Updated 12:19 pm.EST, Mon November 23, 2009

World|Tue, Jun. 16 2009 11:39 AM EDT

London Pastor Initiates Door-to-Door Evangelism Blitz

By Maria Mackay|Christian Today Reporter

LONDON – Since Sunday, Pastor Jonathan Oloyede has led a team of 30 people from his church, City Chapel, in delivering gospel tracts to 4,200 homes in Beckton and prayer-walking the streets.

"Jesus told us to go. He didn’t tell them to come. So we are taking the Gospel to where the people are,” said Oloyede, who planted the multi-national City Chapel in January. “That’s the spirit of Paul and the early apostles. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing."

The team includes two crew members from Operation Mobilization’s new ministry ship, Logos Hope, which is currently docked in London’s Canary Wharf.

Tracts have either been dropped through people’s mailboxes or given at the door. Whenever the door was opened to them, members of the team took the opportunity to tell the residents about the love of Jesus for them and invite them to church.

“After Pentecost it was mission. Now that we’ve prayed, let’s go on to the streets and preach the Gospel,” said Oloyede, who helped mobilize 50,000 Christians to prayer on Pentecost Sunday in his role as convener of the Global Day of Prayer London.

Now that the tracts have been delivered, the team is planning to follow up with visits to the homes and sharing the Gospel with those who invite them in.

He hopes other churches will be inspired to take up door-to-door evangelism and reach even more of the capital’s 7.5 million people.

“Even in London where church attendance is relatively high we are not yet scratching the surface,” he said. Although 650,000 Christians attend church regularly in London, Oloyede said "it is not good enough."

“It means millions of people are not coming to our churches so we need to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the houses to the people where they are," he noted. "If 30 of us could do that in two hours how much more could 650,000 Christians do? So we can do it. We can take the city if we really try.”

As part of its outreach, City Chapel has also begun to commit part of its tithes to people who are suffering financially in the recession. One seriously ill man in Newcastle recently received a check to help him buy an orthopedic bed, and a couple in London were helped with their mortgage payments.

“People need practical Christianity at this time," Oloyede said.

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  • Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:06 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 3

    TryThinking »Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:28 pm

    Reminds me of The Borg in Star Trek" "You Must Assimilate".
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    In response: You have an interesting comment on the pastor's approach. It would be very interesting to know how many of the people he and his followers actually slam the door and/or give him substantial rebuttal to what he is doing.

    People like this pastor remind me of the whack job known as Russ Dizdar and his attacks on people not engaged in his evangelical religious dogma. this guy actually attacks people and tries to convince them that they are possessed and only he can save them.

    the guy claims to be an expert on the occult and knows so little about it is laughable. He invents things confuses the information available and people who know even less believe he is correct in doing this.

    People should be left alone to decide for themselves whether or not they want or even need to become involved in religious belief. It is fine to advertise, but to go harassing folks at their homes and place of business is wrong.

    The guy can proselytize without bothering people and set up a table or stand with a sign in public as long as he isn't confrontational. If people are interested then they can go to him and discuss it privately and quietly, he doesn't need to be loud to get his point across.

    This is one of the major problems with why people hate Christians. it is the confrontational element in the fundie side that causes the dislike and turns people off to even listening. There are better ways to approach it and the method described in the article is wrong.

    The even bigger problem is the public awareness to the ideology of the fundamentalist/evangelical factions and their unwillingness to follow what they preach and even moreso the inherent inability to accept facts and reality when dealing with issues. These folks simply will not listen or even accept facts when they have nothing else. Reality is so far from their life in some cases that they are completely unable to deal with simple everyday interaction and to listen to people who don't want to hear about their religious viewpoints. they are so caught up with it they can't function through a single day without thumping.

    A True Christian doesn't engage in fundie actions they don't have to, they lead by example and it can be seen and emulated, it doesn't require shutting out reality or disconnecting from it to be Christian.

    TFR

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:58 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    Cheisa,
    Thank you for responding. God bless you and may have a blessed week. 1John 3:3 Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:15 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 3

    (It's a bit insulting to have people come to your door and insinuate your faith isn't good enough)

    Kind of like having someone say, "Why their little new age church is the latest and greatest"?

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:08 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 3

    Chdldry, thanks for the prayer. We can all use that and I appreciate it, but don't fear that satan has stolen anything from me. That's not possible while I walk with Christ.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:05 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

    Yes, I understand Christ told us to be fishers of men, but my point is that I've already been caught in the net. To have others preach at you like you were a worshipper of brass spiders instead of a Christian is insulting and disrespectful. I have nothing at all against evangelizing - my Church does it, though maybe not door to door - but I do resent the implication that I haven't really heard the Word and if only I would worship as they do, I'd be better off.

    And actually, the Great Commandments are as im[portant to me as the Great Commision, maybe moreso. You may be able to convert a few people in a lifetime, but you can live a life of Christian charity and service to your neighbors for love of God every single day.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:57 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 2

    My sign should have told them they were preaching to the choir, if you know what I mean. My problem is that they didn't recognize that. They acted as if I'd never heard the message of Christ, like I was Buddhist or something. It's a bit insulting to have people come to your door and insinuate your faith isn't good enough. That's the feeling I get from these people, hence the sign.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:22 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 1

    Cheisa,

    Perhaps, those evangelists were compelled to share with you the Gospel of Grace because of your sign . . .

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:41 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 4

    Cheisa,
    I hope you don't mind but God has placed it on my heart to pray for you.
    Father God I pray that you would open up the windows of heaven and bless Cheisa in what ever capacity you choose. That you would bless so much that she could not contain it, she would have to give it away. I pray that you put your mighty hand upon her Lord and let her know that you are their. That everything that satan has stolen from her and her family would come back to her a 100 fold. I pray Lord that you would give her the mind of Christ that whom ever she come in contact with will see you Lord!I pray for abundant life for Cheisa as Jesus has promised us.I pray that the LOVE that she has for you will be multiplied 7 times over. Lord thank for what you will do for Cheisa and thank you for the LOVE that you have for your children. In JESUS name I pray Amen !

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:06 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 2

    Cheisa,
    Since you are Christian are you doing what Jesus told us to do! To be fishers of men. To go out tell the good news. Go out into all the nations proclaiming Christ.Being you are Christian I would think that you would approve of children of God serving Him as He told us too.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:55 am Agree: 5   Disagree: 11

    I have a sign on my door, "We are Catholic. Please save your tracts and pamphlets for somebody who needs them and pardon us for not answering, but we are already good with the Lord."

    This became necessary because too many evangelizers refused to leave me alone after I told them I was already a Christian. The last thing I want to do is listen to somebody who doesn't listen to me tell me why their little new age church is the latest and greatest.

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:59 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 4

    Fantastic news here! The Spirit of the Lord in action! This is what we should all be doing! Just imagine if every church did this every week. Lets pray for other pastors to follow this MANS LEAD . oNWARD cHRISTIAN sOLDIERS!

  • Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:05 am Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

    Actually, it is a case of "Oy, wake up!Your stood in the middle of the track and there is a train coming!"

    Everyone has the right to reject the claims of Jesus.
    As Christians we have duty to present those claims so that people have the choice.

    Good for that church. Doing what they are supposed to be doing and putting their money where their mouth is!
    The Lord Bless them!

  • Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:28 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 5

    Reminds me of The Borg in Star Trek" "You Must Assimilate".

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