A HEART subscriber aged 70 who completed the Brighton half marathon in just under three hours says that God gave him the strength.
Jonathan Leeson, from Ringmer near Lewes, ran to raise funds for Street Pastors, Christian volunteers who patrol city streets at night. Moreover, he underwent the endurance test around the time of his 70th birthday at the end of February.
He told HEART, “I was so pleased to finish just inside the three-hour target, with the help of a sprint finish over the last 50 metres! God gave me the strength to do it.
“I had a number of Gospel opportunities with runners, and with the crowds, saying that I was running to raise £50,000 for Street Pastors over my 70th birthday! Spectators, seeing my running vest, shouted out my name and were supportive.”
“Street Pastors dissuaded a lady from walking into the sea to take her own life”
He even prayed for another runner: “With her permission, I prayed with a lady runner at the start who told me, among other things, that she was bipolar. She had some Christian background, was very pleased and asked me after the prayer if she could have a hug!”
Jonathan came late to endurance running. “I ran my first half marathon, the Royal Parks Foundation in London, aged 54, simply because a friend, who trained me up over six months, believed I could do it.”
He is also a Brighton Street Pastor. “I’m out with my team on the streets on a Friday night, giving out bottles of water, chocolate, flip-flops to the homeless and to those struggling to walk in their high heels, providing a listening ear to those who are vulnerable, as well as offering prayer. Brighton Street Pastor colleagues of mine recently helped dissuade a lady from walking into the sea to take her own life, saying that this was not God’s plan for her.
“With the help of others and the police, she was taken to a hospital in Crawley. Afterwards we received a letter from Sussex Police highly commending the work of Street Pastors.”
Musical performers celebrate 40th anniversary
If you have a good voice, live in Kent and would like to see the world, consider auditioning for the Absolute Gospel Choir.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the award-winning choir started by Kent-based husband and wife team Roy and Jenny Etherton, who together have composed 30 musicals.
The choir has performed in Israel, the United States and New Zealand as well as locally and nationally and on TV and radio.
“The Lord has so good to us”
Roy says: “The Lord has been so good to us in enabling such a lot of people to travel nationally and to the United States and Israel to perform. They all pay their own way and we have seen so many funding miracles.
“We have seen so many funding miracles”
“We have also had a lot of touching tributes from people who have heard the musicals: in Israel we were told they didn’t realise how personal the God of Israel can be.”
The company is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new musical called ‘The Book of Life’ which premiers in the Ethertons’ home town of Tonbridge, Kent on Friday 31May and Saturday 1 June.