Logos Hope visit unites PE evangelists in reaching schools

Nearly 55 000 Gospel tracts were handed out to school children in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) by local outreach teams who joined hands with each other and with the OM ship Logos Hope during its recent 3- and-a-half-weeks stay in the city.

Evangelist Suzanne Pillans said she was inspired by God to print the 55 000 tracts after she read an article in Gateway News in which a township school principal shared that her vision has always been to introduce her pupils to the Christian life and to equip them to help learners from other schools who are struggling with issues that threaten to destroy their lives.

Then she heard about the Logos Hope’s visit from February 22 to March 18 and she attended a prayer and planning meeting of local Christians who were exploring ministry opportunities during the ship’s stay.

Seventeen people at that meeting – including representatives of groups like Evangelism Explosion and individuals – agreed to work together to use the Logos Hope visit to reach schools with the Gospel.

Sharing about her own experience Suzanne said that between 11am and 1pm on Tuesdays to Fridays she served on the ship, chatting to members of school groups passing through and handing out tracts to those who wanted them.

She also went on three visits to schools with some members of the local team who were collaborating in ministry, and with some young crew members from the Logos Hope. The crew members, who are volunteers from various nations, shared testimonies about life on the ship and then the local ministry team members gave short presentations.

She said headmasters and teachers invited her to pray the sinner’s prayer with the whole school. She said the responses were wonderful and the children were very excited to receive the tracts.

“The visit by the Logos Hope has been a tremendous opportunity and has boosted so many ministries to really further the purpose that the Lord has given them,” she said.

Rev Cobus Fourie, team leader of Evangelism Explosion Eastern Cape, agreed that the visit by the Logos Hope, which is now in East London until April 10, made a lasting impact on local evangelism.

He said it was not possible to achieve Suzanne’s vision of taking tracts to every school during the ship’s stay — “there are 177 primary schools in the city” — but they would continue to visit schools together until, hopefully, every school has been reached. “We want to take the Gospel to everyone — including on a kid-friendly level with Hope for Kids [an Evangelism Explosion initiative].”

He said he felt that in helping the Logos Hope team with their goal of reaching schools, partnering local ministries were revitalised by focusin less on themselves in order to serve a broader Kingdom mission.

Cobus said that children at schools in disadvantaged areas were thrilled to be visited by young people from different nations and cultures. “It was sort of like part of the world came to them. And I think it opened the kids’ eyes to see that these people from different places with different accents all serve the same God that we serve.”

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