SOS Monthly Newsletter - April 2006

Revival or Judgment?

Dear Christian friends,

In 1901, a few believers at a Topeka, Kansas Bible School gathered for prayer and began “speaking in other tongues.” In 1906, William J. Seymour, the son of slaves, moved to Los Angeles to speak about this new phenomenon, one he had never experienced. On April 9, 1906 a janitor named Edward Lee began speaking in tongues and three days later, Seymour received this gift, along with a special empowering by the Holy Spirit. He began holding prayer meetings at a house on Bonnie Brae St., but the meetings grew and moved to a vacant mission at 312 Azusa St. On April 18, the Los Angeles Times published an article on these meetings. “Devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work themselves into a state of mad excitement,” it read. That same day, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco. The Azusa Street revival continued for three years, with people coming from all over the world to participate.

Los Angeles today is known more for immorality than Christian faith. Hollywood produces movies that have a profound influence on the world. Much has been said about the recent Academy Awards, which honored several movies promoting homosexuality and transsexuality. However, there are hundreds of thousands of born-again Christians in the Los Angeles area, and many large gospel-preaching churches.

San Francisco is likewise known for immorality. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, Glad Tidings Temple held meetings with revivalists like Smith Wigglesworth and Aimee Semple McPherson that drew several thousand people. Today, there are no large evangelical churches in San Francisco and few in the SF area. Only about 4% of San Francisco residents attend any kind of church.

New Orleans also has a world-wide reputation for immorality, especially voodoo, paganism and sexual immorality. Six months ago, Hurricane Katrina largely destroyed the city, interrupting the 34th annual Southern Decadence street party scheduled that week. This event, which is known as a “gayer” version of Mardi Gras, normally draws 100,000 people to that city and involves public sex acts. New Orleans held its 150th annual Mardi Gras in February, but it was much smaller than usual. The city’s population today is less than half what it was before the hurricane. Despite billions of dollars of government spending, little has been done to rebuild the city. Every year, hundreds of Christians witness at the Mardi Gras. It is possibly the largest annual street outreach in the world.

Throughout history, spiritual revivals have been birthed in prayer. In recent years, many Christians have been getting very serious about prayer. For over six years there have been Christians praying 24 hours a day at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Many Christians are fasting and praying for 40 days from March 1 to April 9, 2006. They are praying for revival in the US in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the Azusa St. revival. They are also praying about the US Supreme Court and the situation in the Middle East.

In San Francisco, a House of Prayer has been established at Treasure Island on the SF Bay . Christians gather on Fridays each week for an all-night prayer meeting. A team of eight young people from Justice House of Prayer in Washington DC has come to San Francisco to pray. They pray from midnight to 6 AM six nights a week. Another group has moved into a Berkeley house to fast and pray for 40 days.

As Christians pray for lost souls, God will move on them to “put feet on their prayers” and seek to reach people with the gospel. The Azusa Street revival resulted in a tremendous outpouring of evangelism around the world. Today, about 600 million believers are part of the worldwide Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

Teen Mania ministry, which has mobilized thousands of Christian teens to participate in mission trips in the inner cities of the U.S. and around the world, organized a Battle Cry event at SBC Park in San Francisco on March 24-25. They are seeking to mobilize tens of thousands of San Francisco area youth to reach their generation for Jesus. Also, thousands of Christians are expected at a Solemn Assembly on Treasure Island, SF, on April 15 from 8 AM to 8 PM with Lou Engle, Dutch Sheets, and others.

Involving Youth in Evangelism

I was saved in 1970 during the "Jesus Movement." Most of those involved in this movement were in their teens and early 20's. We were filled with a zeal for God and a passion to reach the lost. This movement brought hundreds of thousands of people into God's kingdom.

We are seeing an increased interest in missions among youth leaders and Christian youth. Each year, tens of thousands of Christian teens participate in mission trips in the inner cities of the U.S. and in other nations. Sadly, many “missions trips” today do not involve telling unsaved people about Jesus. Too many such trips involve painting churches and feeding the homeless, but the name of Jesus is never mentioned to unbelievers.

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 group. 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. Many young people have been inspired to live a radical evangelistic lifestyle. Many are still involved in evangelism and missions. Evangelist Lou Wooten, who came to last summer’s outreach, is planning to bring about 15 youth from Utah to this year’s SOS outreach.

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. This year we will be inviting youth leaders to speak at our meetings. 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--June 23-July 1.

SOS-San Francisco June 23 - July 1

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 be meeting at a new location: Dolores Park Church (formerly First Covenant), 455 Dolores St. (near 18th St.), San Francisco. Our first SOS-San Francisco outreach was held at this church in 1980. It is a great facility and we are very thankful to the church leadership for allowing us to meet there.

Registration begins on Friday June 23 at 6 PM. Meetings are scheduled daily except Sunday at 9 AM from June 24-July 1. 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 26 – July 1. 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 23 - July 1 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.

	San Francisco Earthquake and Fire — April 18, 1906
	Independent Community Church ministers in Berkeley
	Preaching at Powell and Market on Friday night
	Jeff witnesses to man in Berkeley

SOS-San Francisco June 23-July 1, 2006

We have set the dates for next summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach-June 23-July 1. Once again we are blessed to be able to meet at Temple Baptist Church. This is our 27th annual outreach to the people of San Francisco. Please plan to join us for this important outreach. Jesus said,

“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”

Matt. 9:27-28.

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 541-9903 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday March 3, 10, 17 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call for location).

Sat. March 4, 11, 18 11:30-5 PM San Francisco or Berkeley Outreach. (Location depends on weather. Call Sat. Morning 9-10 AM to confirm location.)

June 23-July 1 SOS-San Francisco

Ministry News and Needs

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. On January 18, I celebrated my 60th birthday. God has blessed me with good health, and by His grace I hope to continue witnessing on the streets of San Francisco and Berkeley for many more years.
Last month, I applied for twelve 2006 San Francisco Park permits. I learned that a new General Manager wants to start charging us $500 for each park reservation, in addition to the loudspeaker permit fee. I was told we could request a waiver, which I did. Please pray that we will be granted this waiver. We certainly cannot afford such a fee.

We still need a musician to minister at our Friday night outreaches. Also, we still have openings for two Christians to live in our ministry house. This house is not for new believers but for those who are ready for evangelism ministry. We are looking for soldiers who will endure hardship and persist in God's calling to evangelize the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our Tape of the Month is Religion or Revolution by Dave Wells. Dave is Pastor of Harvest City Church in Regina, Sask., Canada. This message was given at a conference at my home church this past month.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum