KANSAS CITY — Cafeteria Manager Virgil Evans stood in the Vines Cafeteria at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) and said, “I want to be used.”
His small Ozark-town demeanor came through in his easy-going, friendly interaction with people who passed by and customers. Evans finished his pastoral bachelor’s degree in 2010. He now is working on a Master of Arts in biblical languages with one academic year remaining.
His passion is quite clear.
“The Lord has called me to be an evangelist,” he said.
“Virgil is a God-called evangelist,” said Tom Johnston, associate professor of evangelism at MBTS. “He loves Jesus, and loves to tell others about him. Virgil trains church members in evangelism, goes out in door-to-door and street evangelism with them, and preaches revivals. His Missouri barbecue sauce and his Alabama white sauce add spice and flavor to his evangelistic activities, as he combines evangelism with the smell and taste of smoked pork.”
Last summer Evans preached at an evangelistic outreach for 400-500 people at Central Baptist Church in Kansas City. Kirundi-speaking people heard the gospel translated into their native tongue by the worship leader who was participating in the block party/evangelistic outreach event.
“I was preaching on Philip the evangelist and the Ethiopian eunuch and how Philip caught up with him on his way traveling,” Evans said. “After he evangelized him and shared the gospel with him, he was baptized. So we had set up that day a makeshift baptistery on the spot.”
Five people confessed Christ that day. Three were baptized on site by the Central Baptist pastoral staff. One was a young boy who returned to his family’s church to receive baptism.
“Also with this, a young man, early twenties I think, surrendered to the call of ministry that same day,” Evans said.
Evans has worked with the “Feed My Sheep” food ministry started by Loni Sojack, who is also a Midwestern Seminary student. The ministry, which was started through First Baptist Church, North Kansas City, distributes meals to the needy. During Easter 2012, they handed out roughly 5,000 sack lunches where Evans coordinated the evangelistic efforts and helped with the first 1,500 one day.
Evans feels as the Lord has called him to international missions and evangelism. He just returned from an 11-person Bahamas mission trip with his family and others where they held Vacation Bible School (VBS) in what Evans calls an underprivileged area. A total of 30 children came forward for decisions on the last day. The VBS averaged about 80 per day.
Also in the Bahamas, Evans preached at Her Majesty’s Prison—the only maximum security facility there. About 30 prisoners came forward for confessions or rededications after Evans preached.
“It wasn’t that I brought anything to the table,” he said. “We walked in on a service where the Lord was moving.”
Later, the prison chaplain informed Evans that the first 25 inmates to come forward in a chapel service for confession were murderers—“every one of them,” Evans said with emphasis. Those who came forward were roughly a quarter to a half of those in attendance.
His passion for evangelism is such that Evans would like to offer his gift to area churches through Evansgelist@me.com.
“The Lord blessed me with the name,” he said. “I just used it.”
Johnston is firmly in his corner.
“Pray for and support Virgil as he will soon launch a not-for-profit evangelistic association,” Johnston said. “I am so grateful that God has called him as an evangelist!”