Proselyters from afar share their faith

Drawn by a dream of Olympic glory for God, they have come by the thousands from all over the United States and several foreign nations to compete with skepticism, materialism, egoism and commercialism.

Debbi Crain, with Action Ministries, talks with Cole Natterman of Delphi, Ind.

Jeremy Harmon, Deseret News

Their quest involves "More than Gold," according to volunteers who spend their Olympic days on the sidewalks of the city, striking up conversations with strangers. They're sharing water, pins, Bibles, CDs and a message they hope will resonate within the heart. If there is a prize to win, it's the saving of a human soul for Jesus Christ.

And to the surprise of many, they're not "Mormon missionaries." Leyta Jordan, a Southern Baptist and single mother from Atlanta, arrived Tuesday and will spend a week in Salt Lake City sharing her faith and smiling wide at Olympic visitors. Inside the "More than Gold" ministry's Main Street Coffee House, she takes a break from the cold and the pavement to reflect.

"It's been a fantastic day," she says, remembering the 150 "More than Gold" star pins she's given away standing just outside the coffee house, chatting with passers-by. "People have been very friendly and very receptive. We're not here to jam it down their throats. We're just sharing our message that a relationship with Jesus Christ is worth more than gold."

Chatting with people from more than 10 different nations, she also talked with several journalists intrigued by the fact that she came on her own dime for a week in Salt Lake City to talk with people she doesn't know. "I'm a caterer by profession, so I gave up some business" and some personal time with her children, who are staying with their father, to come to Utah. As part of a ministry team that visits major events like Mardi Gras, the Daytona 500, and even ground zero in New York City, she's a ministering veteran whose smile remains even when people ignore her or turn away.

Newer to the streets are young red-coated members of Action Ministries, whose prominently displayed emblem attracts questions from many milling about Olympic Square.

Tracy Hanson of Ormond Beach, Fla., explains the colors of the group's rectangular pin, which is also given freely to those who ask, along with a pamphlet detailing "our hunger for heroes" and the character traits they exemplify. All can find such strength through Jesus Christ, she says. Jessica Greenway of Farmersville, Texas, said Action Ministries is not a denomination but rather advocates "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" that doesn't depend "on going to church or a formal religion. Religion is a man-made thing, and relationship is a God-made thing," she said.

Down the street on Olympic Square, members of the Salvation Army man one of several canteens set up near major venues, offering free water and friendly conversation that have attracted a lot of visitors despite the cold.

Though booths and food services are plentiful at venues and on Olympic Square, "there are not a lot of things one can get for free here," smiles Lt. Col. Mervyn Morelock, a Salvation Army volunteer from Phoenix who is coordinating the water station inside the Medals Plaza. Visitors appreciate a complimentary cup of water and a friendly greeting, he said.

And they've responded well to the respect most ministers are giving to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he said. JoDee Allred, right, and Sharon Parrill hand out Christian pamphlets in downtown Salt Lake City Wednesday.

Many Olympic observers expected LDS missionaries to be out in force during the Games, but that hasn't materialized. Instead its missionaries have been instructed to remain on Temple Square and at other LDS sites downtown. Knowing many of those they interact with are LDS, Morelock said those with the "More than Gold" conglomerate of Christian churches have been trained to be "sensitive and respectful" of their beliefs.

"We try to be very careful not to be pushy or evangelical in the ugly sense of the word, and there is an ugly sense" in some proselyting activity. "We're very careful with people who are active in the LDS Church. It's a sensitive area, and we can't fall into the trap" of arguing with or antagonizing them, he said.

Others have taken a different tack.

Several anti-Mormon groups have placed their volunteers on the sidewalks around Temple Square, handing out a "Temple Square Visitors Guide" advertising "little known facts" about the church. The pamphlets take issue with LDS doctrine and theology, arguing they are not Christian beliefs. While the LDS Church has long emphasized its Christian beliefs, a platoon of LDS volunteers manning the security checkpoints inside the gates at Temple Square smile and greet visitors but make no attempt to ask about faith or share their own unless approached.

"We just want to be good hosts," is the chorus of answer to a question about their lack of religious engagement.

Other denominations in the Salt Lake area are going out of their way to do the same. Daily taize music and prayer services at the University of Utah's Newman Center hadn't drawn significant numbers as of Tuesday, but the pace has been "steady," according to Monica Howa Johnson of Salt Lake's Catholic Diocese.

"We really didn't know what to expect, but we're prepared, and we may see more visitors as word gets around that we're here." About 25 people attended services there Tuesday night, and Masses have been added to the schedule at the Cathedral of the Madeleine downtown. "I think most visitors looking for a Mass will go there," she said.

Local Lutherans welcomed Olympic visitors Tuesday night at Christ Lutheran Church in Murray with an evening of music by local school and church choirs and a guest speaker on "Christianity and the Olympics."

Paul Maier, an author and professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, told the audience the "bad news is, it was Christians who eliminated the Olympic Games" in ancient times because the athletic events grew to include "pagan worship ceremonies" that were offensive to Christian rulers of the Roman empire.

The first Olympics were held in 776 BC in Olympia, he said, and consisted of one foot race across the stadium. Held every four years, the 14th Olympiad added a second foot race - two stadiums long - that is "very much like our 440-meter run today." The pentathlon, boxing and four-horse chariot racing were all added at various points in early Olympic history.

Detailed records were kept of Olympic history, Maier said, and during the time of the 202nd Olympiad, records "reported the equal of what was the darkness of Calvary on Good Friday." A "great eclipse of the sun at the sixth hour of the day" turned the Earth dark so that "stars even appeared in the heavens" and a great earthquake accompanied the darkness. The record, made in the year 33 AD, is just one of "many types of evidence" of the historicity of the biblical record, he said. As a professor of ancient history, he often sees "bridges built between secular and sacred evidence" of the Bible's veracity that "Christians should use more often."