Last night we had a water and cookie station in front of PetSmart right next door to the theatre we run Sunday services out of.  Of course, we also had stations in front of the Winners and the Chapters, so lots of people who came by already had water given out at another station.

Still it was a good station.  I was with Rachel, and she is a sweet girl, not afraid to speak up and offer to people.  She actually kicked me in the butt to get out there and offer, even to people who were intently ignoring us.  Hey, it’s free.  If they say no, then they say no.

Speaking of saying no, several people did.  One lady told us she doesn’t drink from anything plastic.  I think she’s a little deluded, as it is unavoidable coming into contact with food or drink that has been in contact with plastic.  I’m willing to bet she doesn’t buy the one-liter glass bottles of milk for the same price as 4 liters.  And unless she buys her meat from the farm direct, it’s wrapped in plastic at some stage.

Another guy told us he objects to bottled water as local water is great.  Rachel reminded me there was an article in the paper the other day talking about this, and how the municipalities in Southwestern BC are all working to put bottle water sales out of business.  They just started the initiative, but I think this too is shortsighted.

The reason bottled water sales took off in the last few years is twofold: first, there was a rash of water quality news stories after Walkerton, ON had a whole bunch of people come up sick from drinking local tapwater.  Even 2 years ago the local reservoirs faced extreme runoff conditions that caused the GVRD to announce a boil water advisory.  People may get all noble about not buying bottled water, but the next time there is a little silt or “smell” in the water, they’ll all be buying it again.

The second reason is because of the bad press soda pop has been getting.  Vancouverites are very health concious, and buying water instead of a Coke is much better for you.  Yes, you can get water for free from home, but when you’re out and about and want a cold drink, it’s just convenient to nip into a store and buy a bottle.  The alternative is to carry a bottle with you everywhere (made of plastic by the way - glass would break) and fill it up from the taps of whatever store.  The downside of course it the water wouldn’t be cold.

But I digress.  Working in front of a pet store meant we got to see a lot of cute dogs.  I am not a dog person - I think they all stink.  If they didn’t stink, I’d probably like dogs better than cats, but I can’t get past the smell.  However, they can be cute, and owners love their dogs getting attention.  Especially since most of the toys that came in and out of the store were groomed.  If you are a dog owner and you pay for grooming, you love the attention.  Or maybe you love the attention so you pay to get your dog groomed.  Meh.

Lots of people turned us down, but lots of people accepted.  I think that some thought we were employees.  Others thought we worked for Nestle and were giving out free samples.   Others were sure we were deceiving them by saying it was free and tried to find the “catch”.   I liked telling people, “It’s free” then when they turn it down say, “It’s going to go to waste!”  Perhaps I was having a little too much fun.

I ended up seeing one guy who came to the car was the day before.  That was neat.  It seems kind of silly to hand out free stuff, because it really doesn’t mean all that much to most of the people who receive it.  But I think it did two things that are positive - it raised awareness in our church’s existence out of the theatre (though I would estimate that only one in ten that took our water and cookies inquired of us enough to find out about the church); and it showed people that some churches really are interested in other people.  Most churches have a fortress mentality - whether they admit to it or not.  People over time become more interested in protecting their own holiness than allowing others to enter in.  When we get out on the street and just smile at people and give stuff away, it makes people think twice.  That’s what Jesus did - he gave away bread and fish to thousands.  Those people didn’t all believe in him as Lord, but it did something to some of them.  Didn’t Paul say something like, “I become all things to all men, that I may win some”?

How many free bottles of water is one person’s soul worth for the Kingdom?

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