ISEMA Newsletters
National Street Ministries Conference Issue
Summer Outreach Reports
SOS-Hollywood
(by Mark Johnson, from the Forerunner Ministries newsletter (Box 4066, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315, (714) 886-1171.)
The first night, my partner Leon and I stopped to listen to an elderly couple play music. While listening, a long-haired fellow stopped to listen and it turned out to be a former member of a band I was in 18 years ago. Naturally he asked me what I was up to, so I was able to share with him how I had become a Christian. He expressed a real need in his life for God. Several weeks later I was able to pray with him on the phone. He definitely realized our meeting was not a coincidence but a divine meeting ordered by God.
Hollywood is a place where sensuality, pleasure and the lust of the flesh controls so many lives. One particular night on Santa Monica Blvd., where many young male prostitutes hang out, I talked to a young man who seemed so scared. He told me he had a Christian sister who was praying for him and seemed open to what I shared with him.
On the Fourth of July, we served free food at an outreach in Griffith Park. As the drama presentation was going on I noticed an Hispanic fellow watching. I got an interpreter and explained the gospel to him. Carlos seemed very sincere as he gave his life to Christ. I had a Spanish New Testament on hand and gave him that and he was introduced to a pastor from a Spanish speaking church.
Jesus Loves You-New York
(by Mark Johnson)
Our first night was on the streets in Union Square. My partner Jefferson Haase and I spent several hours with Ralph who had already accepted the Lord, but was bound by drugs, alcohol and perversion. He wanted to be totally free. He is currently enrolled in a detox program and after that is scheduled to go to the Genesis drug program in Brooklyn.
We did a street meeting in Brooklyn with the Redemption Ministry. The needs in this area are some of the greatest we have seen in any inner city area of this nation. The drug addiction and number of AIDS victims (from drugs) is said to be the highest in the country. Not long after we got there, Jefferson and I invited prostitutes and drug addicts to the street meeting. Free food was being passed out. Many were saved and ministered to that night. Some were admitted immediately into the Genesis drug program. I spent some time with a young man named Willie, who at one time was a Christian who even played in a gospel group. We prayed and the power of the Spirit of God hit him so strong he fell over. He was introduced to a local pastor and given a Bible.
Praise and worship played a vital part of this outreach as in times past. On several occasions, once outside Tompkins Square Park and then at Washington Square, as we sang songs of prayer and worship people would come to us and ask for prayer. The closing night at Washington Square a tremendous unity prevailed as we sang. I couldn’t help notice one fellow just standing there with his mouth open, “what is this?” Another night as we worshipped at Washington Square for three hours straight, a noted comedian from the park who always drew a crowd, ended up watching us. Hs words said it all: “Man, there’s a lot of love here!”
Street Machine Nationals (DuQuoin, IL) and Veiled Prophet Fair (St. Louis)
(by Gary Lukas, Box 1232, Richmond, TX 77469, (713) 232-6002)
The Street Machine Nationals is a car show with over 3500 show vehicles displayed at the State Fairgrounds and drawing 107,000 visitors from many states. Each evening the grounds were closed and these portable idols were cruising a four mile stretch through DuQuoin (pop. 6600). Over a dozen of us (from No Greater Love ministries) teamed up to march into the rowdiest sector of the shopping center parking lot singing songs about Calvary, and then spreading out to witness. There with large banner type signs, a large cross, and gospel tracts the battle was on. Our march into the main party disturbed the sinners and resulted in some verbal abuse, but many were drawn to us for solid conversations about the Lord.
Fifty Christians from No Greater Love ministries witnessed at the “Veiled Prophet” Fair Parade in St. Louis. About a million people attend this parade, and many of the Christians wore clown makeup and gave out tracts and Christian stickers to people. When crossing the plaza west of City Hall, Pastor Brown sat on the grass to talk to a guy who needed our help. He had considered jumping off the Eads Bridge for two days. A day before, a pastor’s daughter had seen him, shared a pizza with him, and witnessed to him. Then we came and were able to talk, encourage and then pray with this ex-Nam Vet, who had now found a reason for living.
SOS-SAN FRANCISCO
(from the SOS Ministries Newsletter, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (415) 531-5325)
Over 200 Christians registered to participate in this year’s outreach, with an average of 80 workers per day throughout the week and extras at night and on weekends. Believers flew in from Pennsylvania and Minnesota, and a team from Jesus Inn Ministries drove here from Tulsa, Oklahoma. A team from Teen Challenge in Watsonville and a youth group from Christian Heights Assembly of God in Sonora also joined us for the week.
The outreach began with a Saturday afternoon rally at the Powell St. BART station. One young man, a drug addict with AIDS, had been embittered by the church. After some Christians ministered to him, he rededicated his life to Christ and was taken to the Richmond Rescue Mission. Since then, he went back to Southern California to be with his parents and at last report was doing well spiritually.
On Monday, we had a worship rally at the Embarcadero Plaza, in the financial district. We gave out 200 New Testaments to the businessmen in the area. It was exciting to see hundreds of people listening attentively to the worship and preaching. Several people received prayer for salvation and other needs that day.
On Wednesday and Friday afternoons we witnessed on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Wednesday we met Eric, a young man who had just been released from jail that day. While in prison, God had been working in his life, and we were able to help him get established in the Lord. He joined us for the rest of the outreach and then went to Teen Challenge in Watsonville. His excitement about his new-found faith was an encouragement to us all.
Also that day, our worship leader Tim Charles was cited for “disturbing the peace” for singing worship songs (with a permit) as the Berkeley police continue to violate our constitutional rights. On Friday, a police officer came to check our permit. One of our workers recognized the officer as a former friend and was able to witness to him of her changed life! That day, an Ethiopian man who was studying Mormonism made a profession of faith.
We had three worship rallies at Union Square–on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Thursday, we began to see the first opposition from the homosexual community. About ten people protested our rally, including one person with a sign accusing us of “homophobia.” On Saturday, the Revelation drama players from Sacramento performed some excellent skits at Union Square. That afternoon we met James, a backslidden Christian who was deeply involved in satanism. His “friends” tried so hard to keep him from hearing the gospel that he had to escape from them and hide in the bushes. A brother took him to his ranch near Lakeport and we saw him there the next week and baptized him. Also that afternoon, a man who had said he had been in a wheelchair for 15 years got out of the chair and marched with us six blocks to Civic Center, where he gave his testimony!
That afternoon, we marched through downtown San Francisco to City Hall for a worship rally with Jerry Brandt. When we arrived, there were about 100 homosexuals there to disrupt our rally, with signs and whistles. Some were dressed as priests and nuns or wearing obscene costumes. They blew whistles in our ears and destroyed several of our signs. The police riot squad was called in to protect us. This was the first organized opposition we had seen since 1981, when 2000 people had come against us in Union Square. As we did that year, we joined together in worshipping God. When we sang “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord” we all kneeled on the ground, publicly confessing our sins. At that point, we saw a real spiritual breakthrough. Before long, most of the homosexuals had dispersed and we were singing, dancing and rejoicing before the Lord.
Last winter, as we were praying about God’s direction for this year’s SOS outreach, God gave us the theme “end times evangelism.” On August 4, Iraq invaded Kuwait and the attention of the world was focused on the mideast. Not long before, changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe had led many to hope that the world was heading for a lasting peace. But this new event reminded people that the sinful nature of mankind makes this impossible. These events were very much on people’s minds throughout SOS and we incorporated them into our preaching.
Coming Events
Saturday October 13 San Francisco Worship Rally and Outreach 3-6 PM. Powell St. BART station. Contact SOS Ministries, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (415) 531-5325.
October 26-November 4 Hawaiian Halloween Outreach to Maui. $300 plus airfare. Contact Christ in Action, Box 100, Chatsworth, GA 30705, (404) 695-1868.
October 27-November 7 The Alternativa Surfing Championship Outreach, Brazil. Contact Forward Edge, Box 65238, Vancouver, WA 98665, (206) 693-EDGE.
October 31-November 2 San Francisco Prayer Breakthrough Contact Larry Lea Ministries, Box 9000, Rockwall, TX 75087, (214) 771-7000.
Some Final Thoughts
Many of you may be hearing about the International Street and Evangelism Ministries Association (ISEMA) for the first time at the National Street Ministries Conference in Dallas. ISEMA was founded in 1984 by leaders of several evangelism ministries. Our purpose is to help evangelism ministries help one another and to encourage Christians to get involved in evangelism. We have put together an ISEMA brochure that explains our purpose and vision more fully. Write us if you’d like to receive a copy.
We need your help to make the ISEMA vision a reality. Write us and let us know what is happening in your community. Send us outreach reports, a description of your ministry, and information about upcoming outreaches. Also, let us know of ways we can help you learn more about evangelism or be more effective in the ministry you are involved in. Become a member of ISEMA, if you haven’t already joined. Membership through the end of 1990 is $10 for individuals, $17.50 for churches and ministries. If you have already joined, consider supporting us on a monthly basis. Like most street-level ministries, we operate on a shoestring budget (about $700 monthly) and are often limited by lack of finance. We also put out an annual International Street and Evangelism Ministry Directory, a listing of over 500 evangelism ministries around the world, with a description of each ministry. The directory is $7 to ISEMA members, $14 to non-members. Write us if you would like to be listed in the next directory.
OurTape of the Month is “Starting a Street Ministry from Scratch” by Jonathan Gainsbrugh of Worldshakers for Christ. Jonathan was the founder of ISEMA and a father to many of us in street ministry and this teaching will give you a lot of useful help in starting a street ministry to reach your community.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
