Evangelizing in a Restaurant

• by johnjkowalski.com

• July 14, 2026

Tags:Evangelism

Why don’t more people evangelize? Well, there are many reasons, but people will usually say thing like:.

• I’m shy

• I don’t know the person I’m talking to

• I’m not knowledgeable enough about the Bible

• I don’t like to talk to strangers

Let me give you one example that I personally experienced that overcomes all of these.

A friend of mine took me out to dinner at a restaurant in a town I’ll call Oakville. While at dinner, my friend Tim, asked me about my ministry – how to pray with people, when to pray, what to pray, etcetera. I explained it’s very situational and really depends upon the circumstances and what the person needs in their life.

Just then, the waitress came with the check. I asked her what her name was, and she said “Susan”. I said “Susan, my name is John and I’m a Christian and I try to make it a habit to pray for my wait staff. Is there anything I can pray for you for?” She began to get misty and said, “Oh my gosh. Nobody’s ever asked me that before.” I said “Well, I’m asking you now.” She said slowly “My house burned down in the spring. It was a total loss and we were homeless. The good news is, the insurance company cut a check within days and we found a builder who had a gap in the schedule who could rebuild our house.” She continued “The work is done but I can’t move in until the permits are signed off. They completed all the needed inspections, and I’ve called the permit office but nobody calls me back. I really need these permits signed so I can move in. It’s getting cold and my family’s been out of a house for a few months and the new house is just sitting there, but I can’t move in because of the permits. I just need help with permits.”

At this point, my friend, Tim asked her what city she lived in. “Pineville” she responded. “My name is Tim Wilson and I’m the deputy building inspector for city of Pineville. How can I help you?” At this point Susan fell apart in tears. Tim wrote down his number and name and handed it to her and said “Here’s my number. Call me, and if it’s just a signature that is needed, we’ll have you in by this weekend. ” Susan went away in a mess of tears. Tim took the bill and, hovering over the tip amount, wrote in $100. I laughed, and I said “Tim, you’re gonna kill her.” He said “It sounds like she needs it more than I do.”

See how easy that was? And it overcame all of the initial objections:

• I’m shy: you already engaged in talking with the person.

• I don’t know the person I’m talking to: you just met, introduce yourself.

• I’m not knowledgeable enough about the Bible: the Bible didn’t even come up in the conversation.

• I don’t like to talk to strangers: a waiter or waitress isn’t a stranger.

This was a super simple evangelization experience. We identified ourselves as Christians, took an interest in her predicament, and let God do the rest.