A Quiet and Windy Day in Salisbury
Open-air evangelism brings all kinds of challenges. Some days, we have great success in that many people hear the Good News, and some respond to the gospel call. On other days, like today, we find city centres to be quiet, with those who are present not always being the most willing to listen and engage.
I’ve told many people who want to get involved with open-air evangelism that if they expect the Billy Graham crusade-style responses, then they’re in the wrong game. This ministry is often about the ones and twos. It is the hard work of being at the coalface, seeking out the people whom the Lord is working on.
Due to the wind, the city wasn’t busy. It also made things challenging for the literature table. We decided that we’d only put out the heavier books today instead of all our normal material. This wasn’t ideal, but it did allow people to access at least some material.
Paul was the first preacher of the day. He spoke on “Bridging the Gap”. A team member told me there were a couple of people listening nearby, including one man who filmed for a little while. Paul did a good job of clearly explaining the Good News.
After the open-air, Nick managed to have a good conversation with a young man who ended up receiving a Bible.
When it came time for me to preach, I spoke on “The Way to Heaven”. At the end of the message, two people received copies of John’s Gospel. One of those who responded to the gospel offer stood reading his copy while he waited for his wife. When she returned, she wasn’t impressed that he was reading Scripture. She demanded that he throw it away, as he didn’t need “Jesus”. The man refused and kept the Gospel.
Paul preached the final message of the day. This time, he spoke on “Life… What’s the Point?” He did a great job of explaining that if there is no God, then we can live as we please. One young man listened to the message and then responded to the offer of a copy of John’s Gospel.
It truly was a day of ones and twos. Little by little, the Kingdom of Christ is spreading. 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.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES