Could you go on the streets to tell people Jesus loves them?

Photo courtesy of Falmouth.co.uk

If you asked most Christians to go out into the streets of their local community to share the good news that Jesus loves them, the first response would probably be along the lines of, “Not on your nelly.” And if you asked most members of that community how they would feel about being approached, the answer might not be quite as quaint.

Yet that’s what lies at the heart of The Turning, and that’s exactly what happened in Falmouth last November and is planned to happen again in May. It’s a mission that has united the churches in and around Falmouth and Penryn who came together to pray and to become equipped and trained to do that most seemingly scary of things, approach a random stranger and say, “I’ve got two things to tell you really quickly: God loves you and has an awesome plan for your life”

As Jesus said, “… Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

(Matthew 28:19–20, NIV).

How The Turning began

The Turning began in 2016, planned simply as a one-week mission out of The Gate, a Baptist Church in Reading. Led by Yinka Oyekan, that one week burst its banks and, two years on, has grown into the movement, The Turning. Volunteers went on to the streets, in pairs and for just one hour, to declare to individuals the love of God and the plan He has for them. The response was overwhelming. In ten days, 720 people prayed on the streets of Reading, so the team kept going. At the four-week mark, the number reached 1850. This wasn’t just a technique, this was the Holy Spirit meeting people where they were and feeding a need.

The Turning kept growing, moving beyond Reading to other towns and cities within the UK and came to Falmouth last November, uniting many of the local churches of all denominations in prayer and practical support for the mission.

It isn’t about winning arguments, it’s about being respectful, gentle and open to sharing the hope there is in Christ.

Kayode Odetayo, Strategic Programme Manager of Transforming Mission

Kayode Odetayo, Strategic Programme Manager of Transforming Mission, was one of the volunteers who took part. He says, “It was amazing. We were covered in prayer before we left and when we were on the street and when we came back. Because of this, the people were never random as God went before us, providing the opportunities.”

“It was amazing. We were covered in prayer before we left and when we were on the street and when we came back. Because of this, the people were never random as God went before us, providing the opportunities.”

The Turning is a mission that has been finely honed and tested. The volunteers are trained and given a script. “The script felt weird at first,’ says Cannon Geoff Bennett of Budock Water, who also took part. “And I admit I was a bit sceptical, but it really helped to keep focused.”

Cannon Geoff Bennett

Of course, volunteers weren’t dogmatic and let the conversations flow according to the individual needs. As it says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” It isn’t about winning arguments, it’s about being respectful, gentle and open to sharing the hope there is in Christ.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

1 Peter 3:15

Living out the truth that the church is at its best when it gets up and does something

“Sitting next to a homeless man, it was hard to know where to begin,” says Canon Geoff. “He’d lost his apartment, his life had collapsed around him and just telling him ‘Jesus loves you’ wasn’t really helpful. So, I took him for a coffee, we talked and, in the end, I prayed with him because he wanted me too. The experience told me I need to get out there more, where people are.” Living out the truth that the church is at its best when it gets up and does something.

As Kayode says, “It’s very bold. To offer to pray for someone you don’t know on the streets is brave and requires courage. I was paired with an older lady who had never done anything like this before and was understandably terrified! But it was amazing to see God use her in ways she didn’t think possible. She was empowered, equipped and released, leading two people into a prayer of faith and getting their contact details.”

Kayode says that, for him, that’s what Transforming Mission is all about – empowering everyday believers to do God’s work.

David Ward, Leader of Highway Church, Penryn said, ‘The change and confidence in people who have been on the streets is amazing’.

It’s not about numbers, or filling emptying pews

Getting the contact details is important as a key part of the mission is to follow up and not leave people stranded after their encounter. That’s why it is such a blessing that so many of the churches in Falmouth and Penryn came together for The Turning, removing all the barriers and unhelpful labels and properly being the Bride of Christ, playing its part in doing God’s work.

The Turning isn’t all about numbers, nor is it a campaign to fill those emptying pews, it’s about being serious in sharing the good news, not keeping it to ourselves or confining God to Sundays. It’s also about planting seeds.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the centre of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (MSG)

The volunteers might share God’s message, but it takes God for it to take root, grow and flourish. And as many of us have learnt and have to keep reminding ourselves, God’s timing isn’t always in line with ours.

The Turning is coming again to Falmouth from May 13^th – 19th. If you would like to join the mission, training sessions will be taking place on 3rd & 10th May at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Falmouth, from 7.30pm – 9.30pm. You can also come along in the mornings of each day of  The Turning to receive training, support, prayer, and a reviving cup of tea or coffee at King Charles The Martyr before going out on the streets for one hour.  All the teams and supporters also meet for prayer and worship every evening during the mission week from 7.30pm -9.30pm at Falmouth Methodist. Everyone is welcome!