A Hot Day for the Gospel – Southampton Evangelism
The heatwave has continued in southern England, with Southampton remaining quite warm. With no clouds in the sky and the mercury rising, many people were out in the city enjoying the good weather. The only challenge we faced was that, when it is hot, people are less likely to stand around to listen to preaching or chat about the gospel. Still, despite the heat, some heard the good news.
The outreach began with encouragement, as a young lady from Portugal shared with us that she is a busker who was recently converted to Christ. She attends a local church and desires to use her gifts to spread the gospel. We were able to give her materials to help her in evangelism.
I wasn’t feeling 100% as I began to preach on “Steps to Peace with God”. I found it hard to speak, and there were few interactions; however, two people did take copies of John’s Gospel at the end of the message.
Next to preach was Mike Mellor, who spoke on “Symptoms”. In this message, he showed the fruit of what happens when we reject Christ. A young lady listened to his message and then took a copy of John’s Gospel. After the message, she had a conversation with Mike. Another man who listened also took a Gospel, telling me that the message had touched and challenged him.
One encouragement from today was seeing numerous people sitting around in the shade or in nearby cafés reading our gospel tracts. These little paper missionaries are able to reach locations we cannot go, presenting the gospel in an easy-to-understand manner. If you don’t use tracts, let me encourage you to get some and begin engaging in literature evangelism (click here to find out where to get gospel material).
Next up to preach was Ben, who used the different comments people make to us as a launch pad for sharing the gospel. He did a good job addressing the various arguments people raise and then pointing them to Jesus. One man, who had just been released from prison, objected to the message and angrily heckled. He calmed down after having a cold drink and apologised, then had a long conversation with Ben.
It was then Richard’s turn to preach. Using his well-known message, “Life: What’s the Point?”, he challenged people to consider Christ. A young couple sitting in the shade listened and then had a long conversation with Richard afterwards.
Jeremy was the final preacher of the day. He did well in explaining the message of the cross and calling on people to come to know Jesus.
Overall, I think today was slower than usual, but people still heard the good news explained to them. Please pray for all those who listened.
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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