OAC Publications
Borderlines
December 1997

FESTIVAL OUTREACH '97

by Richard Kemp

The Avignon Festival is one of the biggest international art festivals and draws huge numbers of people from France and around the world. Like many great festivals there is an official programme, in this case the festival 'in', and a large fringe programme, the festival 'off'. In addition, the streets fill with performers who hope to draw big crowds and lots of francs, or even the possibility of a place in the 'off' festival the following year. This is the backdrop for Festival Outreach.

This year's team numbered thirty-three for the first week and seventeen for the second. Apart from the first few evenings when the Mistral (a cold north wind) frightened people off, the festival evenings were wild, warm and wonderful. During the first week we worked in two groups, one in front of the mediaeval Popes' Palace and the other in the town centre. We presented a programme of music, mime and sketchboard messages which drew large crowds (50-150) and led to many fruitful one-to-one conversations between the team members and those who stopped.

A group from a large church in Bristol who had made a big input to the music and mime had to leave us for the second week. However, everyone regrouped very quickly and filled the music and mime slots by the beginning of the second week. We worked as a single group along the main axis of the town where most of the festival street acts happen. More good crowds and conversations ensued, leaving the team very encouraged.

France at present is very sensitive about the rise of religious cults, and we were twice approached by the police, who were clearly considering shutting our 'street act' down. After some discussion, they seemed satisfied that we were OK and went away to check out our protestant evangelical credentials. One of them commented that it was unusual to see Christians presenting their faith 'up front' in the streets.

The open-airs attracted a fair amount of attention from some North African lads who seemed both intrigued and at times hostile. One of them, having prayed with a member of the team, came back every night and stayed right through each evening. He ended up announcing to his friends that he was now a Christian. He later joined the church for an evening hike and picnic. Pray for him since he risks a lot of problems with his Muslim friends.

The aspect of the mission that particularly struck me was the spirit of prayer that permeated the whole team. By popular request, we had to schedule extra prayer meetings during the team's free time to satisfy the deep desire there was to cry out to God for a breakthrough in Avignon. Each morning we praised God, studied the Bible, prayed in small groups and made practical preparations for the evening's evangelistic programme.

In all, six people made commitments on the street. Three of these live in or near Avignon. In addition, two people came back to their faith, having lived through some big challenges and wandered. One guy who was sleeping rough came back and declared that he had prayed the prayer of Christian commitment on the leaflet we had given him the previous week. Everyone was given gospels to read. Please pray that this seed continues to germinate, as it did for this man.

However, despite some effort, it has proved difficult for the churches to stay in touch with these people. Many French families go away during August, and after a month's interlude there have been problems re-establishing contact.

Street evangelism is about sowing seed, and, as the parable of the sower illustrates, people's heart response to the Gospel is not always what it first seems. Please pray that the church does succeed in reaching these folk and that the seed indeed produces a good harvest.