Looking back over the years that we have been doing the Cross in Town it is difficult to know what difference we have made to Reading.
We know that we have challenged Christians to be more public about their faith. We know that a few find what we do to be strange, if not downright weird. We have felt that an ongoing "silent" witness of the cross has been the right thing to do. We have had a few preaching evangelists come by over time, but always we have felt uncomfortable about that and prefer to let people be challenged by the sight of the cross.
There is something about the literal land/place which is vital to the whole town.
Our vision is threefold :-
Firstly simply
to remind people
about Jesus and to provoke their
thinking about Him. We have been struck by just how much power there literally
is in the cross.
Secondly to pray for the town, quietly and genuinely. Seeing people's faces and eyes makes our prayer so much more poignant.
Thirdly to speak to people, if they approach us. We have had some valuable conversations.
Is what we do having any effect?
We have continued since 1998 simply because we have not sensed God say "stop".I have asked the team many times if they felt it was time. Even in the summer of 2004 as we lost yet another valued team member, going overseas on mission, on the very day we were questioning whether to continue, we had the largest number of people come to speak to us in a long time. We do seem to attract the somewhat extreme characters.
Many who stop to speak to us clearly have psychiatric or possibly even demonic problems. It is amazing what reactions the cross creates in the odd passer-by. However if we were not there they would not have that chance to challenge or ask questions and in some cases ask for prayer and help.
There has been much prophetic stuff spoken into Reading over the years. the bit that sticks with me was "Hold the Centre Ground". That is why I have been so involved both with the cross, in the Forbury, with FAITH Christian Group (www.faith-reading.org.uk) in the town centre and with the Boiler Room.
Currently we meet Wednesdays from 1.00 till 2.00 pm Broad Street - outside Boots
