It was a cold morning at Watney Market in the East End when LCM Missionary Matt and fellow team member Mason set up their stand. They were participating in Believe in Jesus (BiJ) – an evangelistic campaign that engages people on the street in conversation about Jesus.

The market was already busy, with shoppers moving between stalls and greeting friends and stallholders. The BiJ team were there with bright yellow signs, ready to be available and approachable to anyone who might stop by.

Matt and Mason didn’t have to wait very long.

“We had just barely set up when Leon* approached us,” Matt recalls. “He spoke of having been a Christian previously, but experienced financial abuse and now was calling himself Muslim to some extent. We spoke openly about matters of faith, and he asked us to pray for him at the end. He took John’s gospel with him.”

Spirit-inspired Gospel conversations

For the next couple of hours, a steady stream of people approached the table, each with their own questions and perspectives.

Matt and Mason spoke with a young Catholic man who wasn’t sure why Jesus’ death mattered, a Greek Orthodox man concerned about church corruption, and a man wrestling with the idea of a single truth. Some conversations were positive, while others were more challenging – such as a Somali Muslim man who firmly rejected the Christian message.

Several people took Bibles in Sylheti, and Matt also shared a gospel tract with a young man who had just left the mosque.

“I came away from the market quietly encouraged by the range of people who were willing to stop and talk,” says Matt. “Even when conversations were challenging, it reminded me why it’s important for us to be present and available.”

For the past three months, volunteers from churches in Tower Hamlets, as well as LCM missionaries and members of Queen Mary Christian Union, joined forces to share the gospel from Limehouse to Mile End, from the market square to a university campus.

In eight locations, over 30 sessions, more than 70 Christians involved in the campaign had hundreds of gospel conversations.

Sharing Jesus beyond a book table on the high street

Tower Hamlets is one of the most culturally and religiously diverse boroughs in the UK. It is home to long‑established Christian communities, a large Muslim population, students from across the world, and residents shaped by a wide variety of life experiences and beliefs. For Matt, this diversity makes the borough a significant place for thoughtful ways to share the gospel with others who live, work, and study in Tower Hamlets.

Throughout the campaign, Matt and the LCM team worked closely with local churches to help them step onto the streets of Tower Hamlets to share the good news. This included helping churches plan outreach activities, providing evangelistic resources, offering practical advice on engaging in conversations well, and gathering people online for shared prayer.

For Andy, who attends East London Tabernacle (ELT), the BiJ campaign provided a wonderful opportunity to invite people from the Bengali Muslim Community Association to church. Encouraged by the conversations at the book tables, members of the local mosque congregation were invited to share a meal with ELT members shortly before Easter.

“We are giving thanks for meeting new Muslim friends and reconnecting with familiar faces from years ago. We also praise God for the opportunity to share about Jesus as the Lamb of God,” says Andy.

When churches unite for Jesus

Hundreds of gospel tracts were distributed, and churches reported meaningful conversations week after week. What encouraged Matt the most was seeing churches step out together with a shared sense of purpose.

“When we combine efforts, pray for one another, and support each other on the ground, it gives us confidence to keep going.”

Matt adds, “Campaigns like Believe in Jesus help Christians learn how to have real conversations about faith, not just hand out Christian literature. They also help us understand what our communities actually think about Christianity.”

And for churches wondering whether to get involved, his message is simple:

“When we show up on the high street, people notice. Connections are made, relationships are built, and opportunities open up that we would never have seen otherwise,” he says.

“My hope is that churches in Tower Hamlets would continue to grow in confidence – not just during specific campaigns, but throughout the year. When churches pray together, step out together, and learn from one another, the gospel becomes visible in very ordinary places.”