During a Switched On evangelism campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in August of last year, a former, notorious gang leader, Xola Ngxolo and members of his gang all accepted Jesus during evening meetings in a tent in Zwide. Ngxolo, who was crippled after he was stabbed by a rival gang member about six months before, came to the tent to seek prayer for healing and to surrender his life to the Lord, says Zwide pastor Kenny Nonkonyana.
“His [Ngxolo’s] whole group came as well when they saw their boss surrendering to the Lord. At first we thought we were being invaded,” said Nkonyana. The other gang members just observed that night but on subsequent evenings one by one they all accepted Jesus.” Nkonyana says the former gangsters assured him it was no longer necessary to guard the tent through the night, saying: “We were the robbers in the area.
Now no-one will take anything.” Nkonyana says he facilitated four tent crusades in two tents as part of the citywide mission in partnership with the churches of NMB and African Enterprise. His team of about 50 youth evangelists have also done regular “dawn broadcasts” in which they get up at 5am and pray for half an hour before walking through the streets of the neighbourhood preaching the Gospel. In an extension of their ongoing taverns ministry they also preached outside a popular sports bar at about 5am as revellers left the establishment and they did door to door evangelism in the neighbourhood. He says that people have come to Christ through all of these activities.
Nonkonyana has also been getting into schools in East London to share the Gospel and he has been holding a crusade in
the Umtata area. He says God has given him a heart for the many hundreds of impoverished villages scattered across the
Transkei hills. “Not many pastors are prepared to go to and stay in the villages but there are many souls there,” he says. He has already planted a church in a village and he is currently training missionaries to send them to pastor new village church plants.
Nonkonyana believes the Switched On mission has been strategic for the city and for himself. “Without it I do not believe I would be so committed to soul winning and crusades as I am now. Switched On has really switched me on!” Leaders who participated are busy with follow-up action to ensure that new believers become disciples. The Switched On Steering Committe Chairman Rev Rory Spence says: “We are opting to remain as a ‘Missions task force’ to lend our combined experience and resources to back selectively chosen future initiatives such as an annual men’s camp for the whole city, an annual citywide children’s camp, possibly an annual youth camp, and to assist the OM ship which will visit Port Elizabeth in mid-2016…”
Source: Gateway News
Bible Study: Proverbs 18:10
PRAISE God for this effective outreach and that many Christians are “switched on.”
PRAY that the converts will be effectively discipled, including the former gangsters.