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After the event I wrote to one of the guys who stood outside in the rain to worship just to say what an encouragement it was to see him lost in worship despite the rain. This is what he wrote back to me,,,
"When it was raining I found the more I worshipped the less I noticed the rain. The disciples worshipped in prison and that has always made be release that nothing should ever stop us worshipping."
What an amazing perspective to have - "Nothing should ever stop us worshipping." How easy it is sometimes to stop worshipping God when things aren't going quite to plan. How easy it can be to lose our thankfulness for what God is doing and instead focus on what He's not doing. And how easy it can be sometimes to be distracted by the things around us rather than the God who lives within us. I'm so grateful I got to see these worshippers model such pure unhindered love for Jesus in that moment, it will be a lesson I remember for a long time.
After a couple of hours, the rain did eventually stop. I later found out that the rain was actually a big help to the Prayer Teams who were offering prayer in the gazebos, because it kicked started loads of people receiving prayer when they came into the gazebos to get out of the rain. And it was awesome to hear one team leader tell me afterwards that the first person who came to receive prayer from them decided to become a Christian after receiving prayer! It was such an amazing testimony of God at work even amidst the rain.
Aside from these amazing testimonies, the event was special day for so many reasons. At the heart of the event was a invitation to Christians from across Newcastle to unite together in worship, and that's exactly what we saw happen. We saw Christians from different denominations join together in their love of Jesus. We saw worship bands from different churches, each bring their unique sound to lead God's people in praise. We saw the different ministries from around the city working together to host a day that we knew would be significant in the city.
We're so excited and grateful for what God did and the event and we're already looking forward to what He will do with next year's event. Thank you to all those of you who prayed and believed with us for what God was doing with this here in Newcastle. We're grateful for all your support.
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And from elsewhere around the UK...
One of the exciting things about running Worship In The Park, was hearing a story about what God was also doing down south in Winchester. A few months before our event, God had given a dream to Steve Abley (leader of Burn 24/7 Winchester) where He told Steve to put a tent up on the grass outside Winchester Cathedral and host a 3 day worship and prayer event. The scale was larger than what was happening in Newcastle, but the vision was the same - unite various ministries (also consisting of healing, prophecy and evangelism teams) in hosting a worship and prayer event that would bring worshippers from around the city together to worship, and be a blessing to the people of in the city. And with this (and a whole load of prayer-soaked work) Tent On The Green was born:
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It's easy to see the similarities in what God was doing with both of these events that were born independently of one another and yet carried the same heart and it's exciting to think about what He is doing to do in the UK at this time. A couple of years ago, a friend highlighted to me a significant pattern with what God is doing around the country and across the world. Over the last few years God has raised up specific ministries from within the church and taken them out onto the streets where those who don't yet know Jesus live, work, rest and play. In Healing On The Streets, God has refined the gift of healing in His people and is now leading people to take this gift to those in pain. In Street Pastors, God has raised up the compassionate and care-givers, and has led them to take their strength to those in need of care. In ministries like Treasure Hunting, God has sharpened the gift of prophecy and is now calling these prophets to those in need of hearing the Father's voice. And now through ministries like Worship On The Streets and Burn 24/7 (a global worship network which interestingly is seeing it's current highest level of growth in the UK), God is resurrecting the ministry of street worship and calling His songwriters, musicians and worshippers out onto the streets to sing of His love and change the atmospheres in city centres around the world.
We're believing that what God is doing with street worship is not just for a select few to do but that He is looking for others to get involved. And so we're asking those we know whether God is calling them also to either lead worship in the streets where they are or support those who are doing it.
If you're feeling God is calling you to join in with what He's doing with street worship in any capacity, then we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at info@worshiponthestreets.co.uk, connect with us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Or if you'd like strengthen the vision God has given us to see street worship happening across the UK, then would you consider supporting us financially which will free up our time to share the vision with others and help train other worshippers to go onto the streets themselves? If so, then you can give either a one-off donation or become a regular supporter through this link, or you can contact us for more information about the ministry. We'd love to answer any questions you have and look forward to hearing from you.
These are exciting times in the Church in the UK, and God is waking up His Bride to the possibilities we have in worship - undefined by the culture around us and unconfined by our church buildings and comfort zones. Whether it's choosing to worshipping in the rain in a park, on the streets in a bustling city centre, amidst difficult circumstances in our own personal lives or simply choosing to focus on Jesus amidst the many distractions that are thrown at us in the normal course of a day, let it always be said of us, "Nothing will ever stop us worshipping."
Thanks so much for following Worship On The Streets, for your prayers and support.
Much love,
Aaron
Worship On The Streets
"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:3
P.S. Next month. we'll be back at David's Tent with a stall in the Community Tent. We look forward to connecting with those of you we met there last year as well as connecting with those of you we didn't but are coming this time!
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