SOS Monthly Newsletter - March 2003

150,000 Protesters Hear Gospel

Dear Christian friends,

Over the past 25 years, we have had many opportunities to preach the gospel. A few times, we were able to preach to over 1000 people in one day. But never before were we able to preach the gospel to 150,000 people! On Saturday January 18 (my birthday), we had planned our regular outreach at Powell and Market Street. We had heard there would be an anti-war protest that day, but we had no idea how large it would be. The police estimated the crowd at 150,000 -- and they all marched right in front of our PA system! We preached the entire time they were marching by, and everyone heard the gospel for about 10 minutes, while they passed us.

We have preached at larger events, such as the Chinese New Year Parade. However, at these events, we were using a small bullhorn, so only a few thousand people could hear us. This time we had a full PA system that everyone could hear. Many people, including a TV crew, photographed or videotaped us. We spoke with a few people. A few others tried to shut us down, but we persuaded them to leave us alone. It was truly an awesome experience.

The Call -- San Francisco

April 3-5

In September 2000, about 400,000 Christian youth gathered for a fasting, prayer, and repentance rally in Washington DC called The Call. A second rally on September 22, 2001 in Boston (just 11 days after the terrorist attacks) drew 50,000 young people. The Call is an intergenerational and interdenominational prayer and worship gathering with a primary focus of praying for revival in our land. Now The Call is coming to San Francisco. Tens of thousands of Christian youth are expected at 3Com (Candlestick) Park in San Francisco on Saturday April 5, 2003. For more information, call Promised Land Fellowship (415) 558-9900. We are planning special outreaches in San Francisco on April 3-4 in connection with The Call.

We are excited about The Call -- San Francisco. We believe that as young people gather to pray for our nation, they will want to put feet on their prayers by preaching the gospel to the lost. We believe that many youth leaders will be challenged to bring their youth groups on mission trips to the inner cities of the U.S. as well as to other nations. We hope that many will decide to bring their youth groups to SOS-San Francisco this summer. Already, teams are planning to come to SOS from Calvary Chapel, Reno, and Berean School of the Bible, McMinnville, Oregon.

Young people have energy and enthusiasm. They are not afraid to be radical. They have plenty of free time, especially in the summer. They need to see that Christianity is more than sitting quietly during church services and being entertained at youth meetings. We have the important and difficult challenge of reaching the world for Jesus. Those youth who have had a true encounter with the living God will be willing to take up this challenge.

The primary responsibility of a youth leader is to evangelize and then disciple the young people he (or she) is working with. Evangelism training is an important part of the discipleship process. SOS-San Francisco provides an ideal opportunity for youth outreach. We have worked with many youth groups during our summer SOS outreaches and throughout the year. Hundreds of young people have been inspired to live a radical evangelistic lifestyle. Many are still involved in evangelism and missions.

Youth groups that come to SOS join with other Christians who are serious about preaching the gospel. We have great times of worship, practical training in evangelism, and opportunities for hands-on experience. We want youth worship groups to lead worship at our meetings and on the streets. We also will be scheduling youth mime and drama teams for street outreaches.

We need your help. Please talk to the youth leader at your church. Tell him (or her) about SOS-San Francisco, give him some of our literature, and encourage him to bring a team to this summer's outreach.

SOS-San Francisco June 20-28

Pastor Phil Roop, who brought a team to SOS last summer, wrote "SOS-San Francisco was a heart changing and challenging experience for Elsinore Valley Master's Commission. Each year, we travel and minister in public school assemblies, church services, neighborhood outreach and are involved in our local church's outreaches and food ministry. However, SOS- San Francisco was a refreshing return to ‘grass-roots' level or should I say ‘street-level' evangelism and ministry. The varied cultures and backgrounds of SF are almost like going on a foreign mission trip. I still hear students sharing their ‘Berkeley, Haight-Ashbury, Castro, and Market' street encounters with praise and enthusiasm. Each one had the opportunity to minister and to share! Larry, if at all possible, EVMC wants to be a part of future SOS outreaches!"

While we are making a special effort to involve youth groups this year, Christians of all ages are welcome to participate in SOS-San Francisco. This year we will again be meeting at Temple Baptist Church, 3355 19th Ave. (near Ocean), San Francisco. Registration begins on Friday June 20 at 6 PM. Meetings are scheduled daily except Sunday at 9 AM and 6 PM from June 21 - 28. Evangelism training will be provided throughout the week. We will be holding daily noon worship rallies in city parks, bringing the church to the street. Free housing is available during the outreach. We will be serving breakfast and lunch from June 23 - 28. Youth under 18 need adult supervision. This outreach is an opportunity to bring the love of Jesus Christ to people who desperately need to know Him. It is truly a life-changing experience.

We have printed thousands of full-color cards to let people know about this outreach. Please help us get this literature to churches, Christian bookstores and Christian schools in your area. You can give it out at Christian concerts and other events. Please encourage your Christian friends to get involved. Set aside the week of June 20 - 28 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.

	Eric preaches to anti-war protesters.
	150,000 anti-war protesters heard the gospel.
	Joyce witnesses to Berkeley youth.

Coming Events

Note: All outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 541-3147 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday March 7, 14, 21, April 4, 11, 18 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods (Call for location).

Sat. March 8 12-1 PM Powell and Market St. 2-5 PM UN Plaza (7th St. and Market) SF

Ministry Needs

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. We still need to print 100,000 more tracts for this summer's outreach. Also, we need to print and mail literature for this year's SOS outreach. During the past year, there were almost 12,000 visits to our web site! Please set aside the week of June 20 - 28 to attend this year's SOS-San Francisco outreach. Ask your boss to give you the week off, or use some of your vacation time. Please pray for us as we prepare for this important outreach. Pray that God will provide our needs and guide us in planning the outreach.

We have one opening in our ministry house for a mature Christian with a desire to evangelize. Also, we need more Christians to witness with us on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. Our outreach team is getting pretty small. It is difficult to conduct an effective outreach with only 2 or 3 adults. We especially need someone who can sing and play guitar.

Our Tape of the Month is Evangelism and the Local Church by Ricky del Rio. Ricky is Pastor of Abounding Grace Church in New York City. Email us if you want a copy.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum