Freezing for the Gospel! – Portsmouth Evangelism
Coming from the hot country of Australia, I have found that over the past four years of living in the UK, my tolerance for cold weather has increased, but I still found today freezing! According to my weather app, the ‘feels like’ temperature in Portsmouth was -5’C (23’F) during the outreach. It was bitterly cold, which caused the normally busy city centre to be quiet. Despite the sunny and clear conditions, not many people were around, and those who braved the cold were rushing to find warmth – this made evangelism difficult.
Yet, despite the cold weather, the gospel continued to spread. The free Bible and literature table proved to be busy, with people pausing briefly to browse material, pick up a booklet, and then continue on their way. One of the first people I spoke with at the table was a Bangladeshi man who worked for a food delivery company. He was intrigued by the message of Jesus, so he took a copy of the New Testament and a tract.
After handing out gospel leaflets for a while, Roger decided to preach. He spoke on “How Can I Know God is Real?” The seats next to our preaching location are usually full of people who listen to the preaching, but today no one was there. The only interaction Roger had was when an older man got aggressively close and began to curse.
Over at the literature table, Jean was in a conversation with a lady who stopped to ask for prayer. I was brought into the discussion as the lady was confused theologically due to the influence of the cults. I shared with her the differences between the Bible and what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach – the lady thanked Jean and me. She took a Bible, plus a couple of apologetic booklets; we also pointed her towards a good gospel church.
When I preached, the city centre was still quiet, even though it was now lunchtime. Three Christians from a local evangelical church stopped to listen. One of them was encouraged to the point where she asked for tracts so she could share the gospel with the lost. It was worth being out in the cold to see another labourer raised up!
The rest of the outreach was limited, but we did chat with a few people. Roger spoke with a student from Saudi Arabia, who ended up taking a copy of John’s Gospel in both English and Arabic. I also chatted with a Polish man who was amazed that we would give away free material. He took a Gospel of John in his language.
Chilled to the bone, we packed down the outreach and headed home. Despite the coldness of the weather, the warmth of God’s love spread in this seaside city. Please pray for all those we encountered.
SDG!
__________________
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