My third novel Dying Declaration features an African-American law school professor who doubles as a street preacher.  I named the protagonist Charles Arnold and modeled him after the man who got me started in street preaching.  This article, reprinted from On Mission magazine, tells a little about that ministry. 

If my partners could see me now!
From courtroom lawyer to street preacher in two years,  said Randy Singer, describing his recent journey of faith. Four years ago Randy left his position as a prominent lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, and moved to Atlanta to serve with the North American Mission Board.

Two years into his new job, a downtown-witnessing encounter grew into a weekly soapbox  gig. Randy believes all Christians can share their faith where they are. That's why he had always buttoned down his collar and told his lawyer pals about Jesus. And that's why he now dons jeans and a T-shirt and heads to Atlanta's Five Points plaza on Wednesday nights, pulling his wheeled trashcan pulpit, karaoke boom-box and giant speakers.

Randy has found that the needs of people—lawyers and addicts alike—are the same. Everyone needs a relationship with Christ.

Here are some lessons he has learned that may help other on mission Christians:

1. People want to know God is real and He can meet their needs. When witnessing to his law firm colleagues, Randy tried to remove some of the intellectual barriers to belief. On the streets, his focus is more emotional and needs-driven. Some of the people he meets are on their way to getting their next drug fix. They need to hear that a loving God cares about issues like homelessness and addiction.
   
   
2. Engage your audience. Be interactive and flexible. What have you done with the claims of Christ?  Randy asks, and his next words will depend on the crowd's response.
   
   
3. The message is more important than the messenger. On the street, pedigree is unimportant. The Word of God has validity on its own.
   
   
4. Go beyond your comfort zone. Randy stands and preaches in an area of town that he used to bustle through in shined shoes, keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid annoying panhandlers. Now he works hard for that eye contact, and he's noticed that methods that were a stretch  for him are giving him new opportunities to share Christ. Once you do it, God honors it. 
   
   
5. The fear of rejection never goes away, so accept it. Randy feels it every time he sets up his microphone and begins gathering a crowd. Even when he shares the gospel one-on-one, the fear is there. It never gets comfortable.  You have to choose to do it anyway.
   
   
6. Expect persecution. Whether you are shunned by well-to-do colleagues or reviled by down-and-out hecklers, if you stand and tell others about Christ, somebody isn't going to like it. A Christ-like response to persecution gives your message credibility, so welcome it as an opportunity to glorify God.
   
   
7. Don't be discouraged. In his law firm, people acted like they were listening—even if they weren't. On the street, people walk away, fall asleep, holler abuse or even shake their fists. Randy has learned not to be offended when it seems the Word is falling on deaf ears. He knows that someone out there may be hearing the life-changing message of the gospel, possibly for the first time.
   
   
8. The guy with the microphone wins! The power of the mike is an amazing phenomenon. Amid the cacophony in a bustling plaza where hundreds of pedestrians mill about, changing buses or subway trains, a person with a microphone can attract a hearing.
   
   
9. Believe you are making a difference. One evening a well-dressed man walked up to Randy and said, You don't remember me, do you?  Randy admitted he didn't recognize the man but asked him his story. Three months ago, I was living on the streets,  he said. I had no car, no home, no job and no money.  Looking at the man's neat appearance, Randy was amazed he had come so far. I asked you what God could possibly do with a man like me. You prayed with me and I rededicated my life to the Lord,  the man continued. Now, I am dried out, I have transportation, a job and a place to live. 

--Connie Cavanaugh, Cochrane Alberta