Page 15 - News Autumn_Winter 2024_Print

SHARING

THE WATER

OF LIFE

The Bedford River Festival is a biannual
festival held on the River Ouse in Bedford
town. An estimated 300,000 visitors
attended this year and it was a great
opportunity for GOOD NEWS for Everyone!
members to share the Gospel and give out
New Testaments, HOPE magazines and
Discover magazines. Duncan Mountford,
Bedfordshire North Branch Chair, provided
this report on behalf of the team involved.

“This year the weather was warm and sunny and around Several older people expressed interest in the New
20 members, Friends, and local churches helped with Testament and Large Print versions were gratefully
the distributions on both Saturday and Sunday. In received by them.
total over 2600 New Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs As a result of the outreach, we pray our witness has
were given out and there were many opportunities for touched many people directly and indirectly. Although
explaining the Gospel and the Christian faith to people some refused to take a Testament, many people noticed
from literally every corner of the globe. that there were Christians prepared to witness for their
John Bunyan, the puritan preacher, has a close faith in public.
connection with the town as he was a local man, God can use our imperfect words and witness in ways
baptised in the river in 1628 and later imprisoned on the that we cannot fathom to bring people to faith. We know
Town Bridge for his uncompromising faith. He is a local that we cannot change a single heart because it is a work
hero with a statue in the town centre. In a sense, we are of God’s Holy Spirit working through His Word. To God be
following in Bunyan’s footsteps.
the praise and glory.
We spoke to several converted prisoners whose lives
had been radically transformed by the Gospel. One of
them found a GOOD NEWS for Everyone! Testament
in his prison cell and started reading it. He was deeply
converted, and his life of sin and drugs was transformed
as a result. We encouraged him to keep going even
when it’s hard.
Several people were genuinely interested and asked
directly what the Gospel was. The summary of the
Gospel and the ‘sinner’s prayer’ were pointed out on the
back pages of the New Testament to these people and
they were encouraged to say the ‘sinner’s prayer’ from
the heart.
A family visiting from China spoke very good English
and were interested in the Christian faith ‘from a
cultural perspective’. They took a Testament and were
very appreciative.
In Bedford, we have a particular heart for and ministry
to Ukrainian refugees and several Ukrainian New
Testaments were given out to the delight of the
recipients. Approximately 30 foreign language New
Testaments were distributed.

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