Attracting tourists to Christ

People from all over the world throng to London. That is why the annual Tell-A-Tourist outreach serves as an important means of bringing the Gospel to numerous people.

Each summer London City Mission (LCM) and OAC Ministries (Open Air Campaigners) pool resources for this week of mission.

Focussing on London tourist attractions in the last week of July, team members used outdoor evangelism to present the Good News of Jesus.

Professional evangelists provided training in basics such as effective communication of the Gospel, conversational skills and open air ministry. Creative means were also taught, including painting a sketchboard to illustrate a brief Gospel message. This often attracts a crowd but also serves a practical function as tourists from overseas, with limited English, benefit from a visual presentation.

Reaching out to people from diverse cultures and backgrounds is a strong point of Tell-A-Tourist.

"One young female team member, on a mission for the first time, had a conversation with a young woman from a country closed to the Gospel," explains OAC Director Peter Kennelly.

"In the goodness of God, this young woman was open to hear the Good News about Jesus. Team members are equipped with Christian literature in many different languages. Hundreds of tracts and scores of Gospels were given out."

After one sketchboard message, a young team member found himself surrounded by Italian tourists. He was able to engage in conversation with them, answering their questions about faith. Other conversations took place with many people coming from countries closed to the Gospel.

"Although we only had a core team of six, over the course of the week 20 other people joined us at different venues," sums up Peter. "Christians were encouraged to see a witness on the streets of London. With a daily average of 10 on the team each day, we spent about 194 man hours on the streets."