SOS Monthly Newsletter - June 2006

Prayer Alert

I just learned that the San Francisco Entertainment Commission has increased its loudspeaker permit fee from $51 to $453 per permit! I have requested a waiver from Robert Davis, the Executive Director. Please pray that we will be granted this waiver so we could hold outreaches at Powell and Market, Haight and Masonic, and 24th St. and Mission during SOS-San Francisco. If he refuses to grant us a waiver, we will need to take legal action to defend our constitutional rights.

Harmless as Doves?

Dear Christian friends,

More than 25,000 Christian youth came to San Francisco March 23-24 for a “Battle Cry” event at AT&T Park, the Giant’s baseball stadium. Before the event, there was a small rally in front of City Hall. The city’s Board of Supervisors passed a resolution condemning the event as an “act of provocation” by an “anti-gay” “anti-choice” organization that aimed to “negatively influence the politics of America’s most tolerant and progressive city.” SF Assemblyman Mark Leno said “they’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting and they should get out of San Francisco.”

It is easy to laugh at a resolution that proclaims San Francisco as a “tolerant” city while condemning a group that they disagree with. However, I think we should take it seriously. After all, the Board of Supervisors of a major American city approved it. These are the elected officials of the city, who to some extent represent the thinking of those who elected them – the people of San Francisco. Why did they react that way? While San Francisco is more extreme than other cities, this kind of thinking is increasingly common throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Jesus said he was sending us as “sheep among wolves” so we should be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10). Do unbelievers see us as harmless? Many of them see us as a threat to their “freedoms.” Many people think we are trying to establish a theocracy in the U.S., force them all to live by Biblical morality, and bring back the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Salem witch trials. They see Fundamentalist Christians as being similar to the Islamic Fundamentalists who want to impose strict Islamic sharia law in various nations.

Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. We have to be careful that our political statements do not make it harder for sinners to come to Christ. We certainly don’t want non-Christians to think they must become conservative Republicans before they can get saved.

In Matthew 22, Jesus was given an opportunity to protest the immorality of Rome, when He was asked if He should pay tribute to Caesar. Recognizing this as a temptation, He refused to do so.

How did Jesus deal with the issue of prostitution? It was certainly a serious moral issue in His day. Did He go to the religious leaders and urge them to enforce the Biblical laws against prostitution more diligently? No! He showed prostitutes God’s love and won them over. The publicans and “sinners” felt comfortable around Jesus. Do they feel comfortable around us? Or do they think we are self-righteous people who despise them?n The Bridger Generation, Thom Ranier quotes statistics that 65% of Americans born between 1927 and 1945 and 35% of those born between 1946 and 1964 describe themselves as church-attending, Bible-believing Christians. In contrast, only 4% of those born after 1983 describe themselves that way. That is truly an alarming statistic. It means we are losing our youth. The “Moral Majority” has become a small minority. If you think America’s laws are bad today, wait until a new generation grows up that is only 4% evangelical Christian. What kind of leaders will they elect? What kind of laws will they pass? What kind of movies and TV shows will they produce?

I do not think that the organizers of Battle Cry are responsible for the hostile reaction of San Francisco officials. This hostility has developed over many years as those who support liberalizing of laws involving sexuality, drugs, etc. have come to view evangelical Christians as their enemy. I do think we need to be careful when we use military terminology. When we speak of “spiritual warfare” to unbelievers, it is important to make it clear that we are not talking about “carnal warfare.” The non-Christian is not our enemy and we do not intend to use physical weapons against him.

During our first SOS-San Francisco outreach in 1980, we organized two worship rallies at Union Square with over 1000 Christians attending each event. The next year, a coalition of leftist and homosexual groups organized against us. That year, about 3000 people protested against us at Union Square, claiming we were part of the “Moral Majority” and were trying to take away their rights. As we prayed for direction, God told us to “remember the Lamb.” We were to go as lambs among wolves, to do nothing but worship God at Union Square. As we sang “Oh, the blood of Jesus,” protesters blew whistles in our ears and tore up our Bibles. But eventually they left, realizing we were not a political organization. Since that time, there has been no major organized opposition to our evangelistic outreaches. Sadly, most of the Christians who attended the 1981 rallies never returned. Were they scared away by the protesters? God has called us to be meek and loving, but also to proclaim the Gospel boldly. We are not to be fearful.

Battle Cry

In 1986, Ron Luce began Teen Mania ministry, to evangelize and disciple America’s youth and enlist them in world missions. Since that time, 1 ½ million youth have attended Teen Mania events. Last year, 185,000 youth attended their events. This year, Luce planned three larger events in outdoor stadiums. The first took place March 23-24 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The other two are scheduled for Detroit and Philadelphia.

