Day in, day out, Eden teams are sharing the love of Jesus in word and action at every opportunity with their neighbours. And they’re seeing God use them as they step out for him.
In Newcastle, the Eden Byker team helps out at The Byker Pantry where, similar to the Community Grocery, people can get the discounted food they need and enjoy a brew with volunteers from Life Vineyard Church. It’s a great way to connect with their neighbours and chat about Jesus.
It’s here Nathan from Eden Byker met James. As they talked, Nathan discovered that James was a huge football fan so invited him along to the community football sessions the Eden team run each Wednesday. That week, James was there and brought his mate Daniel too.
After a few weeks of getting to know each other and having some chats about faith, Nathan invited James and Daniel to the Alpha course the partner church were running – and they both said ‘yes’! They really enjoyed the sessions, getting to hear more about Christianity and having their questions answered.
One week, Daniel told Nathan about some of the struggles he faced with his mental health, sharing how he was feeling. This gave Nathan the chance to pray with Daniel for him to experience the hope, peace and freedom of Jesus, and invited him along to church that Sunday, too.
Although Daniel didn’t come that week, Nathan carried on chatting to him about faith and invited him along to church again. This time, Daniel came and said how much he enjoyed the service. Afterwards, he asked the team to pray for him and said he felt like he was holding back tears. This gave Nathan a great opportunity to tell him about the Holy Spirit and how God was always with Daniel, sharing the gospel again. There and then, Daniel gave his life to Jesus. Since then he’s continued connecting with the Eden team and church, and is growing in his faith!
If you’re passionate about sharing the love of Jesus in your community, why not find out more about joining an Eden team at joineden.org
