“There’s a great need for the gospel, but there’s a great gospel for the need!” says missionary in Hackney, James Tredgett.

For the past few months, James has been helping Pastor Nat Charles and St Barnabas Dalston church reach their local community with the good news of Jesus.

“When I first met Nat, we just clicked. He’s a great reminder to me that the Lord hasn’t given up,” says James, “God is still at work and there’s still people that are committed to truth and reaching their communities for Christ.”

“Something we’d like to do with LCM,” says Pastor Nat, “is to start thinking - how do we build on what we’ve already got going on, and how can we start broadening those ministries so that we’re reaching more people?

“Something that James has helped us with is door-knocking. It’s led to some really helpful, interesting conversations, and relationships are beginning to develop!”

A member from the church, Ellie, came door-knocking with James for the first time this year. After just wanting to observe him at first, she soon gained confidence to take on conversations with the neighbours herself.

Now other church members are coming on board too, growing in confidence as they attend the training sessions run by James.

“James, it takes me months to get into these conversations that you can get into in minutes! Why aren’t more Christians doing this?!” – “I love that quote from Ellie,” says James.

“People are getting hooked on the freedom we have to just go out and knock on doors and get into these conversations.”

“5-6 people from the church are coming out with us, often for the first time!

“It’s why I’m here …I want to work myself out of a job where the churches I train are then able to take it and make it their own.

“I remember a story I heard recently. It was a stormy night and a child was walking on the beach the next morning. The beach is full of starfish all washed up, and there are 1000s of them. And as the child goes along, one at a time, he throws each starfish back into the ocean and rescues it. Then an old man comes along and says to him; “This is pointless – there’s too many – 1000s – you’re not going to make a difference.” Then the child bends down, throws another starfish in the water and says, “it made a difference to that one.”

“I just want to make a difference to one person at a time. One gospel conversation at a time.”

Prayer points:

- Give thanks for Pastor Nat and the church’s enthusiasm to get to know the communities around them. Pray for their passion to continue and grow.

- Pray for church volunteers not only coming to the monthly Saturday door-knocking sessions organised by James, but are giving up extra Saturdays to go out on their own initiative to meet people in their community.

- Pray for Pastor Nat to stand strong in the truth and to faithfully lead the congregation to welcome all types of people from their community. Give thanks for the encouragement he’s already been to James.