All over Sydney Christian women are laying sweet-trails that lead their friends to the Gospel.
An innovative evangelistic program is encouraging women to invite friends to a craft day for constructing and decorating a gingerbread house.
At the end the women leave with a wonderful Christmas centrepiece and a word on the reason behind the season.
Church groups are using this creative opportunity to present a short message about the Jesus who gives meaning to the end of year celebrations.
The program has proved immensely attractive to many non-Christian women who might otherwise have resisted invitations to more traditional evangelistic events.
Engadine Anglican has been using the Gingerbread House as a "Trojan Horse' for four years.
This year members will be catering for 350 women over four events.
Organisers say television stations aren't the only ones using craft to connect with creative minds.
One woman, in no way connected to the church, rang the office asking if she could buy 16 tickets for her and her friends.
Gingerbread evangelism is an event master-minded by Lesley Ramsay from Evangelism Ministries.
She says laying down a trail of sweets to the local church has the potential to attract a large number of craft-oriented women, but the event has to be thought through carefully.
"We need to acknowledge that as far as the non-Christian women are concerned, the reason they have come is to make the gingerbread house and the talk is, at best, interesting but secondary, at worst, an irritation to endure," she says.
"But we also need to remember they are in a place where they are hearing the gospel, and God’s spirit is the one who opens blind eyes."
The other key factor is encouraging Christian women to participate in the evangelism rather than simply hand over their key contacts.
"The relationship between the Christian and her friend is vital. She needs to be trained and encouraged in how to continue the conversation about Jesus with her friend, Mrs Ramsay says.
Groups interested in running a Gingerbread House Evangelism program can contact Lesley Ramsay at Evangelism Ministries.
