On the streets, in his light
A story of faith in our steel city
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. Philips 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.
“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!]
“The three of us teamed up, with the hope that we would be a presence in the city centre that brings hope and light.”
“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.”
That was certainly the case when I popped by one Saturday. Rachel was on mic and guitar, worshipping amidst the afternoon shoppers. Andrew and some others were handing out gospel tracts, talking to passersby about their faith in Jesus. Anna - when she wasn’t on her treasure hunt - was talking to all sorts of people, families, the homeless, pedestrians. All while keeping an eye out for clues from God.
“I actually had one this morning,” She tells us. “I was praying this morning that today would go well for us, and He sent me this image of a trolley. And as we were getting set up here, one of the first people I spoke to was a woman with a trolley. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw her!”
People from all walks of life came and talked with the street ministers: some had faith but were struggling with vices and addiction, some were fellow Christians who were happy to see the Good News being shared on the streets, others hadn’t been to Church in a long time.
“We want to continue to be a ‘God presence’ in the city centre and are looking to partner with others too.”
So, what’s the next step for the group? “We want to continue to be a ‘God presence’ in the city centre and are looking to partner with others too.” They are also getting advice and training from more experienced street ministers which has been a big priority for them, especially as their team grows.
“We actually got in contact with a guy called Wayne, who’s a preacher based in Rochdale as a part of an organisation called ‘Go and Tell Ministries’,” Rachel told us. “He joined us on one of our sessions to give us some training, and he came with this giant speaker and microphone blaring gospel music out. While it was a very different model from ours, we were really energised and encouraged by his ideas and personal testimonies from his outreach in Manchester.”
The group is connecting with other evangelistic street ministers around Sheffield. “We’ve got contacts across the city - that are now part of a WhatsApp group called Sheffield Street Ministries - so we can invite and inform each other about when we’re potentially out on the streets. Martin Jacobs from St Thomas Crookes and The Church in Weston Park joined us for a session recently, which was great.”
“We’re just here to be witnesses to what God has done in our lives, and to listen to others’ stories.”
I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the street evangelists at Fargate and their wonderful web of fellow disciples. A web of light and faith in God, spreading across Sheffield for those who want to see and hear Him. “It’s not up to us to convince people,” Andrew told us as he waved goodbye to an older gentleman to whom he’d been speaking. “We’re just here to be witnesses to what God has done in our lives, and to listen to others’ stories.”
If you’d like to get involved in street ministry, Rachel would love to hear from you.
Email hello@arisesheffield.org to get in touch.
