OM receives warm welcome in Wolverhampton

“It was as if all of Wolverhampton came out to meet us.” These were the words of Operation Mobilisation (OM) worker Kenny during a recent evangelistic outreach on the city’s streets.

As he and his fellow helpers set up a display of free Christian literature, with everything from tracts to gospels in several languages, there was already a crowd around the table. The OM team had hardly a chance to get the material organised before people began picking them up.

The initiative was organised by Lifehope, an OM ministry in the UK which trains and places international teams with churches around the country, partnering with them to bring life and hope to their communities.

The outreach team also included members who had come prepared with mimes, drama and dances that presented the Gospel through a more creative approach. Their performances drew a crowd that was three to four people deep. There were also balloons available, which the OM workers modelled into flowers, hats, hearts and more for children whilst presenting the parents with an evangelistic tract.

“Lots and lots and lots of conversations were going on,” continues Kenny, “And deep conversations. Sometimes you get people arguing, but this was different.”

On one occasion, an English woman approached the table with a scrap of paper in her hand. She held it up to Kenny and asked, “Is this from the Bible? Do you have a copy? I want to read all of it because these are amazing words on here.”

The team gave her a full Bible to take home. “She was in tears and very, very excited about receiving a Bible,” Kenny explains.

Two workers from the Lifehope Chinese ministry made six different contacts with people interested in joining a Bible study. In addition, several people indicated interest in attending a local church.

Lifehope is just one of the many ministries involving OM’s 6,000-plus workers. Leading long and short-term outreaches, they are sharing the Good News through sports, youth activities, relief programmes, multimedia resources and more in over 110 countries.
News
Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award given to Muslim cleric who praised Bin Laden
Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award given to Muslim cleric who praised Bin Laden

Reform leader Nigel Farage said the decision to award Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi was "astonishing". 

How the new General Synod could move beyond the present disagreement over same-sex relationships
How the new General Synod could move beyond the present disagreement over same-sex relationships

How might the next Synod make progress in the next five years based on a recognition that there are those in the Church of England who hold fundamentally opposed positions on the matter? Is there a way of allowing both sides to achieve what they want? Martin Davie argues that the answer to this question is ‘Yes.’

No part of London should become a free speech, gospel exclusion zone
No part of London should become a free speech, gospel exclusion zone

Soho is not exempt from freedom of speech and Christian expression. And Christians do not lose their fundamental freedoms when they cross an invisible boundary into a neighbourhood associated with a different worldview. The streets of London belong to all of us, writes Andrea Williams.

Church of England blessing same-sex relationships 'a bridge too far'
Church of England blessing same-sex relationships 'a bridge too far'

Earlier this year the Church silenced a group of former-homosexuals who wanted to tell of the change in their lives.