A Passion for Souls
In October, I attended the 17th annual National Street Ministry Conference in Dallas. It is now known as “A Passion for Souls: National Conference on Street, Inner-City & Evangelistic Ministry.” I attended this conference almost every year in the 1980’s, but had not been there for the past 10 years. About 1000 Christians from around the nation attended the conference.
Four other Christians attended the conference from the San Francisco area: Pastor Mark and Alicia Whitehead and Jerry and Susan Louck. They are all involved in a street church in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco. Mark also pastors Living Hope Christian Church in San Jose. Living Hope supports our ministry and helped me attend the conference.
We had a ministry booth and gave out SOS literature to almost everyone at the conference. I spoke with many people, including several friends I had not seen for ten years. The worship, the speakers and the training workshops were excellent. There were teachings on a wide variety of subjects: AABC’s of Witnessing, Reaching Gang Members, Ministry to the Homeless, Financing Your Ministry, Youth Discipleship Homes, etc.
Many young, zealous Christians in their teens and 20’s attended the conference. About 20 Christians attended from another SOS Ministries—in Bryan, Texas. I received a call today from a woman who got one of my books (You Shall Be My Witnesses) at the conference. She said it was worth attending the conference just to get the book.
I met with two Christians who worked with our ministry many years ago and now live in the Dallas area. Charlie Armstrong helped us start SOS Ministries 20 years ago. He now is involved in prison and discipleship ministry, and recently witnessed at the Australia Olympics. Jim Cole met his wife Sarah while living in our ministry house 12 years ago. They have since adopted 11 children! He brought them all to the conference so I could meet them.
I was blessed to see all the different ministries God has raised up around the country. It was an amazing experience to join together in worship with 1000 on-fire, evangelistic Christians. Still, our ministry was quite different from the other ministries at the conference. Almost every other ministry was focused exclusively on reaching the poor–the homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics on the streets, and gang members. Our ministry may have been the only one seeking to reach an entire city—the middle class and the wealthy as well as the poor.
Certainly, the poor have special needs. They often need shelters and live-in discipleship programs. In general, the poor are more receptive to the gospel. Often, one can get a street person to listen to a gospel message by promising a meal at the end of the service. They know their lives are a mess, and often desire some kind of change.
In contrast, a middle or upper class person may be less aware of his need for Christ. He is less likely to stop and talk with a stranger on the street or listen to a street preacher. Still, our Lord’s Commission is to reach everyone with the gospel, not just the poor. It is possible to evangelize middle and upper class people on the streets. Many will stop and listen to good quality music or drama. They will listen to short testimonies and gospel presentations between songs. They will read intelligently-written gospel tracts. When the Apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa, he said “I testify to small and great alike.” We need more evangelism ministries that minister to an entire city, not just the poor.
Soulwinner’s International Fellowship
The Christian leaders who started the National Street Ministries Conference in 1984, also started the International Street Ministries Association at the same time. Almost immediately, there was a split. The two groups went in different directions with different leaders. The conference was highly successful, with hundreds attending, bringing in abundant finances. The street ministry association struggled with little financial or other support from evangelists. I wrote the newsletter for the street ministry association for ten years, but eventually I let it go because there was almost no involvement from other ministries.
Conference organizer Scott Hinkle then began a new association, Soulwinner’s International Fellowship. We joined this fellowship, along with about 20 other ministries. It seems that this association is also dying for lack of interest. Street ministers are so involved in their own ministries that they have no time or money to give to a street ministry association. I think this is short-sighted. The sacrifice involved in establishing an association would benefit all street ministries. It would provide a means whereby Christians involved in street ministry can help one another, help new ministries get started, and encourage churches to get involved in street evangelism. Until this happens, at least we have an annual conference.
On the Streets
While I was in Dallas, the rest of our house witnessed on Haight Street on Friday night and at Union Square on Saturday. A band from Shiloh Christian Fellowship, Oakland, ministered beautifully in worship. Macy’s was holding a fashion show at the other end of the park. There was also an art show in the park. We are happy to share the park with these other groups, as they draw hundreds of people to hear the gospel.
On Friday October 27, we witnessed on Polk Street. I met a young man named Robert. Initially, he was hostile, but he asked me to buy pizza for him and a friend. After I did, he told me about his life. He is addicted to drugs and prostitutes himself to support his habit. He said he didn’t want to do this, but can’t get free from drugs. I gave him phone numbers of some Christian ministries that will help him when he wants to get free. Several Christians from Youth with a Mission were also witnessing that night. Three men who were saved off Polk Street are now living in their Christian discipleship house.
Later that evening we joined a team of Christians from the San Francisco Dream Center at United Nations Plaza. They give out food, blankets, and free haircuts to the homeless in this area on Friday nights. Their ministry is patterned after the Los Angeles Dream Center, which operates a church and several hundred ministries out of an old hospital.
On October 28, we had planned an outreach at United Nations Plaza. However, because of the rain, we moved to Market and Powell Street. We stayed there for an hour, when the strong winds broke our canopy. Then we moved a block away under an awning at Market and Mason Street and preached until 4 PM. In the past, we had received complaints at this location from a massage school upstairs, but we had no problem on this day. The security guard is a Christian and liked having us there. On the way home, our 1973 van started backfiring repeatedly and the muffler exploded. After stopping twice, we managed to get home.
Coming Events
Note: All outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531‑5325 the day before to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday December 1, 8, 15 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in various S.F. neighborhoods. (Call for meeting location.)
Sat. December 2 Berkeley Outreach. 1:30‑5:30 PM. Telegraph and Haste St.
Sat. December 9, 16 San Francisco Christmas Outreach. 12-1 PM Powell and Market St. 2-4 PM Union Square (Powell and Geary St.).
Ministry Needs
Since 1996, we have been denied permits throughout San Francisco. Union Square is one of the few busy locations where we can still get permits. This past month, Sandy Lee from the Park Department told me that there were plans to remodel the park, and we may not be able to use it for a year. Also, she said the store owners may take control of the permit process after the park is remodeled. Presently, we are limited to two hour permits, while groups like Macy’s can use amplification for many hours. But at least we can get permits. If the store owners control the permit process, it may be difficult or impossible for us to get permits. Please pray that we will continue to get permits at Union Square.
Also, please pray for those who have written us in response to tracts this past month, including William, Ruel and Ernesto (SF), Louis (Berkeley), and Jackie (San Pablo,CA). We have ordered another 100,000 gospel tracts at a cost of $1400. Pray that they will be printed quickly, as we are running out of tracts.
Our Tape of the Month is Follow Me by Scott Hinkle. This message is from the Passion for Souls Conference. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” If we aren’t fishing, we aren’t following.
We hope to be able to include the dates for next summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach in next month’s newsletter. If you need to know them before then, give us a call. I hope many of you will join us for one of our Christmas outreaches on December 9 or 16.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the SOS House:
Larry Rosenbaum; Eric, Cammie, Christy, David, Andrew and Benjamin Livingston; Scott Robbins; Brandon Matz.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum