Street Evangelism

Rob bell, creator of the Nooma DVD series, made a Nooma DVD called 'Bullhorn', in which he talks about street evangelism. He looks at a guy with a Bible in hand who is preaching on a busy street, shouting into a big bullhorn (which I believe is American for megaphone). He questions whether this is the best form of evangelism if indeed it is right at all.

Today I was in Manchester city centre with three friends, two of whom are Christians, one of whom is not. We walked past three street evangelists today. One was especially loud, and it was interesting to observe that all four of us put our heads down and walked past him as quickly as we could. I agree with everything he was saying. I know that as Christians we have a gospel to proclaim, that we can do this in many ways, and also that, for some, street evangelism works. I can't help but cringe though. I admire those who do it, and have done aspects of it myself albeit in a much more reserved and personal way instead of booming out a 'turn or burn' kind of message. But it made me cringe and I didn't appreciate the way he was telling people how to live in such a forceful way. Still, if it works, who am I to judge? And to be honest, if God called me to do that, I would like to believe both that He would change me views on it and also that I would do it, despite the issues I have with it now.

One thing we noted was that the second time we passed this particular guy, probably about two hours or more after the first time, he was still shouting out, and yet still no one was listening to him in any obvious way. We flew past him like the rest of the crowd, only to find ourselves attatched to another crowd, very lemming-like, stopping to watch five people dance. I admire the kind of dancing they were doing, which I would describe as contemporary-meets-breakdancing, though I know nothing about dancing so don't take my word for this description. It looked good though. But their dancing didn't have any obvious relevance to anything, yet loads of people were stood there just watching them. The street evangelist, on the other hand, was belting out a message that could change people's lives, yet they seemed more interested in being entertained. Perhaps it was because the dancers didn't challenge them in any way. Jesus, however, may not have danced around on streets in front of crowds. He did among other things teach them though, turn water into wine for them, feed 5,000 with a small amount of food, heal countless of them and even give his life for them. Even the crowds today, who didn't seem interested in hearing the preacher-Jesus died for them. He gave his life as a ransom to God for every mistake they have ever and will ever make. He made things right for them because they can't do that by themselves. None of us can. And when Jesus rose from the grave three days later, he defeated our mistakes. He defeated death! Meaning that anyone who believes he has done this for them, says sorry ('repents') for their mistakes (which he has paid for!) and calls him their lord and saviour (the one who saved them) can enter into this relationship with God. The street evangelists have a role I do not envy. Many walk on by. They are ridiculed by some. Their voices must really hurt, and they must wonder how many are taking it on. But for those who are listening and for whom it works, it can make that difference between life and death...if street evangelism be the food of salvation, shout on! I apologise for that tacky and thoroughly theologically inaccurate final sentence. I hope you know what I mean though.

New email address

I've been challenged recently. I want to be a witness for Jesus in all I do, and to share his love with others. This is why I believe I'm here. So, reading an awesome book by Ken Moser called Youth Evangelism: Reaching Young People in a Way that Honours God, I have been inspired to change my email address to something that better represents who I am and makes a statement about the hope I have in Jesus. This was confirmed to me when I went to Greenbelt this weekend, which is a Christian festival apparently and yet at the communion service the speaker never once mentioned the word Jesus. Are we Christians or not? If we are, why hide it?! This of course was after we were encouraged to speak to the sun and tell it how we feel..!

So anyway...say goodbye to the gambit address, and say hello to...


jesusistheway@live.co.uk

Or to be more specific, say hello to me there, and I will email you back.
(I'm deleting the other one, so...you know it makes sense)

Is preaching essential in churches?

This is a question I'm grappling with for one section of my dissertation. We live in a time now more so than ever before where churches all over are questioning various aspects of their life and activities, from mission and evangelism to which coffee cups should be used for which occasion. Unfortunately some churches spend more time focused on the latter than the former, but I'm digressing. Let's talk about preachers. They come in all shapes and sizes don't they. They dress differently from each other, have different voices, and some even have special preaching and praying voices, which I find odd. What they do when they preach will vary too. Some will stand and read from their notes, others will walk around. Some will bellow out hellfire and damnation and bash the lectern when they want to make a point, whereas some will speak with a soft assurance, nowhere near as loud yet somehow encouraging and likely more accessible for those who haven't fallen asleep or aren't sitting at the back with their hearing aids on low complaining about the fact that they can't hear. But that's enough about Methodism(!). We're talking about preachers here.


Let's assume every preacher is Spirit-filled and called by God to preach His word. Awesome. Let's assume the way they dress when they preach doesn't put people off. Let's assume they don't adopt a false church voice and RP accent for the sermon and prayers and then go back to their natural broad Lancashire dialect. Still keeping the image? Let's assume they are able to hold the people's attention and speak in concise, meaningful words that make sense. Let's also assume they don't put too much focus on themselves, but on the One they serve. Let's also assume they are able to identify and connect with every person present. An ideal image, perhaps, but an impossible one. No preacher is infallible and so serious prayer must go into every sermon to ensure God speaks through them the things He wants to say, even despite their potential for human error. They must trust God will override this and surrended to His Holy Spirit. But assuming every preacher in the world was the perfect picture I just described, is preaching essential in churches?


