As GLOBAL MARCH FOR JESUS prepares for a climactic worldwide celebration of Jesus, Lins Honeyman looks into the march For Jesus phenomenon.
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However, criticism has often been fired at the founders of March For Jesus, for encouraging a persuasion of spiritual warfare in the form of trying to cast out demons, through shouting at the sky and such like. This claim is adamantly rejected by co-founder Gerald Coates: "Anyone, who takes time to read the programmes and prayer scripts from the last 13 years, will see there is no focus on shouting at demons. We do believe in the public proclamation of the Word of God though. The scriptures show us that the Word of God is sharp and powerful and so, undoubtedly, it is effective against the works of darkness."
Music, too, plays a vital role. Having a worship songwriter of the calibre of Graham Kendrick on the founding team has given the marches an air, not only of praise and worship, but of unity as the masses have collectively sung songs of praise that contain the same message in every tongue.
It has been common practise for praise marches to have been written for each march. On this occasion, Jesus Day will be unique. Although no new praise march has been written, individual march organisers have been encouraged to use praise marches contained in a recently released "best of" collection along with material from Kendrick's 'Millennium Chorus' as a tool for praise and worship. Originally planned for broadcast on television over the new year of 2000, the work was largely snubbed by the ITV and BBC bosses, and Jesus Day will provide in itself a platform for 'Millennium Chorus1 to be heard.
Recognising that each nation is culturally unique, the founders are also keen for march leaders to utilise different musical styles and songs suited to their own country's background. "Most people, and many from other faiths, welcome the happy, pleasant music and festival features that the marches bring with them," says Lynn Green. "They can see that they are affirming life and asserting the love of God who wants all to enter into full life."
The March For Jesus organisers have also prepared a special prayer for the millennium. Titled "Millennium Child", the prayer has been designed to help churches and communities consider afresh the relevance of Christ in the new millennium and, in particular, it highlights the plight of suffering and abused children throughout the world.
The big city marches will give this an added impetus by linking with Tearfund's children at risk initiative. Each Jesus Day event will be encouraged to give these children a prominent place in the proceedings by using the Millennium Child prayer and holding a collection to give to the children at risk scheme.
In what may be the last centrally organised march, Jesus Day is sure to be a valuable tool in the expansion of the kingdom. "March For Jesus believes in and belongs to a mobile God who is moving and is taking us with him," says Roger Forster. "March For Jesus teaches people that we're on the streets fulfilling the great commission and getting God's will done."
Gerald Coates has the last word on what is bound to leave the church a legacy of unity and strength for the years to come: "Our great prayer is that we will leave behind a church that is mobile and is praying, working, serving communities around them and making Christ attractive wherever they are. My dream for Jesus Day is that we'll present Christ with a massive body of people who only want to see his will done in the communities where they live.
"That'll be a little taste of heaven."
Gerald Coates
Despite a hectic schedule and Jesus Day looming ever closer, March For Jesus co-founder and Pioneer team leader Gerald Coates found time to talk to Cross Rhythms.
'You've been involved in March For Jesus from the beginning.
How did it all begin?
"I was drawn in, along with Lynn
Green, by Roger Forster and Graham Kendrick. They had been marching
around Soho, pulling the walls of the church down - enabling people to
see Christ and his people. Within a short space of time the police
moved in, cleaned the area up and it became a very different area to
what it had been for years - a place for pimps, prostitutes and every
unsavoury act you can think of. As a result we went to the City of
London in 1987, expecting 2000 but, despite pouring rain, had over
15,000.1 sensed we had tapped into something, spoke to Roger Forster
and as a result we went to Westminster a year later, when 45,000
turned out to pray."
What effect do you expect Jesus Day to have on the watching
world?
"Jesus Day will be the largest grass roots global
interdenominational millennium initiative in the history of the world.
It could be the largest movement of people on any one single day in
the history of the world! And it is all for Jesus. We are praying for
nations, for governments and, particularly, for children pushed to the
margins of society. The effects on those present will be a sense of
unity, that we are not on our own and that there is a huge groundswell
of prayer for the nation and the nations. How God will respond to our
unity and prayer, we have yet to see but we can't sit around waiting
for revival. Prayer, unity and the gospel are the three keys to the
future."
For you, what has been the most significant memory of March
For Jesus in its time?
"Without a doubt, the first
event. We had a little office in my home, no money to speak of and we
hoped 2,000 might attend. Then we heard it might be 5,000. We arrived
near the Barbican in the pouring rain to this dishevelled damp group
of several hundred people. It was what I expected. What I didn't know
is that well over 10,000 had been sheltering under a railway viaduct
and, at the start time, all the doors to what were workshops were
opened until around 15,000 had gathered. It was mind-boggling."
If Global March For Jesus has been so successful, why is it
likely that Jesus Day will be the last?
"We have always
felt that God was giving us a mandate until the year 2000. However,
nations will not stop marching for Jesus, building relationships for
the gospel and making Christ visible on the streets. Many nations have
made that very clear to us. We feel that we have now empowered groups
to take this on themselves and it does not need to be centrally
organised.
I don't think the world is worried by triumphalism but instead is worried about sexism, racism and nationalism. March For Jesus has never been a part of any of those things. We are always welcomed on the streets and we have even had people join us and become Christians as a result."
How do you see the legacy of March For Jesus living on after
the marching has stopped?
"Unity and visibility leading
to mission - a journey with a purpose. No longer will we simply be
local church but, increasingly, we will be the church in the locality.
Something quite different!"
Why, when millions of LGBs march all over the world, can't Christians do it again for Jesus?