“The UK has always been a missionary sending nation. But where are the missionaries God is calling now?” These words reverberated in Steiger Europe Director Luke’s prayers every time he would think about or visit his home country, the UK. “The churches felt rigid, like they were stuck somehow,” he shared. “I was tired of going there and speaking and seeing a blank expression in return, especially among young people.”
Since October of 2022, Steiger’s been pioneering a team in London, and even with the faithfulness and determination of our missionaries, it’s been difficult. “We’ve been calling people to come, to go on the streets to share Jesus, and we were not seeing people respond,” Luke said. Still, in partnership with The Send, our Steiger Team geared up for a training and evangelism event in central London this July, praying desperately for breakthrough.
Nearly 400 young people showed up!
The church was packed with young people crying out to God.
The event lasted for 3 days. Each day, the participants gathered in an old Anglican Church in the center of the city and cried out to God on behalf of London. “The atmosphere was so contagious that strangers walking by kept coming into the church,” Luke shared. “People are used to these being museums - they go to the church to look at the pretty old windows, but this time the church was full of young people crying out to God. And people couldn’t help but just walk in and sit and listen.”
At one point, a gay couple came in together from outside. “Can we be here?” they asked, “Can we come in?” The volunteers at the door welcomed them in and invited them to stay. Throughout the entire time of worship, they were in tears, experiencing the presence of God.
Young believers poured out their hearts asking God to move in London.
The first night alone, 44 people entered the church from off the streets to see what was going on.
But the group didn’t just stay in the church. They poured out into the city, boldly sharing Jesus in places like Leicester Square and in front of the Tate Modern. They worshiped and cheered on the streets, “You have to know why we’re celebrating!” They told people passing by, “God is alive! And He is for you!”
God moved tangibly during the time of outreach.
For most of the participants, this was their first experience sharing their faith with strangers, let alone doing any sort of creative evangelism. Steiger volunteer, Skye, worked with one couple from Iceland as they learned how to use The Greatest Masterpiece tool to share how much God was willing to pay to save His children. Though they started out timid, by the end of the night, they were boldly sharing about Jesus’ love and sacrifice. “They were really excited about creating something like that back in Iceland.”
To conclude the event, The Send held a final gathering at Wembley Arena. Over 5,000 young people showed up, committing to missions and evangelism. Over 600 registered to be involved in local evangelism and 500 for cross-cultural missions. Over the course of the event, participants gave out 9,000 copies of the gospel of John with links to Steiger’s IsThereMore spiritual conversations and Bible study resources, and 225 people made first-time commitments to follow Jesus.
When Luke shared the Gospel from the stage, 200 young people gave their lives to Jesus and clicked a QR code to request follow up.
“We’re seeing a move of God,” said Luke, “in London and in different churches, not only related to Steiger and The Send. God is moving in a really special way in the UK right now and it’s exciting to be a part of that.”
Over the next year, Steiger will be involved in similar events all over the UK - in other parts of England, as well as in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
Please join us in praising God for this incredible work He’s doing across the UK and continue to pray for long-term impact - that many more workers will say yes to His call and many more of His lost children will decide to follow Him.