ISEMA Newsletters
Summer Outreach Reports
Indianapolis 500 (from Ray Jablonski, Heart-Fire Ministries, Box 14031, Milwaukee, WI 53214, (414) 445-9490)
I have never seen so many people gather together in one spot for the sole purpose of seeing just how quickly and thoroughly they could get drunk. Two miles of the Georgetown Highway was barricaded off to allow people to walk, get drunk, and talk foul to each other, 24 hours a day….We began by handing out gospel tracts, and when we saw any interest at all, we would share more personally with them. God gave us divine appointments with those that were there looking for fulfillment in a bottle. Many of those that we shared with expressed their own surprise at the level of drunkenness that was there. We were able to share Jesus with people that had come from all over the country for the race. God had once again gathered the harvest together, and yet the laborers were too few. Our hearts were saddened when we learned that most of the churches in the area had canceled their Sunday services because of the race, but were not interested in getting out into the streets to witness.
SOS-Hollywood (from Mark Johnson, Forerunner Ministry Times, Box 6084, Minneapolis, MN 55406, (612) 722-0751)
While passing out tracts one night on the boulevard, I met a young man named Joe. He was a musician and played bass guitar in a blues band. He said he’d had a few drinks in him and didn’t feel comfortable talking about the things of God. Yet, he allowed me to pray for him concerning some temptations in his life. As we were praying, I kept seeing these flashes. It turned out the lady that was with him was taking pictures of us. I asked her where she was from and she said, “Iowa.” I then asked her what she was doing in Hollywood and she told me, “trying to get away from people like you!!” Immediately I was reminded of an old blues song that said “you can run but you sure can’t hide.” Joe knew it and joined in with me a little on the chorus. I think she got the message!
One of the team leaders, Frank Gresham, met a young man out on the streets named Gary. He had come to see the glitz of Holly wood, only to end up getting robbed. He became an instant pan- handler….Frank got him back on a bus to Indiana. A church has been contacted in Gary’s town to help get his life together.
Jesus Loves You-New York (by Mark Johnson)
Being part of an outreach to an area like the lower east side of Manhattan is the epitome of street ministry….This is the area where thousands of people of different culture groups live, in a tough area where drugs, occultism and gangs are prevalent. God is establishing a lighthouse in this dark place with a local church, Abounding Grace Christian Center. For one week, a group of people joined forces to sing, preach, and reach out with the gospel to the people of this area. One afternoon a small team of us were walking through the housing area in a casual way, just talking to people….We gave tracts to a young man named Emerson and his friend. A couple of minutes later they walked back to talk with us….I was able to lead Emerson in the sinner’s prayer to receive Jesus. He was very open and seemingly sincere in his prayer, and we all had a sense of God really touching him at that moment. A few days later I saw him and he confessed to me that he was dealing drugs. We prayed again for him to get out of that lifestyle. I believe he really wants to break free, yet, is clinging to some selfish desires. Pray for Emerson.
Last year in the same area, in a similar situation like Emerson’s, was a young man named Michael. While standing on the corner this year, I glanced across the street and there he was. He saw me, we hugged, and began to pick up right where we left off last year. Michael looked better and seemed more clean from drugs. Our many prayers over him last year have been producing fruit. I recently called him on the phone, and he told me of a nice guitar he just bought, but had gotten stolen while he was drinking in the park. I told him that should have told him some thing. He said yea it did. He needs prayer to get off methadone (the drug used to get heroin addicts off heroin) plus the initiative to get into fellowship.
Report by Sondra Berry Young
As the team was singing and ministering (in New York) I went and sat on a park bench between 3 men who were all drinking. As I started to witness to them, 2 of the men got up and left, but one of the men had been weeping. It turned out that as soon as he heard the music, God touched his life. He had actively been in ministry for 10 years and fell in sin with a woman in his church. He left the ministry and his heart ached to get back to the place where he could serve God again….But Jesus revived him and I introduced him to the pastor we are working with. I prayed with another young fellow here in the projects. His mother was in Mexico preaching the gospel. He had never received Jesus as His own personal savior yet he was a preacher’s kid…what a tragedy. But Praise God I led him to Jesus!
Please also pray for Val a punk rocker I led to the Lord. I gave her my Bible and she took tracts back to the squat where the punkers all live together. When she arrived at the corner of the street, her boyfriend beat her up badly for receiving the Lord and going out to lunch with me. She is much persecuted and will have to make choices. Pray she makes the right ones and has the strength to press through the peer pressure to Jesus’s new life style for her.
I went out to a ghetto area to witness. As I stood on a corner talking to five young men, one of the men got quite hostile. He began to mock the other two men who were praying with me. He said, “Why are you two guys listening to what this white woman says. It’s a white man’s God.” He was very upset but both men responded that they wanted what I had to offer them, and kept on praying. All of a sudden I was almost overcome with tiredness. I had to leave the corner and go back to the car and sit down. I quickly fell asleep for a couple of minutes. [I was awakened by some Christians]: “Did you see the ambulance…a girl just got stabbed on the corner?” I could hardly believe it. I had just been there 5 minutes before, witnessing….I thank God for his mighty protection and ministering angels who watch over us.
Legal Victories
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), reported recently on the 700 Club TV show, of three cases they had been working on relating to the rights of Christians to preach the gospel. In Albany, NY, a judge ruled that a state-owned park had to give a permit to a Christian group that wanted to bring in a drama group for evangelism. This order, which will not be appealed, opens up all state-owned facilities in New York for the preaching of the gospel. If they are open to any group, they must open up to Christians as well.
In Tampa, FL, an ordinance was passed requiring a permit to take any position of advocacy. The judge declared the ordinance unconstitutional and not to be applied during the appeal process. And in Archdale, NC, a Christian group was told they could not have a religious service in a public park. After being contacted by the ACLJ, the city allowed the service to be held.
In another case not involving the ACLJ, a federal appeals court ruled that a city can’t require all political demonstrators to get permits before using public parks, declaring a Portland, OR ordinance unconstitutional. According to the AP report, “a city might require permits for all large-scale activities, including demonstrations, at parks, said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But it said a ban on demonstrations that lack a city permit would violate freedom of speech. Parks provide a free forum for those who cannot afford expensive advertisements, said Judge Steven Reinhardt in the 3-0 ruling.”
Coming Events
Sat. November 5, 12, December 3. 1-5 PM. San Francisco Outreach at United Nations Plaza, 7th St. and Market. Contact SOS Ministries, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-5325.
December 31-January 1 Rose Parade Outreach, Pasadena, CA. Contact Sondra Berry Young, Box 3044, Newport Beach, CA 92659, (818) 792- 7424.
Saturday January 7-March 4 Downtown Dallas Street Blitz. Contact Rev. David O’Dell, Operation Christlift, 3400 W Park Blvd #2117, Plano, TX 75075, (214) 519-0195.
February 24-March 1 Mardi Gras Outreach, New Orleans. Contact Heart-Fire Ministries, Box 14031, Milwaukee, WI 53214, (414) 445- 9490 or Rescue Atlanta, Box 965029, Atlanta, GA 30066, (404) 924- 0201.
May 27, 1995 March for Jesus. Public praise marches scheduled for hundreds of U.S. cities and every nation on earth. Contact March for Jesus, Box 3216, Austin, TX 78764, (512) 416-0066.
SOS MINISTRIES is looking for two men with a desire to learn about and do evangelism to live in their ministry house. For more information, contact SOS Ministries (address above).
ROBERT PETRONE is looking for a worship leader for an outreach team ministering throughout Northern California. Contact him at Box 2684, Oroville, CA 95965, (916) 523-5931.
HANDS FOR CHRIST is offering Christian tracts and bumper stickers on a donation basis. They also need used Christian Bibles, books and tapes to distribute to Third World countries. Contact them at 5720 Williamson Rd NW #111, Roanoke, VA 24012, (703) 362-1214.
1995 Street Directory Update
Our 1995 edition of the International Street & Evangelism Ministry Directory is now available, with many new listings and the latest address corrections. I believe you will find this directory helpful in learning about ministries in your area and around the world. It is filled with valuable information not available elsewhere and is easy to use and easy to read.
Once again I want to thank you for your prayers and financial support for the International Street and Evangelism Ministries Association (ISEMA). Please continue to send us evangelism reports and other material that we can include in this newsletter.
Our Tape of the Month is After the Fire Falls by Danny Lehmann. Danny is an evangelist and director of Youth With a Mission, Honolulu. This message is excellent for getting Christians excit ed about what God is doing in the world today and gently encour aging them to take part in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum