Who would have thought that this Greek Cypriot who once believed that Christianity is only for weak people who needed a crutch would become one of the most influential youth pastors in the world today? Mike Pilavachi, himself, didn’t.
His parents were Greek orthodox atheists and he grew up not believing Jesus at all. He even wrote an essay titled Why I Am Not A Christian? when he was 14. He wrote that Christianity is for weak people who don’t understand that science has the answers for everything and it is for old people who are scared of dying.
But God had a way for Mike to retract his words. He struggled so much with life at some point. And some of his friends from school and from the woodwork talked about Christianity to him.
Eventually, he became a Christian after reading John Stott’s Becoming a Christian. After reaching the last leaf of the book, Mike knelt down on the wet grass, prayed and after, he knew that his life changed. He was 16.
Since then, his view about Christianity changed. He discovered that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with Jesus.
“I didn’t discover Christianity, but I discovered Jesus and became a follower of Him. He became the passion of my life. I last saw that essay 20 years ago! And when I read it, my first thought was ‘how awful my spellings were’,” Mike said.
His newfound faith caused him to be so passionate for the Lord. It might sound a little over the top but Mike tried walking around Harrow without any shoes on for two months. He simply emulated Jesus and his disciples who walked around the Judean countryside shoeless.
For Mike, knowing Jesus was life-changing, momentous. He began to long for serving Jesus in whatever way he can. He has heard of the Holy Spirit so much while he was a growing Christian. He became desperate to receive the gifts of it and God did not fail him. And when he got it, his life was headed towards a new direction.
In his book titled The Wasteland, Mike shared that “those years when I was an accountant was a desert experience for me.” He knew that it was not what the Lord wanted for him and yet he was not sure of his calling. “I look back and I realize that God was dealing with me, preparing me, and taking him deeper,” Mike reflected.
A new door opened for him after spending eight agonizing years as an accountant. In 1989, the vicar of St Andrews Church, Chorleywood asked him if he wanted to be a full-time youth worker. At 29, he accepted the offer and started to run New Wine Camps of the said church.
And then four years after that, in 1993, he founded and started a festival that is closely associated with him, Soul Survivor.
In Soul Survivor, there’s the hanging out, drinking hot chocolate in makeshift cafes, and checking out sport events and live gigs. Anyone, regardless of religious background, is invited in the festival. Soul Survivor provides the best venue for Christians to invite their nonbeliever friends and share the gospel in a non threatening environment.
But the five-day fair, which started with only 1, 893 young people, is not all about the hype. Today, around 30, 000 people gather together in the festival to journey with God. Morning and evening meetings are the main focus of the festival. These are spent for worshiping, praying, and for listening to God’s word.
This year, Soul Survivor events are happening at two different locations for three weeks:
Week A: 29th July 2nd- August at the Stafford Showground
Week B: 9th-13th August at the Bath & West Showground
Week C: 14th-18th August at the Bath & West showground
It is the hope of the organizers that attendees will learn and grow from relevant and biblical teachings that Soul Survivor provides and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Mike’s book titled Storylines was base on his observation of young people who come to their festivals.
The young people who come to our festivals were receiving the ministry of the Holy Spirit, engaging in worship but didn’t seem to know their Bibles. They just didn’t know where to begin. They almost seemed frightened to open their Bibles,” Mike revealed.
And so there was Storylines. The book introduces and explains the Bible to the young people in six pages.
“We take some of the themes that run through (the Bible) and look at the story lines that weave through them. I wrote the book with a young man, Andy Croft, and he did the theology and I supplied the jokes,” he said.
Fun. That is another thing that people know of about Mike Pilavachi other than Soul Survivor. He is famous for his humorous illustrations in his sermons. Generally, his preachings are simple and direct to the point yet dramatic and entertaining.
His being funny was influenced by English comedians such as John Cleese who played Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers and by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
But when he speaks, people sense his deep understanding of God’s word.
Mike honestly does not know about the future of Soul Survivor. Yes, it has sprung up in eight different countries but “whatever we’re doing, we will be seeking to encourage the church to reach and keep young people.”
“Soul Survivor ministry isn’t very important and will disappear at some stage. Jesus didn’t say ‘I will build My Soul Survivor,’ He said ‘I will build My Church’ and our only validity is in the way we serve the church – we can’t be a substitute for church,” Mike said.
Mike Pilavachi is now 53 years old (and still single but that’s another story) and still pumped for building God’s church. He leads a church in Watford. Church, according to him, has been in his DNA, he said, since he became a Christian. He has always loved church and wanted to serve church.
“The best way to grow as a follower of Jesus is to serve in the Church of Jesus. Get in His Word, spend time in prayer, learn from others, listen to His voice and obey! I know these seem to be the general ones, but they’re true! When He speaks, obey. The best way to hear His voice tomorrow is to obey when you hear His voice today,” he concluded.
Sources:
www.ccklife.cck.org.uk
www.jesus.org.uk
www.wikipedia.com
