The Interlink Young Adult Ministry, Inc., network descended upon downtown Atlanta, Georgia, with hopes of evangelizing to the 1 million people who arrived in Atlanta for the global 2026 FIFA World Cup games.
“We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to tell a dying world that God loves them,” said Racquel Richards, attorney and founder and director of the Interlink Young Adult Ministry, Inc.
More than 100 young professionals participated in this at the World Cup on June 27. Support came from the local church to the General Conference (GC). During the planning process, the local pastor and elders from Duluth, Georgia, Church provided advice and guidance on how to safely execute this plan.
The Georgia-Cumberland Conference Evangelism Department provided QR codes for Bible study interests and sponsorship. The Southern Union Publishing Department provided 100,000 tracks to distribute, as well as Marta train cards to ride into the city for ministry outreach. Additionally, the GC world youth director sent videos of encouragement and sponsorship to support the effort.
The evanglism attendees shared at several locations for outreach: Mercedes Benz Stadium, Underground Atlanta, Five Points Marta Station, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Beltline. Once each group arrived at their location, they distributed tracks, water, and clothing. The young professionals conducted street preaching on the street corners of downtown Atlanta as people approached them with testimonies of suicidal ideation and self harm. Hands were laid on passersby and prayers were provided.
Later, the network arrived back at the LifeSpace Center, a local Adventist wellness center, to share testimonies. The energy was high and the testimonies were given with such passion by various evangelism leaders and volunteers.
“There was this man there that I shared tracks with. He said, ‘Wow, thank you so much.’ He wanted better health, because last Monday he had a heart attack. ‘I’ve really been looking for a church to connect with … to find community.’ I prayed with him and it was really touching,” said Preston McDonald, volunteer.
Another evangelism volunteer, Ike Moore, shared, “Two Mormons approached us on the train platform. After praying with them and giving tracks, three minutes later they were gone. I can’t tell if there was some conviction going on … but the message I want to share is, don’t write Atlanta off. There are some souls here, there are people here, and the more we come out here, the more opportunity there is for Jesus to call his children home.”
Kody Fly, Underground Atlanta outreach leader, explained, “After I handed the gentleman a GLOW tract entitled the ‘Promise of Peace,’ the FIFA attendee shared his testimony of murder on the streets of downtown Atlanta. He said that he had taken other people’s lives, and he told me very bluntly about that. He read the entire pack of tracts cover to cover in one sitting and decided to accept the invitation to receive Bible studies for baptism.” “I need this in my life. This has given me a different picture of who Jesus is,” shared the FIFA attendee.
One of Interlink’s leaders gave his observation of the event at its conclusion: “We saw this in Atlanta, with flags from every corner of the world, strangers embracing over a single goal. It was a glimpse of something bigger. As Revelation tells us, every nation and tongue will stand together before the Lamb, and so we went to evangelize because we had to feed the flock and share the Gospel. Where the world gathers, the Church should show up. We brought Scripture, music, and joy, not to perform, but to prepare hearts for the One who made them,” said Damani Gordon, Interlink communications coordinator.
Interlink will conduct additional young adult evangelism outreach during their “Patience in the Waiting Room” Young Professionals Conference in Atlanta, October 24, 2026. The GC world youth director will be in attendance. Interlink leaders look forward to seeing how the Lord will use their young professionals/young adult network to complete His work. For details, see http://www.interlinkyoungadultministry.org/events/patience-in-the-waiting-room.
Racquel Richards is the founder of Interlink Young Adult Ministry, Inc.
Georgia-Cumberland | October 2026
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