Peter Hayward / Bishop of Wollongong and Chair of ‘Hope for the Illawarra’
IS THERE A PLACE FOR LARGE EVENTS AND MASS EVANGELISM IN TODAY’S CULTURE?
When ministers in the Illawarra Region were approached two years ago to ascertain whether they would be willing to invite Dr Michael Youssef to speak at an evangelistic rally in the Illawarra, the consensus was that the time for such initiatives had passed.
But today, approximately 90 local churches are partnering together in “Hope for the Illawarra”, a ministry initiative that will culminate in large-scale outreach events at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre on 28 and 29 March 2025.
So what changed?
A not insignificant factor was that people know Dr Michael Youssef. Michael is a graduate of Moore College and remains a supporter of the College. His ministry started in the Wollongong Region at Caringbah in the mid-1970s. He has pastored the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, U.S.A. since its commencement in the late 1980s, and he is also known locally through his Leading the Way ministry. Leading the Way has already undertaken similar events mobilising churches in Cairo, Dublin, Belfast, Boston and Mexico City, so of course the next obvious location was the Illawarra!
However, a number of other factors led to the change. First, the most significant factor was that the gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed:
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). Salvation is found in no other name (Act 4:12). Speaking and sharing the hope of Jesus is what Christians do. Succumbing to the temptation of cultural withdrawal is not an option. Indeed, Christians driving down to the Illawarra from the escarpment will see the vista of 400,000 people laid out before their eyes. With eyes shaped by the Bible’s testimony, this view is a constant reminder that thousands upon thousands of people, like the Ninevites, “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11).
Second, we considered our context for evangelism. The receptiveness of the Australian culture to proselytisation has not improved recently, and in addition, the reported number of converts has declined markedly over the last 20 years. Indeed, the Illawarra has seen a larger decline than many other regions.
Third, as local ministers came to understand the heart of Dr Youssef and his Leading the Way Global Outreach team, they came to appreciate the enormous generosity of the offer. Leading the Way’s magnanimity and resources allowed us to work together in a way that would otherwise be unlikely. What was intended was not an overseas speaker flying in for a large-scale event and then flying out again; instead, this was personal, invitational evangelism focused on local churches. “Hope for the Illawarra” would commit to strengthening local churches so that existing Christians would be revitalised and new converts would be discipled into churches. Leading the Way is committed to staying in the Illawarra until 90 per cent of those who decide to follow Jesus are discipled into the life of a local church.
Fourth, the local churches were encouraged to take ownership of the outreach and shape it according to their local circumstances. There are many examples, but two are indicative. Firstly, the initial proposal was to hold one outreach event with Dr Youssef on 29 March. But the local churches thought a more comprehensive and effective outreach across the Illawarra would be achieved by adding a children’s event with Adam Jolliffe and Colin Buchanan on the morning of Saturday 29 March and a youth event with Dave Jensen the same evening. Secondly, we realised that the proposed training material, which had been developed in the USA and designed to strengthen Christian walk and witness, was not the best fit for our local context. Leading the Way agreed to a local training course, Sharing Hope: Equipping you to share the hope of Jesus in an uncertain world, being developed. During February, this course will be presented at 12 regional training events. A version has also been produced for use in small groups. Most “Hope for the Illawarra” efforts focus on the preparation before the events: with approximately 90 churches involved, the aim is to strengthen Christians, encourage prayerful invitations and partner across churches.
Lastly, the focus on personal invitations reminded us that 68 per cent of Australians indicated that they were likely attend a Christian event if personally invited. Of course, such statistics are played out in the complexity of life and in the world’s lack of social cohesion. But it was an encouragement to us that such events could still work.
As a result, “Hope for the Illawarra” is now gearing up. It has been a joy to see what has been happening in preparation for the outreach events on 28 and 29 March. The churches across the Illawarra expect God to be at work. Prayerfully, we ask him to call many to eternal life through the efforts of all the churches.
To find out more about Hope for the Illawarra, visit www.hopefortheillawarra.com.au.
- Thank God for his life-changing gospel and for the partnership that the Illawarra churches have been able to forge with Leading the Way.
- Ask God to bless Christians in the Illawarra with opportunities and the boldness to invite friends and family to the 28 and 29 March outreach events.
- Ask God to equip Dr Michael Youssef, Adam Jolliffe, Colin Buchanan and Dave Jensen to speak his word clearly and faithfully. Ask him to have mercy on the lost so that many will come to know Jesus.
- Ask God to use “Hope for the Illawarra” for his glory.
