FEATURE

On a typical night at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey, groups of red-shirted staff along with members of my church spread out over the boardwalk offering to share the good news with anyone who will stop. Back at the Chapel, I watch and pray as requests and photos begin flying into the staff’s WhatsApp prayer chat. Things like, “Pray for Joe. He listened to the full gospel but isn’t taking it seriously. Pray that God would change his heart and give him a new life!”, “Praise the Lord for an awesome conversation with Betsy, Janine, and Luke! We talked to them for maybe 30 minutes, and they were super receptive. Their hearts had been prepared ahead of time and we gave them gospels of John. God is really working in these precious lives!”, “Pray that more people would stop at John’s group”, and, “Pray for Jane. We shared some of the gospel with her, but her boyfriend took her away after a while.” In front of me, underneath the large door that opens from the chapel onto the boardwalk, one of the staff talks to a man with a Hindu background about his answers to the “Heaven & Hell Machine”. A young man comes up and asks for a tract, then tears it in half, eats half of it, and walks away. My own group had been sent back that night by a police officer who thought we needed a permit to be where we were. We pray about that too. Towards the back of the chapel, several staff and church members gather in a circle watching the WhatsApp requests and constantly praying.

That’s how things go at the most unique evangelistic ministry I’ve ever been involved with. Every year I’m amazed once more by just how many people are open to hearing about Jesus. Sometimes no one will stop for a while, but eventually someone does! Sometimes people will start off distracted, or acting like it’s just a big joke, but more often than not, they genuinely thank you by the end! Undergirding and surrounding all this activity is prayer. The Boardwalk Chapel is a ministry that demands to be fueled by prayer. Of course, all the church’s ministry should operate this way, but not all ministries force us to our knees the way this one does!

Annual trips to the Boardwalk Chapel are a key piece of the outreach ministry at my church for many reasons. We love the evangelism training we receive, the close fellowship with each other and the staff members from all over the country, singing God’s praises in front of a watching world from the stage each night; and being persistently reminded that the good news really is amazingly good. It is easier to share than we think, and far more people want to hear it than we assume. But over and above those things, what I love about the Chapel’s ministry is how it so bluntly confronts us with our weakness and fear. Every night we are forced to plead with the Holy Spirit to help us, to fill our hearts with love for the lost, and soften the hearts of those walking by. These are exactly the prayer requests the Lord so delights to answer! And he does so again and again, each night of the week, on the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ.

Rev. Aijalon Church is pastor of Covenant OPC in Sinking Spring, PA

Read more testimonials from the Boardwalk Chapel and other summer 2024 short-term missions' trips at OPCSTM.org.