Non-Stop Gospel – Southampton Evangelism
Today was extremely busy in Southampton. From the time we arrived right until packing down the outreach, we were engaged in gospel ministry. As soon as the literature table had been set up, Nigel found himself surrounded by people wanting to talk and take material. Before too long, many were gladly receiving copies of the Bible and taking literature that answers their questions and presents the gospel.
Colin was our first preacher of the day; he spoke well on the importance of people encountering the Lord Jesus. As he explained the gospel, some listened while others headed over to the literature table to take material.
One lady who came to the literature table was a lifelong Roman Catholic. She told me she was doubting and questioning, so I was able to share the gospel with her. She gladly received a Bible and booklets to help her in her search for truth.
As soon as that conversation finished, three Nigerian young ladies who are studying at the university stopped to talk. They told me they had been Christians from birth, but they didn’t have a Bible nor attend church. Sadly, they shared that since coming to England, they had visited a few churches but didn’t feel overly welcome because of their skin colour and their age. Many churches lack young people, so they weren’t sure what to do with these three students.
I was able to share the good news with them, and they all gladly took Bibles. I also pointed them to an evangelical church near where they live that has a strong ministry to university students.
As I spoke to people at the literature table, Richard was busy preaching on “The Power of Words.” One man who listened to the whole message later said he normally ignores preachers, but today he felt compelled to stop and listen.
Back at the literature table, a young man who is about to join the Royal Marines stopped to talk. He shared his concerns and questions about the Bible. I did my best to answer and to point him to Jesus. He took a copy of the New Testament.
Next, Mike was busy preaching on “Where Are They Now?” I didn’t get to hear his message, as a man approached me to say he had heard me preach in Reading. He recalled my message and wanted to chat. For those who may not be familiar with the geography of southern England, Reading is about 80 minutes from Southampton.
The man was friendly and listened again to the gospel. You never know who is listening to an open-air meeting, nor when you may get a chance to follow up!
Throughout the day, team members had lots of conversations. One encouragement was seeing Muslim students from Saudi Arabia coming back to talk with Colin. One of them had previously spoken to him about two weeks ago, and this time he brought his mates. All took tracts and booklets for Muslims.
I finished the outreach by preaching on “Why Christianity?” My purpose was to challenge people on why they should consider Christianity and why they should become Christians. One man at the end took a copy of John’s Gospel.
It was a day of non-stop gospel ministry in Southampton. Please pray for all those who heard the good news.
SDG!
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Josh Williamson is a full-time evangelist with The Open-Air Mission. Since 1853, OAM has been sharing the good news on the streets of the United Kingdom. To stay updated about the work of the Mission, please sign up for the free quarterly magazine and monthly prayer notes.
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