A Lost Generation
Dear Christian friends,
Some people call them “Generation X.” They are certainly a generation without hope, in desperate need of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On Thursday nights, I have been ministering at the Prodigal Project coffeehouse, located in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. On January 11, I went outside to talk with Kevin, who was walking out of the coffeehouse with his girl friend. Kevin is about 20 years old and had recently arrived from Texas, after spending six months in jail for marijuana sales. He is a Rastafarian, believing that deceased Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassee is a reincarnation of Jesus and that deceased reggae singer Bob Marley is “the Nazarene.” He didn’t seem to know much about this new religion but liked Marley’s music and their advocacy of marijuana. He was quite hostile to Christianity, not liking the Christians he had met and the evils that had been done to his people (Irish) in the name of Jesus.
Next I met Andy, who was drinking a bottle of whiskey with two friends outside the Prodigal house. Andy is 21 and was adopted at the age of 3. His family raised him as a Lutheran. For the past year, he had been riding freight trains around the country. During this time, 15 of his friends (mostly teenaged) had died in various ways. His girl friend (who looked about 16) was from an Episcopal background and had wanted to be a nun for many years before becoming disillusioned with Christianity. She had been raped four times. Both listened as I shared the gospel. Andy thought God would let him into heaven because he was “doing the best he could.”
As I was leaving, I met Mike, who is 19 and had arrived that day from Idaho. He said he really wanted to follow Jesus Christ. But he didn’t think Jesus died on the cross for him. He considered himself a very good person that God would certainly let into heaven. He didn’t want to read the Bible, but he did listen as I shared the gospel with him for about 30 minutes. He let me pray for him that God would save him. Please pray that Kevin, Andy, and Mike will be saved. There are thousands of young people like them who are roaming from place to place with no direction in life. Please pray that God would cause many to be saved.
Chinese New Year Parade
Saturday March 2
For the past fourteen years, we have been witnessing at the Chinese New Year Parade. This is the largest annual event in San Francisco, drawing about 400,000 people. New Life Christian Church will lead a worship rally at 5th St. and Market at 1 PM. We will witness at the parade from 6-8:30 PM that night. A busload of 45 Christians from Fresno is scheduled to join us. In event of rain, the rally will be canceled but we will still witness at the parade. Meet us at 5:30 PM by the Tourist Information Bureau (under 5th St. at Market) outside the Powell St. BART station.
Testimony
From the S.F. Teen Challenge Newsletter
Robert Mobley…has just returned to us from San Joaquin Valley Teen Challenge, where he completed the initial phases of our program. He will serve a brief internship at our Crisis Center before re-entry and job training. Robert is on the road to recovery and has a promising future. But it has not always been that way.
He was raised in an alcoholic family with eight brothers and sisters. His family struggled with being a blended family because Robert’s mother had died when he was 5 years old. His stepmother was an alcoholic along with an alcoholic father. Robert’s path led him to dropping out of school at 15, becoming an itinerant laborer and just “getting by and getting high.”
The path he took led to nowhere until he “accidentally” bumped into a worker from SOS Ministries on the street. After a brief conversation, Robert had a phone number to call for help. A desperate phone call brought him to us. A week later he fully committed his life to Jesus.
Letters
From Ira (OR): Much has happened since I last saw you. First my wife of 52 years went home to be with our Lord. Then God found a new help-mate for me (June) and we spent our honeymoon sharing on the streets of Las Vegas. Then we carried the cross and shared with people as we walked about one-third of the way across the State of Montana this summer. Our “high” point of the year was a mission trip to Tanzania, East Africa….Lord willing, we plan to return to Tanzania again this year. The schedule for this year includes walking in Montana again, SOS- Hollywood and SOS-San Francisco, and our return trip to Africa. The Lord has been exceptionally good to us and seldom does a day pass but that we have at least one divine appointment. He has also used us in sharing with our unsaved relatives.
From Mike and Kelley (MN): You’re always in our thoughts and prayers! Just want you to know how much SOS Ministries has really touched and grabbed hold of my heart being a part of SOS-San Francisco. I’m excited to get out there again this year if possible. Meanwhile I thank God for all of you who are carrying out the work.
From Gayle (Ukiah): Thanks for SOS-SF dates for this year. I’m encouraged! God has allowed me to meet two other ladies in my area who have a like desire to minister on the streets and door to door. We have been able to go out regularly on Saturdays and have been able to share the message of salvation with quite a few people. God’s timing was right. I was really discouraged and wanted to leave Ukiah because I couldn’t seem to find anyone who wanted to be involved in this type of evangelism. I felt like I wasn’t being obedient if I wasn’t sharing outside the church this way. Anyway, I feel very blessed that God has allowed me to pass out tracts and tell people about Him in Ukiah.
