A team of 12 members of Champion Forest Baptist Church, Houston arrived at St John, Newland in Hull for a seven-day mission in November, with local church members led by US super lawyer, Mark Lanier.
Mark is one of the top ten trial lawyers in America and teaches an adult class of around 800 at his home church in Houston (biblical-literacy.org). He has recently published a book, Christianity on Trial (IVP) which has already sold 15,000 copies in the States.
A variety of activities were engaged in to get the gospel out to as many people as possible. These included American Football, a craft evening, an American themed evening and a coach outing for 100 senior citizens. Through all these events the gospel message was shared movingly and with conviction.
A lunchtime meeting at which Mark Lanier spoke on ‘Atheism on Trial’ attracted around 130 people and an evening event, ‘Christianity on Trial’, gathered 350. Dr Janet Siefert, an astrobiologist from Rice University, Texas, gave a lunchtime talk to students and staff on the relationship between her faith and the science of the origins of life. Both morning and evening services at St Johns saw over 300 gathering at each, as well as a special service at the Riverside church plant. A good number of people have signed up for a follow-up course.
Hull has one of the lowest church attendance figures in the UK. St John’s and its congregations are now blessed with over 400 each Sunday. The vicar, Melvin Tinker, commented: ‘This has been one of the most significant weeks in the 180-year history of our church. To see so many non-Christians coming under the sound of the gospel and see hearts changed is a joy beyond measure’.
