“The Cathedral Protects Us!” – Winchester Evangelism
Due to a change of schedule, I found myself in Winchester today for an outreach. The event was organised somewhat last minute, so I am very thankful to the three others who came out to help.
Even though some form of Christianity has been in Winchester since AD 648 (though some say churches have existed here since AD 164), this ancient city is very much in need of the gospel. Like those in Jerusalem of old, many in this city think they are right with God due to external religious signs, but sadly, their hearts are far from Jesus.
As the wind blew along the high street and people rushed by, we set up our literature table and open-air board. Soon, people were pausing at the table to browse what was on offer, and some were taking copies of God’s Word. One man who stopped at the table told me he was struggling to understand what God as a Father is like, so I gave him a booklet explaining the love of God from the parable of the Prodigal Son. It was encouraging to have someone stop to ask such an important question.
I was the only preacher for the day, so I decided to space out my open-air messages. For my first talk, I preached on “Lessons from the Boomerang”. Before I could get too far into my sermon, a man who was under the influence of alcohol decided to invade my personal space and heckle. This man claimed to be a Christian and was indignant that I would preach in this ancient Christian city. He gestured towards Winchester Cathedral, stating, “The Cathedral protects us! We are all right with God because of the Cathedral.” I countered by pointing out that religious buildings did nothing to save people, which left the man stunned.
The man insisted that religion was our protection, and that the people of Winchester weren’t sinners because of the Cathedral. I answered him by referencing Luke 18:9-14; this passage allowed me to share how religion cannot save, and that salvation is all of God’s grace and mercy. I also pointed out that Jesus preached in the shadow of the Temple in Jerusalem, because no building can protect anyone.
The back and forth did draw a few people in to listen, including one man who identified as a ‘cultural Christian’. After I had finished preaching, this man came up to talk. He said he had gone through the atheist stage but could now see that the West needs Christianity to survive. However, due to the interaction I had just had with the heckler, he could see that cultural Christianity wasn’t enough. The man was wrestling with what to do with the Lord Jesus. He took a Gospel of John and said he realised that it was all or nothing with Jesus. We had a very good chat, and he took some material and directions to a local church.
Over at the literature table, I chatted with a Roman Catholic lady who told me she was seeking truth. I was able to share the gospel with her, and using the story of the Prodigal Son, I spoke about God’s rescue of sinners. She took a book and a New Testament.
To finish the outreach, I preached once more. This time I spoke on the “Good Person Test”. There was very little interaction. Despite that, team members were busy handing out tracts and chatting to people.
I hadn’t planned to be in Winchester today, but the Lord ordained the outreach. 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.
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