We haven’t been allowed to see much fruit yet but believe that we’ve planted and watered a lot of seed and have faith that some of it will grow to harvest. Please pray God will grow the seed that’s been planted and also raise up more laborers for the harvest in Ukiah. We will hope to join you at a S.F. outreach and pray for your ministry.
From Diane (WA): The Longview SOS team is again building with anticipation. Here it’s only October of 1995 and we already have a car full of people ready for SOS-1996….Rick and I would like to offer ourselves to you for SOS-1996 in any kind of service that’s needed.
From Marilyn (San Diego): Why do we have these beautiful churches and then use them to tell other Christians to come and hear, when God is telling us as Christians to go out of the churches and tell His gospel to non-Christians? I can’t understand how people in my church will go to the other side of the world to do door to door evangelism but they won’t do it near the church. I am sure the same is going on in other churches….The people who really need to hear the preaching are not coming into our churches because we are not out on the street and at their doors inviting them to come….Unbelievers need to see Christians in the flesh. Too many of them have formed their ideas about us from the T.V. Christians. How can non-Christians devote so much time and money and energy to saving whales, wolves, bears and birds while we Christians devote so little to rescuing our fellow human beings from the jaws of hell?
I suppose I am rather discouraged lately. Our little group of evangelists has become even smaller. People are just too busy to go out. It is mid December now and we had only 17 trainees this year so far. We talked to 900 people on 58 afternoons. This year there were 6 evangelists who came out more than 10 times; but since July we number only 3-4 coming out to do evangelism on Saturdays. These are the lowest figures we’ve had since we began this ministry 4 years ago. Please pray for us and for your own churches as well–that Christians would be more interested in sharing their greatest gift from God.
Coming Events
Events not sponsored by SOS in italics.
Saturday March 2 1-8 PM. Chinese New Year Parade Outreach, 5th St. and Market, San Francisco. Worship rally followed by witnessing at parade. 400,000 attend the parade. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Saturday March 9 12-4 PM. SOS Evangelism Outreach, 5th St. and Market, S. F. Worship rally with Open Bible Church, S.F. Call (510) 531-5325.
Saturday April 13 12-2 PM. SOS Evangelism Outreach, Union Square, Powell & Geary St., S.F. Worship rally with Alder Ave. Baptist Church, Fremont. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
March 13-17 St. Patrick’s Day Outreach, Savannah, GA. 500,000 gather for this celebration. Contact Rescue Atlanta, Box 965039, Marietta, GA 30066, (404) 924- 0201.
April 29-30 Washington For Jesus. A million Christians are expected. Call 804-420-0700.
May 2-4 National Street Ministries Conference-East, Jacksonville, FL. Contact N.S.M.C., Box 30642, Phoenix, AZ 85046, (602) 942-6362.
June 21-29 SOS-San Francisco. Set aside these dates for our 17th annual week-long outreach to the people of San Francisco. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
EVERY FRIDAY 7:30 PM. Witnessing in various S.F. neigh borhoods. Meet at Vineyard, 7th St. and Harrison, San Francisco. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
EVERY SATURDAY Noon. San Francisco or Berkeley witness ing. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Turning Fifty
During this past year, I have passed three important milestones in my life. Last spring marked the 20th year I have been in San Francisco. Last September was the 25th anniversary of my “re-birthday.” And on January 18 this year, I celebrated my 50th birthday. Many Christians think that street ministry is only for the young, but I have seen Christians in their 70’s and 80’s who are still witnessing on the streets. I pray God grants me the health and strength to do the same, if He tarries.
January also marked the homecoming of a great Soldier of the Lord, Jim Durkin. Jim was the Founder of Gospel Outreach, a world-wide network of churches begun in the “Jesus Movement.” Many thousands were saved through this ministry, especially in the U.S. and Latin America. Please pray for Gospel Outreach, that they would receive clear direction for their future.
January’s edition of the Northern California Christian Times featured a front-page picture of one of our 5th and Market out reaches along with an article on our Christmas outreaches. This paper reaches thousands of Christians in the San Francisco area and I hope many will be encouraged to minister with us.
Please pray also for those who have written us in response to tracts this past month: Epifanio, Comelia and Felix (S.F.), Kyle (Albany, CA), Reynaldo (Santa Rosa) who wrote “I want to know more about Jesus and how I can volunteer some of time with you all at Christian Friends, and Marquisha, age 11 (E. Palo Alto) who wrote “I really believe in Jesus. It is just sometimes I would love to say to Jesus, `Could you please forgive me for all the bad things I have ever done in the past?'”
We still need one Christian man or woman to live in our evangel ism house and help in purchasing a sound system for the ministry. Our Tape of the Month is Ministering in the Opposite Spirit by Loren Cunningham. Loren is Founder and Director of Youth With a Mission. This message was given on August 22, 1981, at the close of our second SOS-San Francisco outreach.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum