A different sort of evangelism in Atlanta

They hit hard, hit fast and were gone long before the Mall of Georgia’s shopkeepers rolled down their gates and called it a night.Jason and Marie Bunzey cased out a shopper at a candy store. Melissa Humphries found her target at Starbucks. Carter and Emily McInnis braced a guy at Chick-fil-A.

Each time, they exchanged smiles with their chosen stranger. Money flashed. A card slipped from one hand to the other.

And then they were gone, lost in the building crowd of Thursday night shoppers. Each time, they left people wondering: Who were they?

They committed no crimes, the Bunzeys, Humphries and McInnises. They’re not shoplifters, nor con artists.

They’re missionaries, members of Lawrenceville’s United Methodist Church of the Way. Armed with $100 in $5 bills, they hit the mall with the simplest of intentions — to reach out to strangers and perhaps get them in church.

In each encounter, the church members found strangers and bought them something — coffee, pretzels, a sandwich with fries. Every time, they gave their new friends a card with the message: "God Loves You!" The card’s flip side gave the church’s address, hours of worship and Web site.