Basically the trip went like this: We arrived on Thursday, August 7th. Our home away from home was a former hospital turned Christian missions dormitory in Queens, NY. There are about 30 of us from all over the country and one from Canada. Day One was arrivals, introductions, and orientation.
Day Two: Our first full day. Up early, separate mens’ and ladies’ group devotions, together for group worship and a stirring message from Pastor John C.from Minnesota, which led to time in prayer and repentance. Afterwards we broke into our respective teams and preached the gospel on the subways and Madison Square Garden/Penn Station. We ate dinner in Times Square but then continued the outreach there in Times Square with more open-air and tracts. After a 16-hour first day of sites, sounds, smells, tears, bonding, preaching, walking and witnessing, the teams again headed into the subway for more train preaching as we returned to our dorm to pass out.
Day Three (Saturday): Up early and together again for group worship, prayer, and the inspiring testimony of Shawn H of Luke 10:2 Ministry and this time a trip first to Battery Park, where folks take the ferries to Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty, later to Union Square Park, and later still to Times Square and then another trip of subway preaching back to the dorm.
Day Four (Sunday): We got to catch up on some sleep and then met for Sunday worship, with CCN Overseer, Pastor Sean LaCon preaching and later praying over those who felt the Lord had called them to specifically be evangelists. After service we enjoyed a graduation ceremony with certificates and exhortations not to let our evangelistic zeal remain in NYC, but to take it wherever the Lord has us. Lastly, we concluded the afternoon/evening with about six hours of open-air preaching, tracts, one-on-one encounters again in Union Square Park.
I’ll leave you with this awesome story: As we were waiting for our last subway ride back to the dorms, there was a guitarist/singer performing down on the other subway platform, separate from ours by several sets of tracks. He was singing, “Stand By Me” and we all joined along in the chorus to cheer him on. This led to Pastor John to springboard into a gospel presentation to the people waiting for trains that Jesus will stand by you more than anyone else ever could. But the great thing (besides the gospel presentation, of course) was that the guitarist called out when John was done and said he had a song for us. Next thing we knew, he was strumming and singing “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see you. I want to see you….” It was surreal! We were praising the Lord with this subway musician on the last night of our Repent & Witness Evangelism Camp. What a beautiful way to wrap it up! We praised God in awe of His million little kindnesses to us! The next day those who were not staying in NYC for a few extra days of site-seeing made their way homeward, with new friends, new hearts for the lost, and a deeper love of the gospel.
Posted: August 19th, 2008 under Encouragement, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts, Open Air Preaching.
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The 8:30am service at my church is the one Amy and I go to. It’s the one that uses hymns in worship, which, as a matter of personal preference, is what we both enjoy. (No, this is not going to be post on so-called ‘worship wars’.)