Christian wrestling event provides
hard-hitting witness for the gospel
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___SAN ANTONIO--Professional wrestling is a big deal on the south side of San Antonio, so Mayfield Park Baptist Church brought it to the neighborhood.
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"NIGHTMARE," one of the Christian Wrestling Federation's "bad guys" tangles with a 'good guy' during a tour in Florida.
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___A Christian Wrestling Federation rally at a local middle school gymnasium attracted more than 200 people Saturday, April 21. "We had between 15 and 20 people pray to accept Christ," said Brian Bockmon, minister of youth at Mayfield Park.
___Bockmon said he had been praying for two years that God would show him the key to reaching the lower-income community. "There are tons of teenagers here who don't want anything to do with Jesus," he said.
___At last fall's conclave for youth workers sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Bockmon made a dash through the display area to grab some candy. At the wrestling federation's booth, he got some candy, plus a card and flyer. Several weeks later, "God took me back to this card," he said.
___After talking with federation leaders, Bockmon felt God wanted Mayfield Park to sponsor a rally. But the cost would be more than $4,000--a big price tag for a church averaging 130 people in Sunday School.
___Pastor John Boubel told Bockmon that if God was in it, God would provide.
___The youth minister called other churches, but no one was interested. "One pastor gave a 15-minute sermon on the evils of wrestling," Bockmon said.
___He then called Milfred Minatrea, associate coordinator of the BGCT's missions and evangelism section. "He got all excited," Bockmon said, and an official proposal resulted in $3,000 of funding for the effort.
___Teenagers in the church sold candles to raise $800. People in the community gave. And the remainder came from Mayfield Park's youth budget.
___The rally featured seven wrestling matches presenting a "dramatization of good versus evil," Bockmon said. And evil sometimes won, "because that's real life." After the matches, one of the wrestlers gave his testimony and invited people to follow Christ.
___Besides the children, teens and adults who indicated decisions that night, one man who had attended the rally came to the Sunday service at Mayfield Park the next day and made his public profession of faith in Christ, Bockmon said.
___The church now is contacting all those who attended the rally, he said. It's "given us a chance ... to share the plan of salvation with everyone" on an individual basis.
___Bockmon gives God all of the credit. "I believe this is a work of the Lord," he said. It was "a privilege to see God move."
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