Man Spends Every Friday Sharing Gospel on Main Street

Proud of this brother for his consistent stand for Jesus. It's a blessing to see soldiers of the cross, in small towns, getting the gospel out in the public arena. To God, be the GLORY!

The reprinted article below was published by The Greenville Sun newspaper on September 1, 2023, and was written by Staff Writer Amy Rose.

On any given Friday afternoon, you can find William Travis standing on Main Street, waving to cars as they drive by.

He will be holding a sign about the Bible in his effort to share the gospel through “street preaching” to motorists and pedestrians. Travis, an Independent Baptist and automotive painter of Mosheim, has been sharing his message almost every Friday in Downtown Greeneville for at least three years.

He describes himself as a “Bible-believing Christian” who says sharing his faith with the public is the most Biblical form of evangelism.

This method is modeled after the work of Jesus, who spoke in places of worship, but also spoke openly with his disciples and in public places, he explained.

But Travis does not compare himself to Jesus at all. In fact, he humbly debated whether to agree to be interviewed for this article.

“I’m nothing special; I’m just doing it for His glory,” he said.

Travis referenced Scripture in the book of Acts that tells of Jesus’s ascension. Before he left his disciples, he told them to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.

He also referenced The Great Commission in the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus says to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

The message he tries to share is that Christ came and died for our sins and made a way for salvation, and if we trust in Him, He will save us, he explained.

Travis first started his work on a street corner near the Greene County Courthouse. This location allowed him to interact with a large number of pedestrians.

When work began on Depot Street, he moved to the intersection of Main and Spencer streets, and his audience includes more motorists both along Main Street and coming up the hill from Tusculum Boulevard.

His has a collection of signs, many of them in bright colors, that have messages like: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” “Jesus said ye must be born again. Are you?” “Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” “By faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!” and “JESUS CHRIST - Your best choice.”

Some people choose to share negative greetings, but he doesn’t mind, noting that those are the people he needs to reach the most.

Travis tries to get downtown by 5 p.m. each Friday, unless he has to work over or has a church meeting to attend.

He will stand on the sidewalk in rain or snow, but not thunderstorms. Sometimes he has family or friends with him, but normally he works alone.

Travis said he might become a church pastor some day, but he plans to continue doing what he is called to do.

“As long as I’m doing that, I think He’s going to put me where He wants me to be,” he said.

He encourages other believers to find their place to share the gospel with the public. “I shouldn’t be the only one there,” he said.