Recently, we looked into the life of Stephen, a leader in the early church, and the first martyr for his faith. He is notable for being willing to boldly share his faith even when his life was at risk. In our context, witnessing also takes boldness and courage, especially as we engage with controversial topics which clash with our Christian understanding of how to live life well. And even if we’re not wracking our brains trying to come up with eloquent responses to difficult questions, we’re held back by the familiar challenges of pride, lack of time and energy, and perhaps a fear of sharing deeply with those who don’t yet know Jesus.
And yet, we are called to do it, with love and grace.
When my life turned upside down two years ago with the birth of my son, I was disoriented by the transition from working a full-time job to becoming a stay-at-home mum, with a whole new set of relationships to navigate. I soon saw an opportunity in neighbourhood mums who were also as lonely, tired, overwhelmed and bored as I was. I decided to intentionally form friendships with them so that we could get through these tough infant days together. So, we began a podcast group, in which we would listen to a different podcast each week and meet together to discuss it. Our kids would play along in my living room as we chatted about the podcasts but eventually branched off into deeper chats about our upbringing, lives, hopes and fears.
I’ve become quite close to a few of these mums over the past two years and have even been able to share the gospel with one of them. We’re planning on reading a book about Christianity together and even in the face of cancelled meetups, busyness and toddler issues (all the things that come with mum friendship, basically), I’m amazed by the work God is doing in my friendships with these women. Because of this unique stage in our lives, we’ve been able to meet up frequently and have forged a closer bond than perhaps we might have done at another point in our lives.
I have chatted with a few other Grace Londoners on how they are witnessing to others in their everyday lives and found a few really encouraging stories to share with you (below). We may not all be Stephen but we can witness in our own ways and rest in the knowledge that God is at work in the lives of the people around us.
I hold 1:1 time every few weeks with the team I manage at work where we discuss work and personal stuff. In those conversations, I try my best to weave in my faith. I would also invite them to Salt events. One of the guys came to one of them because he was bored that week and wanted something to do. From that night on, he attended other Salt Live events, joined the Salt Course and eventually, a bible study. Recently, we went on a work trip and had a deep conversation about faith. He has recently started to attend a life group and church on Sundays with his fiancée and both keen to continue on this journey! - Daniel
My cousin was living with us for the last few months and we tried to share pretty much all the parts of our lives with her. We'd invite her to join us for dinners with our life group and if she’s helping me watch my kids, I would encourage her to attend playgroups with other Grace London mum. She also helped us with putting the kids to bed and would overhear us having prayer time with them where they'd ask questions about God. She’s not living with us anymore but I’m hopeful that our time together has exposed her to what being around Christians can be like. - Kate
I play badminton a few times a week and it’s a sport where there’s quite a bit of downtime. At my local club, I played two competitions with one guy and it was easy to get close through that. He shared a lot that was going on in his life. I'm open about my faith with him and others I play with and have extended invites to come with me to church on Sundays. - Timmy
I enjoy random moments of meeting strangers and sharing Christ with them. One night, I was with a friend at a café and we invited a man nearby to join us for a casual drink which turned into a shared meal with deep connections and conversations. We learned that the man had recently gone through a difficult breakup and was feeling lost and shattered. We shared our faith in Christ with him and how He was our anchor amidst life's chaos, heartbreak, and personal struggles. As we walked him home, he expressed gratitude and was moved to tears by the love and hope he experienced through us. This encounter reminds me how we can love and collaborate with the Holy Spirit in simple ways. - Nick