One Link in the Chain – Winchester Evangelism

The Open-Air Mission has a long history in Winchester. From our earliest days, we have had a presence in this ancient city. Times have certainly changed—no longer do we preach at public executions—but we still proclaim the gospel in the city centre. Over the years, the good news has been shared in many forms, and no doubt, people have been saved.

Today, we continued in the gospel tradition of preaching Jesus in the open air. The cold and grey day made it more challenging, but still, people heard the wonderful news of salvation.

Shortly after setting up, a young man stopped at the literature table. He told me he was greatly alarmed by the rise of Islam and wondered how it could be stopped. This concern had led him to consider Christianity. We had a good conversation and, in the end, he took a few gospel booklets and a New Testament.

After handing out tracts for a time, I decided to preach on “Hope for a Broken World.” There was little engagement, though one man defiantly shoved his fingers in his ears as he passed me. I warned him that doing so would not change the truth—that he would one day have to face God on Judgement Day. A couple of listeners later made their way to the table, where they received literature. A local Christian lady also expressed how encouraged she was by the gospel proclamation.

It would be easy to feel discouraged by the hardness of hearts, but I take comfort in knowing that the Lord will accomplish His will. Even in hard ground, He works in ways we cannot see or understand. All we are called to do is faithfully proclaim the truth.

As the outreach continued, we caught a glimpse of what the Lord is doing. A gentleman stopped at the table to talk. He told me he was Church of England by birth but not a churchgoer. However, his neighbour had been speaking to him about Jesus and had invited him to a men’s Bible study. This had prompted him to think more about Christ. We had a good gospel conversation, and he took some literature and a New Testament. The Lord had already begun working in this man’s life before he met us, and we were simply one link in the chain.

For the rest of the outreach, we continued handing out tracts and seeking to engage people in conversation. Even as people hurried past, I noticed many of them reading the Scripture verse on the open-air board. Silently, the truth was being proclaimed:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Throughout the day, we were also encouraged by numerous Christians who stopped to chat with us. They were excited about the outreach and asked how they could better reach their friends. We gladly provided resources and pray that the Lord will use them to reach even more people for Jesus.

Please pray for all those we encountered today.

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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