Years later, Pete is now a full-time chap- lain and works for a hospice in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He is involved in leadership at his church, preaches, and teaches. Pete and his wife raised five children; two of them attended the Bible Institute, and one is attending this fall. Looking back on his life, Pete sees God’s sovereign hand in every area, from raising his family to love the Lord to his ministry efforts to seeing his own life progressively sanctified. The Holy Spirit began working in Pete’s heart all those years ago when he called out to God with a simple prayer. Little did he know that prayer was just the beginning! God placed ordinary people in his path to offer a free cup of coffee and news that would change his life forever. That day, God made Himself real to a man who wanted to believe that He was. From a not-by-chance encounter on a cold December day to a life dedicated to serving God, Pete's story shows just how much God wants to save His people and how desperately He wants to use us to do it. Few things are more beautiful in a life spent following Jesus than seeing God use the investment of time, energy, and resources to make an impact in a lost world. That investment could start with something as simple as serving free coffee.
Sam Frey’s journey into this unique form of ministry began during his senior year of college when he traveled to New York City. There, he witnessed a group of evangelists passionately sharing the gospel in the South Bronx in December. Through this experience, Sam was struck with the realization that many people in his own country had never truly heard the gospel. For Sam, that was the moment God called him to this ministry. He realized that while he might not have been natu- rally inclined to stand on street corners and preach, the need for people to hear the gospel was too great to ignore. His introverted nature had to take a back seat to the urgency of the mission. As Sam describes it, "I don't have the luxury of fulfilling my natural personality because there's a job to be done, and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world." This conviction has kept Sam engaged in open-air evangelism for decades, driven by the belief that the message of Christ must be shared, no matter the cost or the personal discomfort. This encounter with Sam was pivotal for Pete, as it not only introduced him to a new way of thinking about evan- gelism but also connected him to the very ministry that would shape his own journey of faith. Sam's dedication and the tangible impact of open-air evange- lism became a significant part of Pete's spiritual formation, eventually leading him to a life dedicated to ministry and service.
a conversation about Christ and Christmas. Eventually, she asked if he had a personal relationship with Jesus, and Pete confessed that he did not. He then walked over to listen to the presentation by Sam Frey from Open Air Campaigners and another man named Aaron. Pete listened so care- fully; he was struck by their zeal. He thought to himself, “It’s freezing cold out here; what could possibly be so important about this?” In the cold, bitter air, the woman's question about a personal relationship with Jesus reso- nated deeply with him.
He realized his prayer was being answered.
Pete started attending the church and got involved in its activities. The pastor, who was connected with Word of Life, introduced him to The Island, Word of Life New York’s teen summer camp. That summer, he attended the camp, where he encountered a type of enthusiasm for knowing Jesus that he had never seen before. This ignited a spark in him, and he decided to attend the Bible Institute in September 1997. In September, Pete and his friend, Bill Brown, embarked on this new crazy adventure in Pete’s Volkswagen Rabbit. He stayed in Turkey Dorm and became the photographer for the year- book. That summer, he spent time with Open-Air Campaigners at the Jersey shore and New York City with Sam Frey and other Word of Life guys – the very same ministry that brought him to Christ.
After meeting Sam and Bill, a woman from the group engaged Pete in
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