“Our hope for Wollongong was that we would put on an evangelistic rally where hundreds would come, and in that group would be hundreds of Christian young adults bringing non-Christian friends, family and workmates,” says Dave Jensen, the assistant director of Evangelism and New Churches. 

And in March, almost 500 young people filled Figtree Anglican Church for the first ALIVE event and one in 10 didn’t call themselves Christians. All present heard the gospel clearly proclaimed and received an invitation to trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. An invitation that a huge number of people responded to, asking to be put in contact with local churches – an exciting answer to prayer for the team behind the events.

The ALIVE rallies are a series of one-night gospel events centred on the proclamation of Jesus Christ. This is done through song, testimony, Bible reading and hearing a sermon. 

“We decided not to shy away from Christian things that might seem weird, like singing together,” Mr Jensen says. “We have the Bible read from a physical Bible. People may have never seen that before.”

In Wollongong, one in two people in the 2021 Census said they were associated with Christianity. Just over a third of people identified as having no religion. Mr Jensen and the team wanted to draw on the experience people may have had with Christianity through visiting a youth group, or attending a wedding or chapel at school.  

“We’re making a prediction that, for most of the non-Christians who come, in modern-day Australia they have had some kind of exposure to Chrisitan things before,” Mr Jensen says. 

“We wanted it to feel like a Sunday gathering, where Christians sing and people are welcomed. We want the rallies to feel comfortable for a Christian and not disturbingly weird for a non-Christian. We make a big effort to welcome people – we want them to feel loved.” 

The ALIVE rallies are shaped by a single conviction: that the most effective and enduring evangelism happens in and through the local church. So, ALIVE seeks to serve, strengthen and mobilise the local church for gospel impact.

“We want to see people made alive in Christ and churches strengthened for the work of the gospel,” Mr Jensen says. “It happens through the proclamation of the gospel, and also through the connection of new Christians or interested young adults into local churches. Pray that we would see people come to know Christ and that we would wisely follow up and help people connect with local churches.” 

Five more ALIVE rallies are planned for Sydney’s north, south, city, west and northern beaches between June and September (see the website here). Combined, these venues will have a capacity of 4500 people. The team is praying for hundreds of non-Christians to be reached and rescued through these rallies. 

PRAY

• Give thanks for all who attended the Wollongong ALIVE rally and invited friends to hear the gospel
• Pray for young adults to boldly take opportunities to share Jesus with others and invite friends to future rallies
• Pray that the friends, family and coworkers of young people will be captivated by the gospel and connect into local church communities 
• Pray that ALIVE will partner with and bless churches, complementing their existing ministries