Over the past few years we have been, and still are, on a learning curve. We have encouraged each other, shared our stories which teach us a lot, and put into practice what we have learnt and what we believe God has told us to do. Week by week we are growing stronger, bolder, I hope wiser, and more dependent on listening to Jesus as we go out and make His name known to the people we meet, whether it is simply by wearing shirts, fleeces, caps or badges with our logo on them, or having good meaningful conversations.

The following stories share how we have grown as individuals, learning from each other and growing in our faith. There are also stories of how people, have contacted us in their time of need, have been prayed for and even healed. People recognise us and they know what we are doing and the good reputation we have, and sometimes ask us to stop for a moment and sit with them as they share their need.

We hope that the following stories inspire and encourage you to "have a go" at reaching out and stretching your faith; it's not scary, but it is life-changing!!!

Andrew M

Some people might find this hard to believe but I’m actually very nervous, and find chatting with people about anything, quite daunting.  I might present as confident in certain circumstances, but find holding and maintaining conversations quite scary.
Imagine my delight when I heard about the group “Jesus Loves Bexhill”.  It was everything I thought I wanted, sharing the love of God by serving the community in helping to keep our streets cleaner.  However, I very quickly learned that they wanted us to talk to people as well, with the hope of being able to share with them how much Jesus loves them.  I do not have a problem with smiling at people and greeting them superficially.  I have been a Christian for many years, and can talk fairly easily with other Christians about God, and how much he loves each and every person that walks this earth, whether they believe in him or not.  However, finding a way of moving a conversation from the superficial ‘Hello, how are you today?’ on our Bexhill streets, to sharing how much God loves them, seems like a huge mountain to overcome.
I have been very privileged to be paired up with other members of the Jesus Love Bexhill group, some of whom have made a similar journey as I am making, who seem so natural in moving conversations on from a simple greeting, to asking people about their faith and sharing about how much God loves them.  I cannot remember a single occasion when they have been rebuffed or rejected, and many have even been grateful, some even accepting prayer for them, right there and then.  I am very grateful for my friends’ example and, I’m getting there, I’m getting more confident.  Writing though is a lot easier - I know that God loves me and died on the cross to take the penalty for all the things I have ever done wrong in my life, whether by mistake or on purpose, forgiving me for each and every one of those wrongs.  And, God wants to have a daily relationship with me, being involved in everything I do.
And, God loves you too, dear reader, and if you will allow Him, He wants to forgive you for all the wrongs that you have done in your life.  He also wants to have a daily, living relationship with you.  There is a man in Bexhill whom we meet up with often, and he always said that he couldn’t be forgiven for all the things he had done wrong, as he had done some terrible things.  My dad said something similar when I talked with him about how much God loved him.  To both of these people, we have shared the simple truth that God loves them so much, that he would forgive them of all the things they have ever done.  They can have their guilt removed, live in freedom with God for the rest of this life, and be guaranteed a place with God forever in the life after this one.  They just needed to believe in him and ask for his forgiveness.  The same is true for you, and if you live in Bexhill, I hope that I, or one of my Jesus Loves Bexhill friends, will meet up with you and be able to share this wonderful truth in person. If it’s me, you never know, I might be feeling more confident, and we can enjoy a good conversation together.

When I first joined the team, I felt awkward and conspicuous wearing the brightly-coloured tabard with Jesus Loves Bexhill blazoned across the front and back, but I gradually gained confidence and have had many opportunities to share the good news about Jesus.
Our team, with members coming from different churches, has increased in size since we started (enabling us to get know to more people); we are supportive towards each other and laughter and a sense of humour is a must.
Our lovely gazebo stands out and gives us a base, as does the newly-renovated bandstand. It is encouraging to meet so many different people from all walks of life, to listen to their life stories and pray with them. It’s also good to do something practical and useful for our community, helping people to become more aware of our unchanging and trustworthy God who loves and cares for us. In this chaotic world it’s good to know that God is in control and is with us in every situation.

Judy W

Mike N

I have been litter-picking for over three years; I go out with others regularly on Saturday mornings and sometimes on my own. Over these years I have come to meet many people, some of whom have become good friends. 

Last week I went out for a half-hour walk with my gear and logo. I normally walk towards the town but, on a strong prompting, I turned around to walk the other way. Within a few minutes, I met a man, whom I recognised as a friend from an earlier Jesus Loves Bexhill outing. He stopped me and asked if we could sit and talk for a few minutes. For the next half an hour, he unburdened his heart about his life and I was able to talk about eternal life and tell him about the love of Jesus. Another seed sown and just one example of many such encounters!

Litter-picking, with the 'Jesus Loves Bexhill' logo, has helped me to start so many good conversations and hopefully I have encouraged some lonely people. I don’t need to go looking for contacts as I believe that I will be Spirit-led as I was with this man. 

Exciting? ….It certainly is! 

When I joined the Jesus Loves Bexhill prayer team it was because I really wanted to support this great work in some way.
I never thought I could go on the seafront witnessing to people I would be far too shy!
That was until the Bexhill Showcase weekend!
I went down on the seafront to the Jesus Loves Bexhill gazebo and to my surprise found that I didn't find it hard to talk to people and to witness to them at all.  I even thought 'I enjoy doing this!'
I think that before I hadn't been thinking of how the Holy Spirit works in us giving us boldness and confidence.
It was a really great weekend, not just for those along the seafront enjoying the festivities, but also for me.  It was great experiencing the Holy Spirit's power.  It really is all about Jesus.
Because of this I find that it's easier to talk to friends and neighbours about Jesus.
Wearing the Jesus Loves Bexhill badge is a great conversation starter!
I really praise the Lord for all that He has done.

Pam P

Geoff T

I must confess that when we first got our Jesus Loves Bexhill logo-embroidered t-shirts I was a bit hesitant in wearing mine as I just did not know what the reaction would be when people saw it. Gradually as the weeks went by I realised that it was quite fun; people would see the logo and smile as they walked past, and one lady came up to me whilst I was drinking a cup of coffee in the Colonnade and whispered in my ear that "Jesus loves me too", which resulted in a good time of fellowship with her and her husband.

Confidence grew, and so when Mike, who also had a Jesus Loves Bexhill shirt, asked me if I would like to go litter-picking along Bexhill promenade, I readily agreed, and we have had many encouraging conversations as a result. We now have hi vis lime green tabards emblazened with a huge logo on the back; people can see us coming from a long way off and we have become quite popular and respected around Bexhill. Many people stop us to thank us for what we are doing and if we have the opportunity we will talk to them about Jesus and give them one of our three different testimony leaflets which tell the stories of what Jesus means to 15 Bexhillians.