The street team is headed up by Mervin Johnston, Barbara Trotter, Colin Wylie, and Dean Irwin. Every Friday night, we go out onto the streets of Lurgan to seek young people who congregate in the park, street corners and alleyways.. These are places where they drink, smoke and, in the case of a smaller number, smoke dope. Their ages range from about 14 to 24 years old. They are both male and female, Protestant and Catholic. Some are still at school, some work at a variety of jobs, others are on training schemes or unemployed. Some are from good homes with loving families, others come from unhappy and broken families - a broad section of Lurgan's youth. We simply engage these young people in conversation and try to build real relationships and friendships with them. On Wednesday nights we work with a group of young people, all unsaved, bringing them on outings and building relationships. Friendship Evangelism In total we work with up to 100 young people. Our aim is friendship evangelism. We do not preach at them, but endeavour to build trust and respect between them and us. And when God gives us the opportunity, we share the Gospel with them. These young people do not feel any need to be rescued from what they do. They drink because they want to, they smoke because they want to, they take dope because they want to and they have sexual relations because they want to. They do not believe they are at risk due to any of these activities, but rather they believe they are enjoying the best life has to offer. 2 Corinthians 4:3,4 –“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Apathy reigns in many of their lives and often they will talk about anything but Jesus or salvation. But all things are possible through Christ our Lord and we have seen our prayers answered: apathy has turned to interest, even concern and conviction. These young people know that we are Christians and many of them have spent time questioning us about our Christian beliefs and our faith in Jesus. If you want to see God work, come out onto the streets of Lurgan, God is awesome!! Dean Irwin, talking about his experiences with the young people on the street: It can be a struggle. You could go out for weeks without even a conversation, or out of the blue you could have the opportunity to talk about God all night. My desire is to be a friend to them, that they know that people are there who want to spend time with them and be friends.” What is it like on the streets? Almost always there is some nervousness and apprehension before we leave the comfort and the safety of the Church. Philippians 4:3 - 'We do not depend on our own strength but trust in God who strengthens us' The venues are usually dark, sometimes wet and often very cold. There can be anything from 10-150 kids mixing together in a small area. It's usually very noisy with bottles clicking and breaking, lots of shouting and loud music booming through the alley or subway. The air is thick with the smell of smoke and drink. There is excitement and expectation as to what the night's session is going to bring. Sometimes it can be very rewarding. Other times it can be discouraging and even lonely. Often you feel helpless and frequently very sad. Many times we have shed tears over the emptiness of these young lives. Some nights we return to the church very sad and discouraged. Other nights we are rejoicing and praising the Lord. One thing is certain, in God's will, we shall go back and go back and go back, until these young people accept Jesus as their Saviour. Prayer Before going out on a Friday evening, we have a time of prayer in the church from 7:30 - 8:00pm. This is open to everyone, so if you have a heart for the people of Lurgan, but going out on the street is not for you, please do come along and pray with the team. It is a powerful time of prayer and spiritual warfare, and new recruits are always needed! Points for prayer • Pray that the Lord will help us build trusting friendships with the young and older people |
