards me. "I have been praying for you since yesterday, you see. And God can give us a special love for people. Marge, wouldn't you like to hear how God could change your life?"
My hand pressed softly but firmly on her forearm, and suddenly she burst into quiet tears. "Oh, yes, I'm so glad you came. Yes, please tell me."
Quickly and sweetly, the joy of leading someone to Christ became a reality in that room, at that table, while behind every door ears were listening. When we were finished praying and crying, Marge shared with me her burdens and present life. Her husband had left, there was little money, and the children were a real challenge.
"Are your children behind the doors?" I laughed, "I'm brave enough to meet them!"
Now it was Marge's turn to laugh, "Come on out kids!" Then in a softer voice she said, "But my mom won't come out, she is very shy. Maybe next time." A large toddler boy, a blonde rosy checked nine year, and a tall twelve year old boy came out. Marge introduced us, and I invited them to Sunday School and church. The older accepted and I soon found they were quite good talkers.
"I'll check on you tomorrow, Marge, and we'll pick you up for church Sunday. How would you like my husband to find your husband? In fact tomorrow he will come with me to talk to you." The strong hug I received confirmed her gratefulness.
Linda and I stopped at Maria's tenement to share the news. Lauren was also there and when we told about Marge's conversion she cried. "I think I'll ask Marge to be my attendant!"
We had a warm feeling as we walked back onto the city sidewalk just as we saw Louie’s car turn the corner - bumper sticker plainly in view.
"And some people think America is not a mission field," laughed Linda, echoing our personal private burden for the many who had failed to understand our call to the inner city.
In the next three months, the witness as a result of the bumper sticker grew and grew. Marge's two older children were the next to be saved, then her brother and his wife, her quiet mother, her sister, and her mother-in-law and her boyfriend. Then that lady's best friend and two children. The crowning moment occurred several months later as the consistent and long witnessing to Marge's rebellious husband paid off. Right in the middle of the preaching service, Skip raised his hand and strongly asked, "Can I get saved now or do I have to wait until the invitation?" Not only was he saved then, but the family fully restored.
Oh, and also that summer, just three weeks after the first meeting, we held a Vacation Bible School in Maria's back yard for the neighborhood children. Ten were saved there, and at the end of the week two of the mother's prayed to receive Christ while we were in their home on follow-up. One of them tearfully confessed that her mother had been witnessing to her, her mother who had just moved into the city but had not found a church to attend. As that mother joined our church, she told us of her friend at work. We visited and she got saved, then her three children and her husband ....and the witness went on. Even all the smaller toddlers grew up to their ages of understanding and prayed to receive the Lord. Marge’s smallest son was the first to wear a real baptismal outfit in our church baptistry. And just weeks before we left the work as a self-supporting church, I had the joy of praying with Crystal, who had been that baby residing inside Maria that first summer day. Crystal's smile and nod of agreement to the call of Christ on her life caused tears to come to Maria's eyes as she picked her up at the close of kindergarten class and was told of the great event.
The missionaries are gone now, we are looking for other cities, but the ministry started that day will prayerfully go on and on. All because of a bumper sticker, God's bumper sticker. And, to think, Louie sold that car just two weeks after we met him.
The above story is entirely true and occurred in the lives of missionaries Dennis and Barbara McCain and Miss Linda Earnshaw who served in North American Church Planting under Baptist Mid-Missions. Theirs was a team ministry in the ethnic inner city of a major town in New England.