Louise Gibson, LCM Director of Fundraising, shares the first time she went door to door bringing the love of Jesus to people in Vauxhall.
Louise Gibson, LCM Director of Fundraising, shares the first time she went door to door bringing the love of Jesus to people in Vauxhall.
I joined London City Mission at the beginning of September. During my first few weeks, I expected to meet many colleagues from other teams as well as my own immediate team.
I was excited to have some days set aside for ministry experience, and one of those was at Hope Church in Vauxhall, not far from where I live. Within this was a lunch club, followed by Bible study, and also a door-to-door ministry.
I have been a Christian for many years, and so joining a Bible study is familiar territory. And I never say no to lunch. However, the door-to-door ministry experience was completely new to me.
I have been reading Changing London for quite a few years, and my church supports some LCM missionaries. So, I am aware that LCM missionaries train and support local Christians to visit people in their homes by knocking on their doors as a way to reach people who live on estates. However, I never expected to have the opportunity to take part.
For many people unfamiliar with Vauxhall, it serves as a key transport hub where they can change from a train to the underground or bus. It is also home to the imposing MI6 building on the south side of the Thames, as well as many privately owned riverside apartments and a busy nightlife scene. A few streets from this, surrounded by some tower blocks and rows of council houses, is Hope Church.
I met Kevin Croft, LCM’s Field Director for Estates and Seniors, who is also an Elder at Hope Church. Kevin has spent many years in the LCM Vauxhall Christian Centre, now home to Hope Church and knows the area well. Members of his church live on the surrounding estates, and he has knocked on most doors in the area. I therefore knew I would learn a lot from the experience.
It felt daunting walking up to an 11-storey building. Before we entered the tower block, we prayed for God to open doors and hearts to a conversation and invitation to the local church.
Our prayers reminded us that God gives us the role of taking his good news to our loved ones and our neighbours. He doesn’t hold us responsible for their response but calls us to be his faithful witnesses where he has placed us. This took away some of the pressure I was feeling.
The church has produced a simple leaflet outlining its activities to support conversations and provide reassurance that we were who we said we were.
The first hurdle was gaining entry without knowing anyone on the block. Choosing a door number where someone answers and will buzz us in when they hear we are from the local church felt like we were really relying on God’s sovereignty.
The young woman who opened the door for us spoke in hushed tones because her baby was asleep. It was a perfect opportunity to tell her about the weekly Toddler group where she can meet other local mums and get to know the church family.
I am always struck by the fact that one in two people in this city do not know a Christian friend who could share the gospel or invite them to church. Two young women who opened their doors had no idea who we were and weren’t aware that there was a church a matter of yards from their block. They accepted the leaflet about the church and politely closed their doors.
We couldn’t tell from our short interaction what life was like for them. However, they had now met local Christians and had been invited to a local church.
I am praying that the Holy Spirit will prompt them to want to find out more, or to be open to a longer conversation the next time someone from the church comes to their front door.
The experience was far from what I had imagined. It is nerve-wracking to knock on a door and not know the response from the person who lives there, or the discouragement from no one answering.
As others have said, door ministry is relational, and we want to introduce people to Jesus, the most relational person who ever lived.
"I am praying that the Holy Spirit will prompt them to want to find out more, or to be open to a longer conversation the next time someone from the church comes to their front door."
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
Registered Charity No. 247186
