‘He made the stars to shine, He made the rolling sea, He made the mountains high and He made me’ has been sung this summer by thousands of children who have never heard about the death and resurrection of Jesus and whose families never attend a church.
United Beach Missions teams have been sharing the good news of Jesus for a total of 60 weeks at beach resorts in England, Wales, Ireland, as well as in Spain and Portugal. With members as young as 15 but with some in their sixties and older, they have been motivated by a love for the Lord, a love for each other and a love for the lost.
‘You’re not usually interested’
At Benllech in Anglesey a packed all-day programme of games, face painting, crafts, puppet academy, dads’ penalty shoot out, children’s football, tug-of-war and holiday special has led to a great warmth and response from parents. ‘You are not usually interested in that kind of stuff’ was the response of a family member to a man who asked for a DVD in response to a talk at one evening event.
Lyme Regis
Despite attempts last year to close the Lyme Regis mission in Dorset, a great many families attended the Family Olympics. Holiday makers – both Christian and non-Christian, gathered around the team and expressed their deep support and appreciation of the mission. Relationships with the local council officials have been very good. ‘18 months ago Jesus saved my life’ were thrilling words from a man who’d been challenged to ‘stop sitting on the fence’ and given a book by a team member two years ago. He said that reading the book changed his life and he is now part of a loving church family.
Portugal and history
In Portugal’s Torrevieja beach mission families enjoyed activities and listened to the message every evening and children won Bibles through learning verses through the week.
A guided ‘History Trail’ around Whitby with a particular emphasis on the town’s Christian heritage reached holidaymakers in the town.
Tens of thousands of items of innovative literature have been given out – such as the Beach Team’s magazine format ‘Beach Special’, ‘Real Lives’ and ‘Answers’ DVDs and John’s Gospels with QR codes. Several hundred children, many from non-Christian homes, have asked to join the Postal Bible Club, to study the Bible through the year.
