Cardiff DTS Gathering

In March 2010, 80 YWAMers from around the world converged on Cardiff for a week of teaching and outreach.

The week was a huge success. YWAM England Discipleship Training Schools (DTSs) from Harpenden, The King's Lodge, York, and Carlisle, together with outreach teams from a School Of Evangelism from Norway, plus a number of YWAM England staff, came together for our first YWAM event in Cardiff for many years. We all stayed in one church, men sleeping on one floor, women on another.

The schedule was packed. We had hours of teaching on evangelism, followed by lots of different types of outreach opportunities. These included Arts ministry to football coaching, from meeting people on the street and handing out free tea and coffee at night, to having a band go into pubs playing their positive brand of rock music.

The football outreach worked very well. Two of the DTSs were focused on sports, with students qualified by the English Football Association in first-level coaching. They set up free coaching sessions in the local park. Lots of kids showed up and had a great time learning new skilsl and techniques. It was a great opportunity to build relationships and have a positive influence on the young people. The training sessions even led to a friendly game between our DTSers and a group of Rwandans. Some of the Rwandans were Christians, so it was great to be able to encourage them in their faith.

Evergreen, the band we took with us, had a very successful week. Being a relatively new band, this was their first opportunity to have a mini-tour. God opened up so many doors for them: they had gigs every night of the week, and even managed to get themselves on a local Cardiff radio station where they were able to share why they were in Cardiff and the meaning behind their songs they played on air. The band were able to create a platform for others of us to go into the pubs and clubs they played in, to pray, but also to talk to those in the bars. Great conversations were had, and our students were able to build their confidence to continue to step out in evangelism.

On the last day we partnered with All Nations Church, joining them in their Easter outreach. We took part in many different activities from handing out free bottles of water, organising an Easter egg hunt, and knocking on people doors to invite them to a local church's Easter services. It was great to be able to serve a local church that way.

The over-riding feedback we got from our participants was that their view of evangelism was completely changed. Before the week they had viewed evangelism as standing on a corner of a street with a loud speaker and telling everyone that they're all sinners. We did none of that, we looked at what Jesus did. He spent time with people, loved people and cared for people. He got to know people, and as they saw how He lived his life, they left their old ways behind and followed him. And that is what God is calling us to do, living lives worthy of Jesus, and loving people. The world doesn't care how much you know, it's how much you care that matters. The world doesn't want to hear about God, they want to experience God.