There were several churches represented at the meeting. Each of these pastor's had their churches pounding the streets for weeks getting the word out about the crusades, and also they worked very hard to transform the field into a place where we could hold the meetings. They had to knock down a lot of weeds, then bring in a machine to level the field off, then treat it with some disinfectant and begin setting up the stage, sound, lighting and seating area. This took a lot of time and significant effort.
We had a specific message we wanted to get across to the pastors, which was that they should continue to join forces even after the crusades to reach the community. These men were to be given information of those who respond to the gospel at the meetings, depending upon where the person lived in the area, and were to be responsible for follow up and discipleship.
One of the great things we were able to experience here is to have communion with these men of God. It was really special.
That evening, we held a small crusade in the slums of Chennai. Our original plan only included holding the three big nights of crusades, but at the last moment, Josh called me and asked if we had an extra $400. He said he could throw together some smaller crusades with just a small amount of money, so I said, "Lets do it!"
This was one of those meetings. When we arrived, I was pretty nervous. This place was a real dump and looked dangerous. I was especially nervous because we had needed to convert some dollars to rupees, and I had about ten years worth of the average person's wages in my duffle bag!
About 300 people turned out for our "small" crusade, and after many people responded to the altar call, we came down from the stage and layed hands on everyone who came forward for prayer. The setting was in a 30' wide alleyway between two tall, 4 or 5 story apartment buildings. People were hanging out of windows and balconies to listen. The street was packed full of chairs and people standing on the sides. Once we were in there, we weren't g
etting out until it was over. Josh laughed at me when I told him i made me nervous. What if these people didnt like what four americans had to say? We stuck out like sore thumbs.But, it was a very fruitful crusade, and many souls were added to the kingdom of God. We were constantly surrounded by children who for some reason kept calling me "Stone Cold!" Wrestling is apparently very popular in India.
Keep the fire burning for Jesus wherever you may be!
See you on the streets!