Battle Cry featured several well-known Christian bands, including Delirious?, Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac, and Pillar. Ron Luce spoke both Friday and Saturday night. He outlined a strategy to help youth groups double in size over the next year, leading to next year’s Battle Cry event, scheduled for March 23-24, 2007. He also introduced a new website, Battle Cry ,to help youth and their leaders.

On the Streets

	“The Acoustics” plays at Wharf on April 29
	People listen to Last Days Harvest Church at Union Square on May 6
	Harvest City youth from Canada perform dance in Berkeley on April 1

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 June 9, 16 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call for location).

Sat. June 10 1 - 5 PM San Francisco Outreach. Washington Square, Columbus & Union St.

Sat. June 17 12:30-4:30 PM Berkeley Outreach. Telegraph and Haste St.

(See schedule on below).

June 23-July 1 SOS-San Francisco

Ministry Needs

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. For the past few months, I have been telling you about the problems we have had with our San Francisco park permits. I had been told that the Park Department intended to start charging us $500 for each park reservation. On May 9, I attended a public meeting at which the Director of Operations explained the proposed changes. Actually the proposed increase is much larger. The cost for a Union Square permit would be about $4000 and other parks would have comparable fees! (That is the rate for nonprofit organizations. Commercial events would pay twice as much.)

Toward the end of the meeting, I asked him why nothing had been said about the First Amendment. Such large fees would make it impossible for groups like us to exercise our right of free speech in public parks. He told me that these fees would still be waived for First Amendment activities when a group could not afford them. While his words are reassuring, we will have to wait until these new fees are enacted to see what actually happens. I was told we would need to pay a new $50 application fee for each event. I hope we do not also have to pay other new fees. Please continue to pray about the matter. We really hope to avoid a lawsuit, but will go to court if necessary to protect our rights, and those of all Christians.

We still need to print 100,000 tracts for this summer’s SOS outreach. We also need to purchase 500 New Testaments. We need someone to lead worship on the streets on Friday nights. Also, we need a volunteer to help with office work about 6 hours a month.

Our Tape of the Month is Effective Ministry to the Homeless by Patrick Martin.

The 27th annual SOS-San Francisco outreach is just around the corner. Musician Chuck Girard will be here all week. His daughter Alisa from ZOË girl (which has sold over a million albums worldwide) will be here Mon. to Wed. I want to urge you not to miss this important outreach. Not only will San Francisco be changed – YOU WILL BE CHANGED!

Free housing is available at Dolores Park Church. Bring a sleeping bag and foam pad. If you must work, you may join us at night and on weekends. As always, we will waive the SOS registration fee for anyone who cannot afford it. Please call, write or email me if you have any questions.

SOS-SAN FRANCISCO 2006 Meeting Schedule

All meetings at Dolores Park Church (455 Dolores St. (near 18th St.), SF) (Schedule subject to change. Call first to confirm locations.) Larry’s cell phone 510-541-9903.

Fri. June 23

6-7 PM Registration and Orientation. 8-10 PM Outreach

Sat. June 24

8-10 AM Meeting. 12-2 PM Powell and Market St. Chuck Girard.

3-5 PM Union Square (Powell and Geary St.) Chuck Girard

5-7 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 7-10 PM Outreach.

Sun. June 25-- free day

Mon. June 26 7-8 AM Breakfast, make lunch.

8-10 AM Meeting.

12-4 PM Fisherman’s Wharf outreach. Jefferson St. near Mason. 4-6 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 6-9 PM Outreach.

Tues. June 27

7-8 AM Breakfast, make lunch. 8-10 AM Meeting.

12-4 PM Telegraph and Haste St. Berkeley.

4-6 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 6-9 PM Outreach.

Wed June 28

7-8 AM Breakfast, make lunch. 8-10 AM Meeting.

12-4 PM Haight St. and Masonic.

5-7 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 7-9 PM Outreach.

Thurs. June 29

7-8 AM Breakfast, make lunch. 8-10 AM Meeting.

12-4 PM Fisherman’s Wharf outreach. Jefferson St. near Mason

5-7 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 7-9 PM Outreach.

Fri. June 30

7-8 AM Breakfast, make lunch. 8-10 AM Meeting.

12-4 PM 24th St. and Mission

4-6 PM Go to evening outreach location with team, dinner. 6-9 PM Outreach.

Saturday July 1

8-9 AM Breakfast, make lunch 9-11 AM Meeting.

1-5 PM Washington Square outreach (Columbus and Union St.) Last Days Harvest. New Hope.

6 PM Dolores Park Church cleanup.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum