Many people saved: George Street Witness, Sydney

The story of the George street witness, Sydney, began many years ago in a Baptist Church in Bournemouth, England, one Sunday evening. The pastor, Dr. Francis Dixon, asked a man named Peter to share his testimony. Peter stood and said, “This is how I was saved:

I was in the Royal Navy, walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia, when, out of nowhere, a gentleman stepped up to me and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, may I ask you a question? I hope it won’t offend you, but if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says it will either be in heaven or in hell. Would you think about that, please? Thank you. God bless you.’ Then the man left.

I had never been confronted with such a question, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. When I returned to England, I met someone who took me to a mission, and that’s where I became a Christian sometime later.”

A youth meeting was held in the same church in Bournemouth, and one of the visiting team members shared his testimony. He said, “This is how I came to know Jesus Christ: I was in the Royal Navy, and my ship was stationed in Sydney. One evening, I was walking down George Street when, out of nowhere, a man stepped up to me and said, ‘Young man, I have a question to ask you. If you were to die tonight, where would you go? Would it be heaven or hell? Don’t try to evade the question; it must be one or the other.’

What he said bothered me for many months. Eventually, I sought out a Christian who helped me, and I gave my life to Christ.”

The Baptist pastor from England was now quite puzzled. Not long afterwards, while preaching in Adelaide, South Australia, he decided to share the story of Peter and Noel’s separate encounters with the man on George Street. As he did so, a man jumped up excitedly and exclaimed, “I’m another! I’m another! I was drawn to receive Christ in the same way by the same man on George Street.”

This was Corporal Murray Wilks, who had been in a hurry to catch his tram on George Street when a voice behind him called, “Hey, wait!” Murray stopped and turned around. The stranger asked, “Soldier, if you were to die tonight, where would you go? Would it be heaven or hell?”

“I hope I’d go to heaven,” Murray replied.

“Hoping isn’t good enough,” said the stranger. “You can know.”

This unusual question exposed a raw nerve in Murray’s life. Although he was a good-living, church-going, married man, he knew he was a hypocrite and had never truly faced the question of eternal destiny. Two weeks later, Murray knelt in the army barracks and gave his life to Christ.

Dr. Francis Dixon continued his travels and, while preaching in Perth, once again shared these stories. Afterwards, a young man approached him and said that he too had been in the Navy, visited George Street, and become a Christian after meeting the stranger with the compelling question.

When Dr. Dixon finally arrived in Sydney, he was eager to find out more about this urban missionary. He asked a Christian worker, “Who is this man on George Street?”

“I know him well,” came the reply. “His name is Frank Jenner.”

Francis Dixon was taken to a humble little house where he was introduced to Frank Jenner. As Francis recounted the stories of the four young servicemen who had come to know Christ through his simple question, Frank began to weep. “I’ve never heard that anyone I’d spoken to had gone on for the Lord,” he said. “Some made the decision when I talked to them on a Saturday night of witnessing and then came home for breakfast on Sunday morning. Sometimes thirty people came home with me, but I never knew more than that.”

Frank had carried on this work for sixteen years, and this was the first time he had heard of any lasting results.

Frank recounted his own journey of faith, which was every bit as remarkable as the lives of those he had touched. “Before I knew Jesus, I lived the wild life of a sailor to the full and had become addicted to gambling. Then, in 1937, I met my Saviour for the first time, and my life was transformed. The addiction to gambling was gone forever. In gratitude for my second chance at life, I pledged to serve God to the best of my ability. Each day, my aim was to speak to ten people about Jesus, and I did so for twenty-eight years until Parkinson’s disease took its toll. In wartime and in peace, through good times and bad, I continued the work I had promised to do.”

It is estimated that Frank spoke to more than 100,000 people during his lifetime – more than most pastors would address in theirs.

In his later years, as his health deteriorated, Frank prayed, “Lord, please take me home on a Sunday night.” His last request was granted; he died at a quarter to midnight at the end of a Sunday evening. The next morning, a ray of sunlight shone through the open window, falling upon his beloved, well-worn Bible and a solitary rose resting on it.

No one, except a little group of Christians in Sydney, knew Frank Jenner. But in heaven, his name was famous. Heaven knew him, and you can imagine the welcome he received when he went home to glory.

Jesus said, “If you confess me before men, I’ll confess you before my Father in heaven.” Frank Jenner’s life exemplified this truth. His story reminds us that our ultimate recognition is not on earth but in heaven, where our reward awaits.

May God bless you and empower you to be a bold and unembarrassed witness for Jesus Christ.

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