The tired street has seen better days. Just around the corner, people with drug addictions are struggling to stand. Catford, a ward in Lewisham, can be a place of sharp contrasts: wealth and poverty, hope and despair, all living side by side.
The tired street has seen better days. Just around the corner, people with drug addictions are struggling to stand. Catford, a ward in Lewisham, can be a place of sharp contrasts: wealth and poverty, hope and despair, all living side by side.
“It’s a mission field that’s on our hearts,” says Ransom Church Pastor Mark Paul. “People carry deep pain and search for answers in all the wrong places.”
On Saturday morning in May, the quiet murmur of traffic is interrupted as music starts up, and passersby turn to see where it’s coming from. There’s a man on an electric guitar accompanied by a lady singing worship songs. Other members are giving printed invitations to come to church on Sunday. Another one of the team, Patricia, offers prayer to anyone who walks by.
Within five minutes, a woman staggers up to them. She says her mother has just died and she hasn’t been able to cry for her. As members of the team gather around, tears begin streaming down her face, her shoulders start to shake, and she is embraced by Patricia and others.
The church have had many interactions like this, as they gather together outside Catford Broadway every third Saturday of the month.
It started after Patricia approached missionaries Tim Fielder and Olly Sherwood for support in reaching people the people they saw around them.
“When we first started our partnership with Ransom Church,” Olly remembers, “there were volunteers saying, ‘I could never speak on a mic in the street.’ Now those same people are preaching the word of God boldly and faithfully.”
After Tim and Olly has spent time with the church, and training the team on everything from how to bring Jesus into a conversation to dealing with confrontation, they went out together with a team onto the high street. Central to everything is building relationships.
And they saw God move sooner than they could have imagined.
Daniel, a young man who was just passing on his way to meet a friend and make what he calls “fast money”, was stopped and invited to church.
Daniel’s life had already been marked by hardship. He had suffered a stroke as a child and spent years in and out of hospital. He says the experience left him angry, withdrawn and drifting into the wrong crowd.
On that day in Catford, he heard the team singing. Patricia and another church member, Vanette, stopped to talk with him. What struck Daniel wasn’t just that they handed him a leaflet; it was that they wanted a genuine conversation.
“Some churches will stop you, just give it and that’s it,” he says. “But they wanted to build a relationship.”
The encounter changed the course of his day. Instead of meeting his friend, Daniel cancelled his plans. A few weeks later, he walked through the doors of Ransom Church of God. And Daniel kept coming back.
“Before, I thought church was simply somewhere you went when you felt guilty, somewhere that could wipe the slate clean before you carried on living the same way,” says Daniel. “But here, I learned that it was more about having a relationship with Jesus.”
Over time, things started to change.
"I was baptised because Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. He walks with me every day."
“My relationships at home improved. And I was baptised because Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. He walks with me every day,” says Daniel.
When asked where he would be if nobody had spoken to him that day in Catford, Daniel doesn’t hesitate.
“I’d probably do what I was doing before,” he says. “But I’d probably do it much more.”
For Pastor Paul, Ransom Church of God has a vision that stretches far beyond its own walls.
“God has placed us in one of London’s most diverse boroughs, and we want to reflect the community around us,” he says.
“We want to present Jesus Christ to every colour, every age group. We want to provide a safe place for people to come, be healed and start their journey with God because Jesus is the answer for the world today.
“Many people will never walk into a church building on their own. Fear, past experiences, shame or simple indifference can become barriers. So instead of waiting behind church walls, we want to bring the church to the street.”
Today the church runs the outreach itself. Members have bought their own equipment, continue the monthly evangelism, and have fully embraced the ministry as part of their church life.
Returning recently, Olly was deeply encouraged to see the team still faithfully serving.
“Their enthusiasm has not dwindled,” he says. “They’re still going out.”
And so, on the third Saturday of every month, Ransom Church of God returns to Catford Broadway. They sing. They pray. They listen. They share the good news of Jesus.
Because somewhere in the crowd may be another Daniel – someone searching for hope, waiting for a conversation, and needing to hear that Jesus is the only way.
Whether you live, work, worship or simply have a heart for Lewisham, we'd love you to join us to pray for the borough on Tuesday 20 October - in person and online.
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
