Eastbourne Outreach – Day 5
It was the final day of The Open-Air Mission team event in Eastbourne. It has been a busy and tiring week, but there was still one more outreach to do. Today was the hottest day of the week, but the Lord provided a nice shaded area for us to preach.
The outreach this afternoon was also the shortest outreach of the week; in the time we were out on the streets, many people were spoken to by team members. As with other team event reports, I can’t tell the stories of their encounters; I can only share a few of my own.
As soon as we arrived, a man stopped to look at the open-air board. He began to tell both me and Pastor Tom Allen of Eastbourne Grace Baptist Church that he likes Jesus, as both his grandfather and father were pastors. The man seemed to be under the influence of something, but he was friendly, so I asked, “What do you believe about Jesus?” No matter what I said, the man kept pointing back to his family line as the basis of his justification. He did take a tract before leaving us.
Another man I spoke with identified himself as an ‘old communist’ who denied God’s existence but is currently reconsidering his position. He wasn’t prepared to take any material from me, but we had a very friendly conversation. Surprisingly, it was the issue of death and suffering that made him reconsider his atheistic views.
I only got to preach once today, which I am thankful for, as my voice is getting a little sore. I preached on “How Can You Be Sure You’ll Go to Heaven?” A few people stood to listen, and one heckler yelled out that I am ‘mentally unstable.’ There wasn’t too much engagement, but still the gospel spread.
The biggest highlight of the day was hearing local pastors and church members express how encouraged they were by the past week of outreach. One of our main desires for this week of ministry was to help encourage and motivate local Christians to take the gospel into the streets. That goal seems to have been achieved.
As we leave Eastbourne, we do so very tired, but also very thankful for all the Lord has done. Please spend a few moments praying for all those who heard, and for the local churches in this community.
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.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES