By Patrick Greenwell

As students and faculty alike flock to the Student Activities Center for lunch, Greg Wilburn stands in the center of the commotion atop a stool, preaching a message. This is his story.

1. What sparked your interest in preaching?
I became a Christian when I was 12 or 13. My parents were divorced, and not very religious. I still went to church though. I found a number of Christian friends in high school, and we began going to church together. It was there that I started growing as a Christian. As time went on I became interested in youth ministry. I wanted young people to come to know Jesus. I eventually got a biblical studies degree at Bell Haven College in Mississippi.
As for outdoor preaching, I feel it is something that God has called me to do. I want to speak to people about Jesus. I’ve done preaching at churches and campus ministries before, but this is my gift and my calling. I don’t want to be in a Christian bubble. I want to reach out to people who don’t know Jesus. I want to make it so more people can hear the message of Jesus. It is the desire God has put on my heart to love students and the campus by giving them God’s word.
2. Why, or how, did you choose U of L?
I joined a non-denominational college ministry called InterVarsity. They needed staff in Louisville, and I came to visit in February of 2007. I had previously visited another college, which had very strong student leadership and ministry. I felt like I wasn’t needed there. U of L had a smaller ministry, whose leader was about to leave. There seemed to be more of a need, so it seemed like a good fit.
3. Has the University done any work to collaborate with or support you?
 I’ve met a lot of people at U of L. I’ve worked with the Campus Crusade for Christ and the Baptist Campus Ministry. They support me, and pray for me. They talk to students while I’m preaching. As for my ministry as a whole, we do different events with other ministries. We are getting ready to do an outreach on campus about global sex trafficking. We’d like to get other campus organizations involved. I don’t exactly know how to do that yet, but its something I’d like to do.
4. How long do you plan or preaching?
My plan is to keep preaching on campus every weekday for the rest of the semester. Things come up of course, but that’s the plan. Preaching will always be a part of my ministry. I will definitely do it for more semesters.
5. What do you plan on doing next?
What I’d like to do is go to a place in the world where they’ve never heard of Jesus before. I’m interested in the Amazon jungle and Africa. I’d like to learn their culture and language. I want to share with them about Jesus. I’d like to build communities and churches there, and then hopefully I would be able to leave control of them with the locals, and then come back and minister in the United States.
6. What do you hope to accomplish?
Definitely as a Christian– ultimately the reason I do anything is that I want to love and glorify God. I hope that people will come to know Jesus, and trust in him as a Lord and Savior. I want people to come out of rebellion towards God, and have a reconciled relationship with God and Jesus. I want to love God and love people and see them come follow Jesus.
7. What kind of response have you been getting?
Well there is good and bad. There’s definitely opposition there. Most days someone shouts at me once. Some people curse at me. Some people play loud music next to me. Sometimes a person shouts directly at me. People have started a Facebook group about me. It has 200 or 300 members I think. They say slanderous things about me. They say that I am against tattoos and piercings, even though I have both. They say that I condemn people’s clothing, which I have never said anything about. There is a lot of mocking, shouting, slander, and sometimes threats against me. 
Others have been greatly impacted by what I say. They come up and talk to me afterwards. One girl made me a scarf. She was going through some rough times, and my preaching had given her hope. Other people who want to be open to giving their life to Jesus find courage in what I do. I get a positive response amongst non-Christians as well as Christians, a lot of whom are encouraged by what I am doing. Not all of them are, some disagree with me, but a lot agree.
 8. How do you continue given the negative reaction? Has there ever been a time when you felt you couldn’t continue?
The way that I’m able to continue is taken from the Scriptures. The Scriptures say to rejoice when people persecute you. Ultimately, if God is for me, who can be against me? It’s an honor to suffer for Jesus because he suffered for us. I’m not trying to suffer, and I don’t want to, but if it happens I rejoice. Love your enemies.
Once a man on a bike road by and cursed at me. I shouted back, “I love you man.”
When people respond like that, I just try to say something kind and loving. I try to be gentle and calm with them.
Fortunately there’s never been a time when I felt like I couldn’t keep going. However, I’m a human being, we aren’t perfect. It’s a battle each day to gather the strength to go out and preach again. I don’t want to just say words. I wrestle with God in prayer to be affected by this message. I want to authentically claim the message. God gives me strength to get out there. Sometimes my voice is strained, but I am strengthened to keep doing it.
9. Is there a theme or consistent message to what you are preaching? Or is it varied?
What I try to do is stick to the Gospel, the good news of Jesus. There is one main message, and that is how to reach God. I preach about Jesus, and the death and resurrection for sinners. I talk about how the world was created by God, and how we are made in his image. We rebelled against him. God is just, so we deserved to be punished. However, God is love, so Jesus was sent to live the perfect life for us. He died, taking the punishment we deserve, and he was resurrected to achieve victory over death.
I tell people that if they give their life to Jesus, he will forgive them, and reconcile them and bring them to a perfect relationship with God.
I pick different passages each day that tie into the message, or provide a different angle on it. However, I try to get that main message out as frequently as possible. I want people to come to know God through Jesus.
10. What have you most enjoyed about preaching?
For me, not only is this a way to reach out, but it’s also an act of worship. Speaking about the character of God, proclaiming what he has done, is an act of worship. Exalting him is an enjoyable thing for a Christian. We Christians rejoice in the fact that we are made for something bigger than ourselves. I enjoy having the privilege and honor to share the message with people. I am thankful for the opportunity to reach out.