ISEMA Newsletters
News Around the World
(from Streetlight, Rev. Gary P. Lukas, Editor, 67 Melfort Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7RT England)
AROUND THE WORLD: In August, YWAM became the first missions group to have served in every recognized country of the world. This fulfilled their goal of taking the Gospel to every nation. (Decision magazine, Jan. 92.)
- Univ. of San Simon in Cochabamba. A team of 8 evangelists from Intl. Fellowship of Evang. Students recently led a 6 week mission at this university. Results: 600 made commitments and 400 new Christians now meeting in discipleship groups. This was a pilot project to reach the universities of South America with the Gospel. (Decision magazine, Jan. 92.)
CANADA, Manitoba. “I found one of your tracts on the street with tire marks on it, but I dried it off and read it. I was an alcoholic for many years, and this tract told me how Christ could set me free. I have turned from my former life style and have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I praise God for that day and for bringing me to Himself. I now use tracts in my own witnessing…” (NL of Evangelical Tract Distributors, Jan. ’92.)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, Ostrava and Karvina. A team of young people joined with Czech Christians in Jesus ’91 Czechoslovakia last August. In two weeks of street meetings and crusade meetings approximately 600 people came to know the Lord. One lady in her 70’s said, “I’m like a little girl. I have lived all my life without knowing this. Now I am so happy.” The report of this outreach included photos, testimonies, verification of physical healings, and insights from the ministry team involved. Not only the lost, but the young Christians who formed the team no doubt were changed on such a trip. (Report submitted by M. Houston, one of the participants.)
ENGLAND, London. For the past year, Victory Outreach has been actively reaching the addicts, street people, and the lost through their church and ministry center on Kings Cross Rd. Each Friday evening at Leicester Square, Open Air Campaigners are actively using their sketchboard and preaching to the pleasure seekers and street people frequenting that area. Often students are involved learning how to use this approach to evangelism. Likewise, Paddy Shevlin and workers from Eastside Christian Fellowship regularly preach each weekend in the Square. Many with drug and alcohol addiction have come to Christ through their work.
For the past year, Gary Lukas of Christians in Action has regularly preached at the Eros statue at Piccadilly Circus to the passing crowds each Saturday evening. Literature for people from over 30 different countries has been given to them in their own language. At Portobello Road, workers from both the nearby Peniel Chapel and the Emmanuel Church hold street services on certain Saturdays of the month. Peniel also has a Christian coffee bar as an outreach.
SCOTLAND, Stornoway. “I was converted myself one night some years back, while in a Pub, when someone came in & handed me a Gospel tract…I thank the Lord for that witness, and the opportunity…to tell others about Him.” (J. Mackenzie, Ev. Tr. Dist. Apr. 92)
UGANDA. 19 Soldiers were led to Christ after tracts were given out at an army barracks. Later 36 men came for counseling and some for salvation at the Mukon Prison. (M. Vicent. Evan. Tr. Dist.)
The Canonization of Freddie
(by Gary Lukas, from the London Call newsletter, same address as above)
Matthew, our oldest son mentioned that the radio was talking up a concert that was to occur (4/20) with top name performers who would appear to honor a bisexual rock ‘n roll god who recently died of AIDS….I didn’t realize that 72,000 people would pack Wembley Stadium and a possible 1 billion people in 70 countries would be watching it live. All this to honor (worship??) one, Freddy Mercury.
He through a wild, reckless and perverted life style had contracted AIDS. Strangely enough, instead of this being a sermon for morality and a warning for young people, it was twisted into a promotion of him as a role model, hero, and pillar of society for young people to emulate! This was probably the best Public Relations event for the homosexual cause in modern history! Very few of the obvious (out-of-the-closet) homosexuals I expected were visible in the crowd, but most were ordinary citizens who apparently were accepting and tolerant of anything.
One said it “was a 4 1/2 hour party which did the outrageous Rock star proud.” The band Metallica opened …before others joined in with the remaining members of Mercury’s band called Queen. It of course is no accident the “drag” band is called “Queen”! ….Even Elizabeth Taylor, another generation’s morality model, flew in from the States to warn the crowd to “practice safe sex.”
This concert surpassed the audience of the 1985 Live Aid Concert and thus became the largest of all musical programmes. It was described as being a “global message which performed an almost evangelizing function in raising a reminder of other people suffering.” “These things are made in heaven!” another remarked in the press. David Bowie, who one year received awards for both best male and female vocalist, led in the Lord’s Prayer for Freddie and others who have AIDS (Prov. 15:8-9; 28:9). Yet another Rock star said, “Freddie’s with the angels,” and one newspaper carried a cartoon of him as an angel watching this concert being telecast….
Although Axl Rose sang “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” I don’t believe Freddie got that far. Freddie’s image was portrayed in royal dress on 2 large screens as the concert ended with the song “God save THE QUEEN”…
After the concert a third of the crowd hurried past me to the nearby underground station. They were very polite and well behaved as they took the tracts I distributed (about 1000 tracts). I can only pray that a few will consider their end and their need of the Lord. Maybe some will not follow the message of the concert and become a champion of the bisexual revolution like Freddie. Witnessing in this situation is nothing spectacular but simply making the message available to the lost and dying men all around us. It so happened that I was alone competing with a number of fellows handing out information for a future U-2 concert. God is always faithful to protect and provide opportunities which I attempt to take.
Report from Sierra Leone:
Christians in Action’s National Superintendent Raymond Attawia sent a recent report from his country after visiting London in early February. Upon arriving home he was met with the news that about six armed uniformed men had smashed in the front door of his home at 2:30 AM on Jan. 30. They held his wife at gun point and raided the house. Two shots were fired in the house while other men sealed off access routs to the house by releasing bursts of fire in three directions. They searched the house and left. His wife Pat and their children were not touched or hurt. This was a frightening experience for them as you could imagine. He asked for prayer for their country.
Coming Events
Sat. September 19 San Francisco Worship Rally and Outreach. 3-6 PM. Powell St. BART Station. Contact SOS Ministries, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-5325.
September 24-26 National Street Ministries Conference, Dallas, TX. David Wilkerson will be speaking Friday morning, Saturday morning and Saturday night. Contact NSMC, Box 380306, Duncanville, TX 75138, (214) 283-3900.
October 3-11 International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, NM. $90. Contact Christ in Action, Box 100, Chatsworth, GA 30705, (706) 695-1868.
A Final Word
I want to thank Gary Lukas for compiling evangelism reports from all over the world. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Gary sent out a Street News newsletter with reports from around the U.S. for five years while he lived in Texas and San Francisco. I was very happy to receive the first issue of Streetlight, Your International Street News. This newsletter will contain news of outreaches around the world, a schedule of upcoming outreaches, and evangelism reports. Write Gary if you would like a copy or if you want to send him information for future issues.
Next month, we will feature reports on summer outreaches in the U.S. Please continue to send us reports on outreaches you are involved with, and information about upcoming outreaches. Also, when was the last time you prayed for ISEMA? Please pray that God will guide and strengthen us as we seek to help street ministries. Also, pray that God will speak to pastors about the need to support and encourage evangelism in their local fellowships. We who are evangelists need the local church, and the local church needs the ministry of the evangelist.
I strongly urge you to attend the National Street Ministries Conference, September 24-26, in Dallas (see above). It is an opportunity to receive practical training in evangelism and to meet hundreds of other Christians who are involved in street ministry. Our Tape of the Month is “He Went With Them” by Dr. Sam Sasser. Dr. Sasser is known as the apostle to the Marshall Is lands. He ministered there for over 20 years, and this nation is now the most evangelized nation on earth, with 80% saved! We certainly need the presence of our Lord as we bring the gospel to a dying world.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