At open mic events the object made most use of is the mic. People share whatever they like, and the mic ensures they are heard. Not listened to necessarily, but heard at least. I've seen puppets perform to music at an open mic event just last night, and I've seen dancing occur at them too. These don't require a mic, but are still acceptable. Therefore if preaching is essential in church, must it happen via the verbal medium, or through something else like an interpretive dance? I've seen a very powerful interpretive dance done to Lifehouse's 'Everything Skit', which I blogged about almost a year ago now. That required no words and has a very moving message. So should preaching happen? It is of course a biblical thing, but must it always be done in the verbal way? I don't believe non-Christians are likely to enter your average church to hear someone they don't know tell them how to live for twelve minutes or more. And who can blame them? Yet I can't think of a better medium, and in terms of open mic church like the one I hosted last night, I'm really grateful that a friend came and preached. God spoke through him to a number of people and it confirmed to me that it was right that this happened.


I certainly believe there is as great a chance of a bad word being given in your average church as at an open mic church. I also believe that preachers at open mic churches are more accessible than preachers in more conventional churches, as the latter tend to shake so many hands and go through all the formal motions, whereas open mic preachers have the freedom to float around, socialise and enjoy themselves, and its in this time where questions can be asked by those who maybe didn't understand something and a time of ministry can ensue.


So I believe preaching is essential for people to learn and grow as God intends, and though I'm interested in exploring different mediums of it, I'm not sure I can think of a better alternative for the open mic church environment. I'm comforted by the fact God can speak through anything though, and I pray that whatever form of preaching occurs at ACTS Open Mic Church in the future will be no exception.


What do you think, about any of this?

Our role...

I receive daily Bible readings with comments from One Way Creative Ministries. They arrive straight to my inbox every morning. Their website is http://www.onewayuk.com/. It's a great place to find puppet-related ideas, scripts and accessories, not to mention resources for mime, clowning, and drama. Below is an excerpt from today's Bible reading notes which I'd like to share. None of what follows is my own words. I just did the bold bits. It begins with the Bible, leads into a summary, and finishes with a description of the role every Christian is called to fulfil.

The return of Jesus #3 21st Aug 2008


"And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven."
Matthew 24: 30 & 31

...It is God's heart that everybody should get to hear the good news about Jesus and have the opportunity to believe in Him. The Bible tells us that God doesn't want anybody to perish but He will respect their free will to make the decision for themselves. Our role is to help spread the good news.

ACTS Open Mic Church Yeadon

It's stupid 0'clock, and I can't sleep, mainly because I'm processing what happened at ACTS Open Mic Church in Yeadon a few hours ago. This may not be entirely coherent but what follows is a description of what happened tonight. I'm happy to report that I'm not thinking of tonight in terms of success or failure, but instead of how people enjoyed it, and how God spoke to them. These two, especially the latter, are fundamental aspects of open mic church and if either are missing then there are problems.


There were around fifty present, with ages ranging from ten to eighty-odd, and the evening was divided into two halves, both roughly one hour long. Local support was very good, especially in terms of who performed or shared. We had musicians, singers, puppets, drama, stories, poetry and a preach. There was even some dancing, although this didn't happen at the mic! No rap then, unlike the Sheffield event where that was the most popular genre. Most acts came up for a second go, as the amount of people signing up wasn't overwhelming but was nontheless encouraging, as was the warmth with which those returning to the mic were welcomed back. I believe everyone enjoyed at least one aspect of the evening, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Photos will appear on the Myspace within the next two weeks, as will a min-review of the night.


In terms of the postcard questionnaires that were laid out ('Is this church and why?' 'What did you enjoy or not enjoy tonight?' etc) the responses were incredibly positive. If anyone wishes to hear how people responded I'd happily email you their comments if you give me your email address. Only one respondent said that it wasn't church but there was no reason given as to why. Perhaps it just lacked certain elements of church that person was accustomed to. But God spoke tonight, some were evidently encouraged in their faith, one guy wandered in unaware of what was going on but stayed behind and had a good spiritual conversation with the preacher, and one person even said they intend to come on an Alpha course happening soon. I'd appreciate your prayers regarding this vision as it unfolds, and though things will be revised as time progresses, I'm really enocuraged by tonight and excited about the future of ACTS OMC. I thank God for both and for those who came, and pray He will have His way in their lives in Jesus name, and that ACTS OMC will happen and grow how/when He wants it to. Several people including the bar staff said they would like the event to happen again, and some others suggested that more would be likely to perform/share in future as the surroundings, event and people become more familiar. I couldn't agree more. So let's do it again, and with more people next time. Amen:)
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Sweetest Smile

Colin Vearncombe is not the most catchy of names, though it's one you aren't likely to forget. He is a singer songwriter who emerged onto the music scene in the 1980s, and will long be remembered for his hit single 'Wonderful Life.' He has, however, like most musicians who get remembered for one thing, done better stuff than this. I only have his greatest hits collection so can hardly call myself a diehard fan, but there is one song I am particularly fond of, namely 'Sweetest Smile.' I don't know how many times I've listened to this in recent months but it's a lot! He writes about a breakup. I don't know if it was autobiographical but he sings it with so much feeling that I wouldn't be surprised...

