The Global Impact of One Simple Street Evangelist

Peter Wooding : Apr 19, 2011
Assist News

"I was…on an Australian warship and I lived a reprobate life. And in a crisis, I really hit the wall, and one of my colleagues whom I gave literal hell, was there to help me. He led me to Jesus and the change in my life was night to day in 24 hours and I was so grateful to God. I promised God that I would share Jesus in a simple witness with at least ten people a day - as God gave me strength." -Frank Jenner

(Sydney, Australia)—Little did street evangelist Frank Jenner realize the ongoing worldwide impact of his commitment back in 1937 to speak to ten people a day about his Christian faith on George Street in Sydney in Australia. But today churches across the world continue to hear the amazing story of how one man's dedication to challenge at least 100,000 people about where they stood before God, would literally result in a cycle of changed lives across the globe.

According to Christians Together, Frank Jenner's story first emerged a number of years ago in a Baptist church in Crystal Palace in southern London. The story continues, describing how this London pastor kept running into people who shared similar testimonies, all going back to Jenner. Examples follow:

Testimonies:
"I used to live in Sydney. And just a couple of months back, I was visiting friends in Sydney, doing some last minute shopping down George Street, and a strange little white-haired man, elderly man, stepped out of a shop doorway, offered me a pamphlet and said, 'Excuse me ma'am, are you saved? If you died tonight, are you going to Heaven? I was disturbed by those words. When I got back to Adelaide, I knew this Baptist church was on the next block from me, and I sought out the Pastor, and he led me to Christ."

"I was on a United States Battleship. We were doing exercises in the South Pacific, and we docked in Sydney Harbor for replenishments. We hit King's Cross with a vengeance. I got blind drunk. I got on the wrong bus—got off in George Street. As I got off the bus, I thought it was a ghost. This elderly white-haired man jumped in front of me, pushed a pamphlet into my hands and said, 'Sailor, are you saved? If you died tonight, are you going to Heaven?' The fear of God hit me immediately. I was shocked sober, and ran back to the battleship, sought out the chaplain, the chaplain led me to Christ and I soon began to prepare for the ministry under his guidance. And here I am in charge of over a thousand chaplains and we're bent on soul-winning today."

"I was in a very privileged position [in India]. One bout of diplomatic service took me to Sydney. And I was doing some last minute shopping, laden with parcels of toys and clothing for my children, walking down George Street. And this courteous, little white-haired man stepped out in front of me, offered me a pamphlet, and said, 'Excuse me sir, are you saved? If you died tonight are you going to Heaven?' I thanked him very much, but this disturbed me. I got back to my town, I sought out the Hindu priest, and he couldn't help me. But he gave me some advice. He said, 'Just to satisfy your curious mind, nothing else, go and talk to the missionary in the mission house at the end of the road.' And that was fateful advice, because that day the missionary led me to Christ. I quit Hinduism immediately, and then began to study for the ministry. I left the diplomatic service, and here I am, by God's grace, in charge of all these missionaries, and we're winning hundreds of thousands of people to Christ."

[Ultimately, this pastor discovered the identity of this little man on George Street in Sydney and sought him out.] The London preacher shared with Jenner all of the testimony accounts he had heard concerning him over the previous three years. This little man [Jenner] sat with tears running down his cheeks.

Said Jenner, "My story goes like this. I was on an Australian warship and I lived a reprobate life. And in a crisis, I really hit the wall, and one of my colleagues whom I gave literal hell, was there to help me. He led me to Jesus and the change in my life was night to day in 24 hours and I was so grateful to God. I promised God that I would share Jesus in a simple witness with at least ten people a day, as God gave me strength.

"Sometimes, I was ill—I couldn't do it, but I made up for it at other times. I wasn't paranoid about it, but I have done this for over forty years, and in my retirement years, the best place was on George Street. There were hundreds of people. I got lots of rejections; but a lot of people courteously took the tracts. In forty years of doing this, I've never heard of one single person coming to Jesus until today."

Mr. Jenner died two weeks later. And can you imagine the reward he went home to in Heaven? Nobody except a little group of Baptists in southern Sydney knew about Mr Jenner, but I'll tell you his name was famous in Heaven. Heaven knew Mr. Jenner, and you can imagine the welcome and the red carpet and the fanfare that he went home to.