The Speak Jesus Initiative

If I were to ask most Christians I know about what they find most challenging about the life of faith, I suspect many would speak about the challenge of sharing your faith with other people.
How is it that we find it so hard to speak about something that is so important to us in a natural and normal way? If we have had a good experience in a holiday destination or a dining establishment, we have no difficulty telling our family and friends about it. Indeed, we would love to see them go along to discover it for themselves in the hope that they will experience the same joy and pleasure that we did when we went there.
We rarely find it as easy to speak about our life of faith or our experience of the church. If we have been to a service that really uplifted our souls, or heard a sermon that brought us great encouragement or blessing, it seems hard somehow to bring that into the conversation in the same way. Perhaps we are afraid of what other people will think of us. Will they find us weird or intense or uncomfortable to be around? Maybe we are conscious that some of our family and friends have had bad experiences of the church, or they might have experienced illness or tragedy and feel God is partially, or wholly, to blame. It means that we are hesitant to speak of something that is deeply important to us and, often having weighed up the risks, we decide the safest option is not to say anything at all.
Some years ago, I read a wonderful book about evangelism called, ‘Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult,’ by Nick Pollard. He tells a wonderful story in the opening chapter about how he spent a Saturday afternoon in a city centre giving out gospel tracts after his faith became important to him.
He approached a man hurrying towards his car and offered him one of these tracts. The man politely declined and continued to hurry towards his car. Undeterred by this refusal, Nick told the man he really needed this information. Again the man said he was in a hurry and didn’t want it, thanks all the same. Nick Pollard then raised his voice and said, “Sir, you really need this,” as he got increasingly annoyed at the man’s refusal to engage. He said, “I felt so cross at this point, I could have decked him” and, as he ran towards his car, he stepped into the man’s path to impede him. The man tried to get around him, but Nick stood his ground until eventually the man asked him why it was so important that he take this information when he was obviously in a terrible hurry and needed to get into his car. “Because Jesus loves you!” bellowed Nick Pollard as the man jumped into his car, locked all the doors from the inside and drove off at haste to escape the angry red faced Christian who was harassing him on the street.
There was quite an inconsistency between the message he was trying to communicate and the way he was treating this innocent man making his way to the car. Many of us are painfully aware of the inconsistency of our lives and the way of Jesus, and we feel ashamed to acknowledge we follow Jesus when we think of some of our own behaviours, or the behaviours of others who have loudly declared their faith and acted in terrible ways and those shortcomings have been publicly exposed.
During this year, Bishop David has encouraged parishes to invite the neighbourhood in which they are situated to church and community events, to knock on people’s doors and warmly invite them to come and see. He is encouraging parishes to see what are the ways we can bless the local community and be of help to them? Maybe there are events and initiatives, maybe there are groups or organisations that might really help people to see Jesus in their local context.
Food is a great way to bring people together, as are free community events. Maybe there’s an opportunity to offer prayer on the streets, or a healing service, or special times in the church’s year that might bring people back into the local church who have got disconnected.
Before Easter, we spent some evenings visiting homes in our local streets inviting people to a family service on Good Friday and Easter services. Some of our young people came along and they were brilliant at knocking those doors and getting involved in respectful and grace filled conversations. People of all ages came along and, while some of the local residents wanted nothing to do with the church, others were very appreciative of the invitation and some came along and brought their families. We had the opportunity after the service to share some tea and snacks in the halls. Messy Church is another such opportunity on 6th June from 3.30 pm-5.00 pm when families are invited to a time of crafts, games and a short Bible talk with a simple meal. It’s not threatening, but offers a bridge that might encourage those who are curious to connect with the church.
I think it’s a wonderful initiative and, if you have ideas of ways in which we might helpfully reach out, please let me know. Mindful of the story Nick Pollard shared, it’s important not just to speak Jesus, but to think of how we speak His name with love and respect in our local community. There are some who see his name as nothing less than a swear word, while others seem to see his name as a sledge hammer to try to coerce or bully people in to a church community, so we need to be mindful of how we speak His name and do so with gentleness and respect.


We look forward to welcoming people to a Taizé communion service on Ascension Thursday, 29th May at 7.30pm. It will have lots of opportunities for silence and reflection, and an interactive time of prayer around the cross. Many who came to the Taize service about a month ago have spoken of how helpful it was.

There’s also an opportunity to come together to do some work around the grounds on Saturday 31st May from 9.00 am-11.00 am and, don’t forget Messy Church for children of primary school age from 3.30 pm-5.00 pm on Friday 6th June. All are welcome to all of these events.
Look forward to speaking again soon.
Much love to everyone,
Jono.
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