1000 Christians are reaching out

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 18

1000 Christians are reaching out

About 1000 young people are in Christchurch during the Commonwealth Games to conduct a 10day programme of evangelism. The bus shown in the photograph is used to transport some of them from the Methodist Children’s Home, where about 150 persons are staying. It normally: holds 60. Since last Tuesday, the young people, including 50 from Sydney, 21 from Hawaii, and a few from the Netherlands and England have spent their time between study, lectures at the Opawa Baptist Church, and practical evangelism on the city streets, beaches and Games venues, including Queen! Elizabeth II Park.

The programme is organised by the Games Christian Outreach, an ad hoc body formed some months ago to coordinate the activities of different local churches and Christian organisations during the Games. More than 750 persons are registered for the course full-time and about 200 are involved part-time. The young people, in 34 groups of 25, have been distributing 50,000 copies of various literature printed by Rhema Press. The Dean of Christchurchi (the Very Rev. M. L.| Underhill) has offered: the group the use of thej Cathedral grounds. Open! air meetings are conducted there nightly by| open-air campaigners.

who have all their South Island caravans in the city. Their programme at Opawa Baptist Church has included lectures by Dr W. J. Baxter, senior minister at the Christian Temple in British Columbia, who is touring New Zealand and Australia; Mr L. Eims, director of interational evangelism for the Navigators, an interdenominational Christian organisation; and Mr C. Strittmatter, national Australian director for the same organisation.

The Navigators held a national congress on discipleship before the commencement of the Games, which drew 800 and was a starting point for the Games Christian Outreach programme.