Coming to faith at the Brighton Fringe
A team from the church had been invited by OAC to volunteer at a provocative art exhibition it had curated. Called A Sideways Look, it contained contemporary photographic interpretations of Old Masters paintings with text to help contemporary audiences re-think spiritual issues.
At the same time in the nearby precinct area, other OAC Evangelists gave brief messages accompanied by sketchboard painting. Church volunteers were on hand to discuss these themes with spectators.
After one presentation a spectator began talking about Christianity to Community Chaplain and Holland Road member Phillip Deuk - and during the course of the conversation the man, called Les, gave his life to Christ.
‘As part of the team, I attended the two hour slot that OAC offered us,' Phillip explained. 'At the end of a presentation, the man standing next to me lingered. Evidently he was open to talk.
'After a few exchanges it was apparent that, though very positive about the faith, he had not committed his life to the Lord. When asked if he would like to, he said yes and I shared the Gospel with him. He then allowed me to lead him in a prayer of commitment.’
It emerged that Les’ spiritual journey spans years. In his school days, one of his music teachers wrote Christian songs. Later when a friend moved overseas, he travelled half-way around the world to visit him in Australia. There he attended his friend’s church which made a great impression - and of course people had been praying for him.
Since the conversation Phillip has kept in contact, and Les was baptised on Sunday (12 July).
The baptismal service was "a special and encouraging day" for Holland Road Baptist Church, said Phillip, adding, ‘It was a real pleasure to see, especially for those who went out.'
Les has plans to do the Alpha course this autumn to continue to develop his new faith.
OAC is an evangelical ministry which works in partnership with the local church, ‘Presenting Christ by all means everywhere’ with particular emphasis on open air evangelism.
Its exhibition was designed by OAC National Director Martin Holmes. Remaining true to the original art and biblical ethos, striking variations emerged such as Mary Magdalene reformatting her laptop.
Baptist Times, 15/07/2015