He Wanted to Hit Me, but Heard the Gospel - Southampton Outreach
Hot and still. That is the only way to describe the city centre of Southampton; the drought and hot weather drag on. Due to the weather, the city was quieter than usual. The footfall was right down, and those who were present weren’t overly keen to stop to listen to preaching or engage in conversation. However, many were happy to take tracts and other pieces of literature.
The outreach commenced before any of us even arrived in Above Bar Street. While travelling into the city on the train, Colin managed to get into a conversation with a Muslim from Bangladesh, who was very friendly and open to hearing the good news. The Muslim gladly received gospel material, including a booklet designed for those in Islam. Evangelism isn’t just about the set outreach; it should be a daily way of life!
As we set up for the outreach, I had an odd and hostile encounter. While we were setting up the literature table, a man stopped to talk. At first, he seemed friendly, and we spoke about different things. He claimed atheism. If God was real, he would expect to find a label on creation saying, “Made by God.” I asked him how he believed things came into existence, to which he replied, “Evolution.” I asked, “Have you ever found a label on creation saying, ‘Made by Evolution?’” He conceded the point. Around this time, he decided to hit my hat, which I was wearing. I stepped back and told him I’d prefer he didn’t do that again. The man said, “I’m just joking,” then kept talking.
We continued to talk, then the man said, “I am so angry, I want to hit you, but you’re bigger than me, so I can’t!” He also began to curse God, and I noticed his body position shift as he began to square up to me. I responded by slightly moving to the side, so I could counter anything that came my way. At that point, the man swung his right arm at my head. His move was slow, so I was able to block him. He immediately swung his left arm, again slowly, so I blocked it again. I then told him to step back, which he did. Thankfully, a couple of team members moved in closer at this time.
The man then apologised and kept talking. I accepted his apology and shared the gospel with him. He then walked off. It was a strange and hostile encounter.
While this was happening, Jeremy was busy speaking with an older man, who says he isn’t interested in God. Yet nearly weekly, he’ll come to talk and listen to the preaching. While Jeremy shared with him, a man sitting nearby overheard the conversation and asked for gospel material for himself and his children.
It was now time for the preaching to start. Colin was up first. He preached from Mark 8:36-37 and used football and Christian football players as an illustration. One of those who listened took a Gospel of John.
When it was time for me to preach, I spoke on “The Message of the Cross.” It was hard going in the heat, and there was little engagement. One person did receive a John’s Gospel at the end.
The final preacher of the day was Jeremy, who did an excellent job preaching from John 3:16.
It was a harder day, but that was expected in the heat. Please pray for all those who heard the good news to come to repentance and faith.
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