Open Air: Fruit For Your Labours

(N.B. These accounts of open air preaching go out as newsletters first of all, and then they are posted on here as blogs, at our pastor’s request, with various personal or sensitive details omitted.)

Dearie me! A reader writes and asks me not to send him any more emails! “For what reason?” I ask myself. He answers me: “simply haven’t time to read them”. And then he adds, as if to soften the blow: “praying the Lord will give you fruit for your labours.” Nevertheless, there were a few hot tears shed before bedtime that night, I can tell you…

But what if he was right? Am I writing too much for the average Christian reader? My aim, as most folk will know, is to give a realistic picture of what our Open Airs are like, as seen through my eyes (with a little assistance from our GoPro). What if I abandon the first person present tense narrative style and offer instead a brief summary of events?

Let’s try it.

I’d better begin with Stephen’s notes, which he was kind enough to send me, even though he’s on holiday this week.

At the end of my first preaching stint, a young man named T. approached me and said that he thought much of what I had been saying was good but then he asked, “If you fall into sin, what is the best way to deal with that?” This led to a short discussion about repentance and forgiveness.

As we arrived, we were joined by Peter and a woman dressed in white. She said she was a born-again believer, and she would like to stand with us to give out tracts.

Stephen spoke first. A young woman told me she was pleased with what he was saying. She was called J., a name which she said was taken from Genesis. Her parents were pastors, originally from South Africa. She asked me if I believed in “tongues and so on.” I said that the supernatural sign gifts had ceased at the end of the apostolic age and had never returned.

Then I met a young man who had been listening to Stephen for a while, and had liked what he had heard. He declared himself “a staunch Catholic.” I sidestepped the invitation to a debate by giving him some suitable literature to read. He went back to listening to Stephen.

Janette appeared and I gave her some tracts. I noticed that the woman in white had disappeared. “Was it a vision, or a waking dream?” as the poet puts it, I mused. (Oops, sorry, I said I wouldn’t be doing any embroidering…)

While I was speaking we were joined by Kieran who began tracting and talking to folk. When I was done, I went to greet him, then left him to talk. Four ladies stood in front of Stephen, but when he wouldn’t stop preaching, they settled for me and gave me three tracts of the easy believism type and an invitation to a ‘Summer Party’ at their ‘church’. I do not plan to attend.

Three young Muslims were roaming around looking for someone to annoy. They asked me some easy questions which I answered. An older gent joined in and offered me a typewritten sheet showing that “there are obvious contradictions in your bible.” I wouldn’t take it till he took a Blanchard booklet and promised to read it.

Kieran then joined us so that I could take over from Stephen. He talked at length while I preached, then spoke to another man for a short while.

Then we packed up and prayed and went to the Arndale for refreshments.

Please pray for those mentioned above, and for A., the older Muslim who will return next Wednesday (he said) to talk to Kieran again. Also for the Christian actor appearing in “The Importance Of Being Earnest” at The Royal Exchange.

Hmm - well, there you are, we’re all done, and there’s still most of the afternoon left! One of my plants has fallen off the wall in the backyard and the pot is broken beyond repair. I’ll go out and rescue it, then do some preparation for next time. Join us if you can.

“Fruit for your labours”? Being of the Reformed persuasion, it’s not something I need to worry about; nevertheless, we appreciate the importance of being earnest in our Open Air endeavours, and therefore we covet your support in prayer.

Every blessing!