What Is This About Anyway?

We’ve all been warned to be drinking at least a liter of water per day. Who would have guessed 20 years ago that people would actually pay money for water in a plastic bottle? Today, it is the most popular beverage purchased. Everyone of every age will take a free bottle of water. These points all make free bottles of water a perfect starting place for Servant Evangelism.

Why Give Away Bottles of Water?

– Inexpensive.
– If you shop at Costco or Sam’s Club, you can find bottles of
water for about 9 cents per bottle, bought in a 24-bottle case.
– Feeding into a need.
– Every day, in any weather condition, people want a bottle of water.
– International.
– Everywhere you go, people want a bottle of water.

So What Can Go Wrong?

Servers Getting in the Way of Traffic.

It is imperative that this not happen at any point. The safety issue is not really the number one point. An accident is unlikely, though obviously, we need to have common sense. The larger point here is the danger of ticking off local police. If that happens, you will possibly lose a fantastic location that could serve you in the future. A great location can serve you
amazingly well. One great location can be used to reach 10,000 people in 90 minutes – it has been done! (Those numbers are absolutely accurate for the incredulous.)

Misplacing Eager Children.

Children are fantastic at Servant Evangelism and can be involved in nearly any serving project. This one, in particular, works well with children… with the huge exception of children doing anything that involves them coming anywhere near traffic. A passing police person who even sees children under about ten years old will quite possibly stop in his / her tracks and shut down the whole operation. Kids can be a part of it, but if you are handing out water at a traffic intersection, make sure their roles keep them well clear of the cars.

Over-complicating Things.

As with most team projects, this can be easily over-complicated. Keep in mind, no matter what else you are doing, you are modeling to others in your city the ease of this project
and others like it. You are being watched. You are leading the way for others.

The beauty of giving away bottles of water is:

• Everyone likes water;
• There are only three moving parts – the person smiling who
serves others with the water, the bottle and an explanatory, well-written, graphically strong connect card, and;
• If someone drops a bottle of water, nothing will explode upon
opening like a carbonated drink.

Surprising “No Big Deals.”

Water Doesn’t Need to Be Cold. Really, it doesn’t. In fact, when you’ve got water bottles in a big tub of ice, you are keeping it cool, but you are also keeping it wet and messy. It is far better to hand over a dry, easy-to-handle, easy-to-store bottle of water than one you’ve been keeping on ice.

Custom Bottle Labels Are Not All They Are Cracked Up To Be.

Amazingly, people around the world send me pictures or even their empty bottles showing me their custom labels. Some of these labels are beyond clever. When people go beyond clever, we are prone to go to the only possible next thing available – the ridiculous. I have seen many such labels! Truthfully, even the well-designed ones are likely not worth the cost and effort. Custom labels are expensive. Such labels are always – read this twice – they are always read momentarily, then thrown in the trash. The entire point of a connect card is to allow people to connect the dots to what we are doing – to have a place to turn when their lives are at a point of need… a “First Call” offer to the community. That’s how you want to be known in known in your city.