The Final Outreach for 2023 – Southampton Evangelism
Let me begin by saying how thankful I am for the evangelism team in Southampton. I was nursing a back injury today, but all of them were helpful to make up for my physical shortcomings. I am truly thankful for these brothers.
Being injured did make things challenging, but the Lord was very gracious. Amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy Christmas season, the good news of the Lord Jesus went out via tracts, literature, preaching and personal witnessing.
Tony Dancer commenced the preaching by speaking on “Name that Carol.” I have a similar talk, but Tony’s message was different – plus he sang! It was good to hear him read the Scripture and then explain the good news of salvation.
As Tony finished preaching, I found myself in discussion with a lady at the free Bible table. She was interested in Christian things and had many questions. I shared the gospel with her and gave her a Bible. Before leaving, she also spoke with Mike Mellor. She told Mike that she needed to come to a point of commitment to the Lord Jesus. Mike was able to direct her to a local church.
When it came to my turn to preach, I wanted to stick with a Christmas theme, so I spoke on “What’s in a Name?” In this message, I examine two of the names of Jesus to show His identity and mission. The Lord was kind enough to gather a few people in to listen, and then at the end, three took copies of John’s Gospel. Two of those who listened then had a long conversation with Richard.
As team members shared the gospel, I found myself near the free Bible table. There I chatted to an Egyptian lady born into the Coptic Orthodox religion. She shared her story, and then explained that she wanted to understand Christianity for herself. She took a couple of booklets, and we were able to have a nice chat.
Mike was the next to preach. As he shared the gospel, two young men listened and engaged him further in conversation. It is always encouraging to see people want to discover more about Christ after hearing the preaching.
As a team, we were overflowing with preachers. As the outreach continued, Ben, Tony, Richard, and I preached in the open air. Reactions varied from hecklers yelling abuse to others listening to the gospel. One sweet moment was when a mother walking past paused to explain to her young daughter, that we were talking about Jesus and how all people need the Saviour.
I am so thankful we had the opportunity to explain the good news of Jesus to the people of Southampton. This was our last outreach for the year; looking back on 2023, I see that the Lord has done many wonderful things. Please pray for all those who heard the good news this year.
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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In common with many evangelistic reports, we have changed the names and some of the photographs to protect the anonymity of those mentioned.