What burns in us, and what motivates us is the urgent need for the Church to answer the Great Commission and boldly and publicly preach the Gospel of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible declares that the preaching of the Gospel is “the power of God unto Salvation”. It is the power of God to change people: and by changing people, to change communities, cities and nations. Preaching is God’s way of changing the world for His Glory.
Jesus told the disciples in Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” God has set us in a very special place where all of the nations of the world actually come to us: the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Each year, more than 7 million people from all over the world visit the Smithsonian museums on the Mall – one million people in July alone! Many of these people have never heard the Gospel, and may never hear it in their own countries. The US Supreme Court has held that the National Mall is the quintessential place in the United States for free speech. The word “preach” means to “proclaim loudly” and, because of the First Amendment, we are able to do just that!
Every Saturday when weather permits, we set up on the grass between the National Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. Many Christians have helped us each year as we play live Christian music and talk about Jesus. Some people sit on the park benches or the steps of the Art Gallery to listen. Some spread out blankets on the grass behind us and listen as they eat their lunch. Still others listen as they wait for their bus at the bus stop across the street. Many of the tourists from Asia and Europe videotape the gospel message to play for their friends and family in their home country.
The music that we play is a mix of Christian choruses, contemporary Christian music and “saved oldies” (1960’s rock and roll with the words changed). Between songs (usually for about 30 to 60 seconds at a time) we talk about Jesus, the goodness of God, the hope of the Gospel and the irrevocable consequence of a life without Jesus. The scripture that we repeat over and over all day as people come and go is “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. What we deliberately DO NOT talk about are political issues, moral issues or doctrinal issues that tend to divide even Christians. We believe very strongly that if we can get people in touch with Jesus, He can and will settle the other questions as we all grow in grace.
The ministry is not so much about harvest as it is about sowing seeds (there will be no harvest where no seeds are sown). Thousands of people each year have heard the Gospel since we started in 1997. Many people are hearing the Good News for the first time. Some have heard but are trying not to think about it – we remind them. Some have even known Jesus but have fallen away. The message to everybody is the same: “What about God? Who is Jesus to you? What is your life really about?”.
We greatly appreciate your prayers and support! God bless you! Russ and Jill, Chris, Lynn and Iris.