Led by the Spirit
Local pastor hits the streets in an effort to reach the unsaved.
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Pastor Kevin Buczkowski, pastor of Sure Word Baptist Church, proclaims the gospel every Tuesday at the intersection of Winthrope Avenue and U.S. Highway 25 in street preaching style. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett)

With Bible in hand and the Holy Spirit inspiring, Kevin Buczkowski, pastor of Sure Word Baptist Church, can be found proclaiming the gospel every Tuesday 11 a.m. until noon at the intersection of Winthrope Avenue and U.S. Highway 25 in Millen. While "street preaching" is an ancient practice going back to the prophets of the Old Testament, it is often misunderstood today.

"People can sometimes get offended by things they don't' understand," said Pastor Buczkowski. "It is just another way of preaching Calvary, and the word of God says to do it."

However, Pastor Buczkowski did not anticipate that he would one day answer the call of street preaching or of planning a new church. He, along with wife, Christina, and sons, Robert, 10, and Joshua, 7, had planned on serving the Lord as missionaries to the island nation of Malta. Those plans were changed by divine guidance, and the family from rural New York ended up in Millen, living in a camper for two years, sowing the seeds of faith.

Sure Word Baptist Church, Winthrope Avenue, was started Aug. 20, 2006 and now boasts of 18 regular members with worship services averaging 22-25 in attendance. It is the first church Buczkowski has pastored since entering the ministry in 1999.

"Our congregation is small, but they are faithful. And we are growing," he said.

It was a visiting revival evangelist, also a street preacher, who taught Pastor Buczkowski how to proclaim the gospel on the streets about a year ago as a method of obeying Jesus' command to "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:23.

"I had always been interested in it, but was a little fearful to go and preach on a street corner. You have to do it in the right spirit, and God has to lead you to do it. It is just another method of getting the gospel out," he said.

He also sees the practice as a way to reach those who do not attend church, and despite some funny looks and stares, people do stop and listen. At least one person first saw and heard Pastor Buczkowski on the street before joining his church, and many others have visited Sure Word as a result of encountering his street preaching.

There are also some personal benefits derived from the practice.

"It has drawn me closer to the Lord and increased my boldness in proclaiming the gospel. It has also given me a greater burden for people who are not saved," he said.

Like others before him - John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, and John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian Church - Pastor Buczkowski believes he is honoring God's call on his life as he takes the gospel message to the streets every Tuesday. After all, it is nothing new. Jesus Christ, the greatest street preacher of all time, proclaimed His message in the open air to all who would listen, and the greatest message of the gospel which will be celebrated this Easter Sunday - the resurrection - was first proclaimed in the open air of an empty tomb.

Sure Word Baptist Church holds Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays and at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. All are welcomed.