October 28, 2002
Co-labor team had unique role in mission
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___IIRVING--Every night of Metroplex Mission, after the crowds had slowly drained out of the parking lots and most who had heard Billy Graham preach were snug in the beds, a few hundred unseen volunteers labored into the night.
___They're members of the co-labor team, a corps of volunteers who tabulated decisions and dispersed data to churches so a  discipleship process can begin the next day.
___Over the four days of Metroplex Mission, about 700 volunteers tackled this unseen but vital task, said Kent Withington, director of the co-labor team for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
___Some teams worked until 3 a.m. each day of the mission. And on Saturday, they finished processing the morning "Kidz Gig" commitment cards just in time to get ready for the "Next Generation" concert that night. That meant many of the co-labor volunteers worked at Texas S
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| COUNSELORS group around sign designating different languages in preparation to aid those responding to Graham's invitation to make a profession of faith in Christ. (Richard McCormack/SWBTS Photo) |
tadium from Saturday morning through the wee hours of Sunday morning.
___The thousands of decision cards processed each night moved through an assembly line of volunteers, starting with a team of four who sorted them into stacks of males and females.
___Each stack was divided in half, and those four stacks of cards then proceeded down long tables through the hands of 13 people.
___The first five workers looked for the type of decision made, one recording professions of faith in Christ as Savior, another assurance of salvation, another rededication, another general inquiry and the fifth any other decision.
___ The next volunteers marked the age category the person fell into, with an "undetermined" stop catching those who didn't give their age.
___ From there, the cards went to sorting tables, where volunteers examined each card and filled in missing data such as ZIP codes, church address or telephone numbers.
___ From there, each person making a decision was assigned to a church for follow-up. If the person indicated a relationship with a church, they were assigned to that church. But if they indicated no relationship with a church, they were assigned to a participating church near their home.
___ Finally, a team of 64 volunteers worked each night doing data entry, inputting information that was transmitted to Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Minneapolis and also printed out on mailing labels in Texas.
___ Using those mailing labels, another team of volunteers sent out two letters for each card--one to the respondent and the other to the church they have been linked with.
___Some churches opted to receive their referrals via e-mail, meaning they had access to the data first thing the next morning.
___ Bill Smith, minister of youth, outreach and administration at First Baptist Church in Azle, was manager for the sorting section and was thrilled with the experience.
___ "My wife and I would love to do this at every mission if we ever retire," he said. "The fellowship is fantastic--the diversity of denominations, cultures and ethnicities. It's just a taste of heaven."
___ Heather Rhodes of University Baptist Church in Fort Worth worked the sorting tables. She also worked in the co-labor team when Billy Graham last came to Texas Stadium--in 1971. It was a low-tech operation then, she recalled, with typewriters and carbons rather than today's computers.
___ Rhodes was thrilled to be able to help. "I'm having a good time," she said. "I'm counting people who came to the Lord."
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