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Great Commission is the Evangelical Alliance's evangelism and mission hub for stories that inspire and resources that equip us all to share Jesus.

Sheila's Story

Sheila shares her story of how God has given her a ministry of hugs, that enables her to show God's love to the people she meets.

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Prayer | 3:22

Sheila's Story

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Sheila shares her story of how God has given her a ministry of hugs, that enables her to show God's love to the people she meets.

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Prompt 52

Each Monday, there will be weekly challenges that promote and inspire conversations about Jesus.

00:02

And I really felt that God had given me

00:05

a ministry of hugs.

00:08

Because I had all sorts of people coming

00:10

for hugs.

00:12

My name's Sheila, and this is my story.

00:17

I've been involved with city centre chaplaincy

00:20

for about five years now.

00:22

When it started, we put tables and chairs outside.

00:25

And we sat at the table offering prayer and a hug

00:31

I was amazed at how at home I felt with it.

00:36

All sorts of people were coming for hugs.

00:40

From people who were just astonished

00:42

to see somebody standing there with a

00:45

free hug sign.

00:46

To people who hadn't had physical contact

00:49

with anybody for a long time,

00:52

to people who had real problems and

00:57

I could always tell when I hugged them

01:01

if there was more that they needed to say.

01:04

So I was able to ask if they needed prayer

01:06

for anything.

01:08

I've hugged the big issue man, I've hugged

01:13

the homeless people, it doesn't matter

01:16

who they are, they're all worthy of a hug.

01:19

Sometimes I cry with them

01:22

and I laugh with them,

01:24

and

01:27

I just love it.

01:32

In sharing my faith I think prayer

01:34

is very important

01:36

and I pray for everybody I speak too.

01:38

As you start to pray, so you become

01:43

more able to pray

01:44

and you become stronger.

01:46

Prayer becomes a matter of course.

01:49

If someone feels nervous about spreading

01:52

their faith, the message of their faith

01:54

or talking about their faith.

01:56

I try and encourage them to think beyond

02:00

how they're feeling but just think of

02:02

the message that they're giving out

02:05

to people and the chance for them to know

02:07

God's love and so to be brave, take a deep

02:11

breath and once you've done it once or twice,

02:14

it becomes much easier.

02:16

I was in the fish and chip shop the other day

02:18

and an elderly man told me, it was his

02:21

turn to do the tea,

02:22

because his wife wasn't well.

02:24

And he was very tired, so I asked him

02:27

could I pray for him. He was astonished,

02:30

but he was really glad.

02:32

And I prayed for him in the fish and chip shop.

02:35

People do say to me: "well it's ok for you,

02:37

because you find it easy". But I think

02:41

we can all find it easy if we just take

02:44

that initial step.

02:46

I'm not special in anyway, I'm just a mum

02:49

and a grandma, and I just have a conviction

02:53

of my faith.

02:59

And I always, after I've hugged them, say

03:02

that it's from the Lord. It's a gift

03:04

from God to them,

03:05

to express his love.

October 2016
From
Evangelical Alliance
Topics
Prayer

This story was produced by the Evangelical Alliance with the support of