“I’ve Lost My Faith!” – Southampton Outreach

It was a lovely, warm day in Southampton. With the Easter holidays upon us, the city centre was a little busier than usual. We were slightly delayed in starting the outreach as I had some issues with my board (repairs are needed). After a little while, we managed to get it sorted so that the preaching could commence.

Mike Mellor began the preaching with a message titled “Where Are They Now?” A few people paused to listen, and Mike was able to have a long chat with one person afterwards.

Over at the literature table, a lady I had spoken with previously stopped by. She called me over and said, “I’ve lost my faith!” I remembered our earlier conversation — she had been going through several struggles, and those battles were clearly continuing. I was able to share with her, and she took several gospel booklets. She then asked if I could pray for her; after the prayer, she gave me a hug and walked away, only to return a few minutes later with a cold drink as a gift.

Around this time, Ben began preaching on “Who Can You Trust?” A few people stopped to listen, including a Roman Catholic man who took a tract from me. That man later came back to have a longer conversation with Ben.

Next to preach was Jeremy, who spoke on John 3:16. He did a good job, even though at the very beginning a man came in very close, asked questions, and expressed disagreement. Jeremy handled the situation well, gently pointing him to the gospel.

Then it was my turn to preach, and I spoke on “The Origins of Evil.” A few people paused to listen here and there, but there wasn’t much engagement overall. One man walked past shouting out his particular sin, so I assured him that Christ could set him free. I hope he goes home and reflects on the rescue Jesus offers.

The final open-air of the day was by Richard, who preached on “Life: What’s the Point?” He proclaimed the good news and called on people to come to know the Saviour.

Throughout the outreach, I felt a bit distracted and tired — it’s been a long week — but I was encouraged to see team members engaging in numerous conversations and the literature table staying busy. May the Lord save many as a result of today’s gospel efforts.

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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