Discipleship Done Differently
ARISE!
On the streets, in His light A story of faith in our steel city by George Bingham-Davis
Picture this: It’s a chilly afternoon. You’re walking through Fargate. Empty shops and offices surround you. People hurry past, but the hustle and bustle feels hushed somehow, the city itself seems sombre, soulless. Then, as you pass St. Marie’s, you hear an acoustic rendition of ‘As it is in Heaven’ or ‘Spirit lead me’ coming from the stalls next to Sheffield Town Hall, bringing a little life and light back into the empty precinct. If you’ve heard that, chances are that you’ve stumbled on the brave-and-bold street ministers from St. Phillips Church, led by Rachel, Anna and Andrew. This faithful trio and their friends have been on the streets of Sheffield, talking to people about Jesus, blessing them and sharing the Word.
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“Anna had been coming out on the streets ‘treasure hunting’ for a few years before we properly started this,” Rachel tells me. “Treasure hunting is where you ask God for clues about who He wants you to speak to and pray for, then you write them down and go looking for the people He’s told you about. Andrew’s also got a passion for going out and speaking to people about Jesus, and preaching on the streets. [Keen readers might remember Andrew’s Prophetic Challenge from the Autumn 2021 issue of Arise!] “Since coming out of COVID, it’s felt like these big parts of town have just felt… empty. I mean, what’s happening here? Where’s the life gone? So the three of us teamed up, with the hope that we would be a presence in the city centre that brings hope and light.”