I think my heart must be made of clay

cause everyone said it would be broken some day

And now I’ve come to that fateful day

Love can make us feel invincible. Relationships can make us feel like all smells of roses and all is treacle-sweet. Well I've got news for you: it's not, and Colin Vearncombe knew that when he wrote this song.

I just wish I was made of wood

I might not feel pain even if I should, even if I should

He wishes he was made of different stuff. The damage has been done. His therapy? He 'writes a new song every day', probably about the pain he's in, or the one who caused it. He speaks of how he would've made things better if only he could've. But he's come to that fateful day; the point of no return. This song is awesome. The lyrics are intelligent and real, the slow saxaphone and synthesiser take you to where he is and sit you down next to him in his self-pity. For me this is the ultimate breakup song, and he sings it so well! And oddly enough I can enjoy it when I'm happy and it doesn't bring my mood down like some sad music can. It amazes me why someone with Vearncombe/Black's musical giftings is only largely remembered for one song and had no notable longetivity to his career, for though he is still making music today he will not have the limelight his gifts warrant (in my opinion) when you have people with nothing to offer musically, such as most winners of reality TV shows, churning out throwaway pop records that other people wrote for them. On this note I wouldn't be surprised if Colin wished he was made of wood once more, but whilst he does that I for one will enjoy my Black: The Collection CD.

Open Mic Church: The Vision

I've been collecting material for and writing my dissertation for some months now. I had the idea of an open mic event with the aim to evangelise, or tell people who are not Christians a little more about the hope that I as a Christian have in Jesus. I don't want to ram anything down anyone's throat or attack anyone with a Bible (though ironically I got called a 'Bible-basher' the other day!), but instead I want to create an environment where anyone can come, feel at home, enjoy themselves, and hopefully learn something too. I believe people who like open mic events will be more open to this than they would going into your average church, which they are not likely to enter anyway. I don't think I'm being unreasonable in making these assumptions though obviously there will be some exceptions.

The initial idea for all this came to me about fifteen months ago, and more and more as time has gone on I've began to question and wrestle with many aspects of it. People can say what they like to me about it, and largely they have. The positive stuff has been gratefully stored away, most of the negative (which has been considerably less) has been disregarded, and all the constructive criticism and questions have been taken on board, as I know I'm not infallible and I want to do this thing as well as I can. One thing I've been challenged on and questioned a lot myself recently is the very word 'church.' Many emerging churches/fresh expressions of church that I've read about seem so keen to connect with people that they aren't straight up about what they are aiming for or who they are. Basically, they dilute the gospel somewhat and shy away from using the word 'Jesus.' But like Dan Kimball points out in his book They Like Jesus but not the Church, many people have positive perceptions of Jesus but negative ones of church. I have always used the word 'church' with ACTS open mic because I want people to know that I am a Christian and have nothing to hide. But perhaps there IS a better way? Names are important. Perhaps it needs to be revised. Would ACTS Open Mic suffice? ACTS by the way is a twofold name, with it being both the book in the Bible where the Church began whilst also referring to the acts that open mic events require.

Before the February event, the vision was taking a hammering. I was fasting and praying about it, talking and thinking about it all the time, and pouring everything of myself into it-the advertising, practical considerations, getting 'the right people' there, finding and sorting the location, you name it. Leading up to and immediately after the event I was definitely under attack. I was most certainly not at my best in many areas. I put so much pressure on myself, and after it I was exhausted. This made me weak, tired, and vulnerable. Though I trusted in God, I didn't do so enough, and as open mics rely heavily on the personality of the host, I guess to an extent I was pretty proud and wanted everything to be great when really it wasn't. But as for ACTS Open Mic Church in Yeadon, it's a different story altogether. I'm not worried. I'm not driving myself crazy with unnecessary pressure. I'm not busting a gut plugging the thing and dreaming up three-step plans. Instead, I'm relaxed. The venue is arranged, the people God wants to come will come, it's being prayed for, and I'm at peace. You know why? Because God is awesome. And HE, not Matt Wright, is in control.


So, there's been confusion, doubt, questions, criticism, fear, and other negative emotions besides. But you know what? God is in there somewhere. And if you come to Yeadon cricket club on Wednesday 20th August at 7pm (a week today), you'll find Him.


Open mic
+ Open heart
+ Open mind
= God will speak to you


Comments welcome on the above
:)

Place to be...

ACTS Open Mic Church
Weds 20th August

Yeadon Cricket Club
(Yeadon High Street, behind the White Swan.

Follow signs for Leeds Bradford airport)
7pm

FREE ENTRY

Featuring folk group Aireplay, Hands Up Puppet Company,

Ron Willoughby, Eve & Margaret & more

ACTS Open Mic Church. Because church SHOULD be fun!

For more information visit www.myspace.com/actsopenmicchurch