Fast cars, loud music, and a rowdy crowd. Can these make for an effective outreach to kids and families?
Sound of Light entertains race fans at the entrance to the Darlington track.It does if the fast cars are NASCAR drivers on the Darlington Raceway, the loud music is by the contemporary Christian group, Sound of Light from Spartanburg, and the crowd is 4,300 race fans at the 21st annual Bring-A-Kid pre-race rally sponsored May 9 by Welsh Neck Baptist Association.
Christian speaker Jeremy Kingsley of OneLife Ministries in Columbia recounted the story of Jonah, “a prideful dude who went the opposite direction from the Lord” to the race fans.
Saying no to God is “like going over there on the racetrack and going the opposite direction” from the other drivers, Kingsley explained. “There are no right-hand turns in NASCAR,” he quipped.
Jim Kingsley of Columbia was keynote speaker at the rally, which drew more than 4,300 fans to the Plywood 200 race on Friday evening.“I’m so glad God is not a god of second chances,” he said. “With God, you get way more than two. – He is a gracious God. He is a forgiving God.”
Kingsley told the race fans how Jonah “remembered the Lord” while in the belly of a large fish, and how God still allowed him to preach a message of repentance to others. “Rebellion has a best friend, Pride,” but “Submission’s best friend is Humility,” he observed.
Others on the rally program included Jim Austin, new executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention; Chris Browning, president of the Darlington Raceway; and Bill Carpenter of Motor Racing Outreach, an organization committed to introducing the racing community to a personal faith in Christ and the need for active involvement in church.
For more information about the Bring-A-Kid rally, contact Raceway Ministries at 843-332-7771.
Former Welsh Neck DOM David Dinkins, left, and Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning welcome SCBC executive director Jim Austin to his first Darlington rally.
Gary Anderson, director of the SCBC’s Cooperative Program Office who also serves as one of the chaplains with Raceway Ministries, talks with Hannah and Leah Austin, daughters of SCBC executive director Jim Austin.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the Navy 88 car, right, pulls in for a pit stop during the race – which was won by Tony Stewart, driver of the Old Spice 20 car.
Bill Carpenter of Motor Racing Outreach shares several racing stories.