February 2012
Seven Years Street Preaching in San Francisco 1849-1856
James Croci sings at Wharf on Jan. 14.
Dear Christian Friends,
William Taylor (1821-1902) was a Methodist minister specializing in “street preaching” in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., when the Methodist church sent him to California as a missionary evangelist in 1849. He remained in the West for seven years, going on to become one of the church’s most tireless worldwide evangelists. He later conducted crusades in Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa. In 1884 he was named Missionary Bishop for Africa and he focused his energies on missionary activities on that continent.
Taylor spent his last years in California, the site of his first mission. In 1857, he wrote a book, Seven Years Street Preaching in San Francisco, which offers Taylor’s memoirs of his career in the West, concentrating on open-air evangelism in general and experiences on the street corners of San Francisco and Sacramento and in camp-meetings in the mine fields, 1849-1856. The book focuses on the nature of the sinners who repented at Taylor’s words: drunkards, gamblers, seamen, and on the moral and political depravity of San Francisco.
While I have known about this book for many years, I recently found it online in Google Books. Here are titles of some of the chapters:
1, FIRST PREACHING ON THE PLAZA.
2. OBJECTIONS TO STEEET PREACHING C0NSIDERED
3. SUGGESTIONS FOR A STEEET PREACHER
4. PREACHING IN A GAMBLING HOUSE
5. CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO IN AN UPROAR
6. THE PREACHING THAT KILLED THE PLAZA CLOWN
7. THE TIME THE LORD DID NOT “KEEP THE CITY” AND WHY
8. THE GREAT FIRE
This is an extremely interesting book, showing what has changed in San Francisco in the past 150 years — and what has not changed. I thought you might be interested in reading some excerpts from it:
First Preaching on the Plaza
On the third of December, 1849, I announced to the congregation in our little church on the hill, that at 3 PM of that day I would preach in the open air, on Portsmouth Square, known more familiarly as the Plaza. It was regarded by most persons present, if not all, as a very dangerous experiment. The gamblers were a powerful and influential party in the city, the Plaza was their principal rendezvous, and Sunday the best day of the seven for their business.
The Plaza was nearly surrounded by gambling and drinking houses. The gamblers occupied the best houses in the city, and had them furnished in the most magnificent style. Each house employed a band of the best music the country could afford. P. Beeching, a member of our Church, being a good musician, was offered thirty dollars per night to play in one of them, which, as a true man, though poor and out of employment at the time, he declined.
These places, especially at night, all night, and on Sunday, were crowded with moving masses of humanity, of every age and complexion. So powerful was this class of men in the city, that I do not remember of ever hearing of one of them, in those days, being arrested, even for murder. Now, should a poor preacher presume to go into their midst, and interfere with their business, by thrilling every house with the songs of Zion and the peals of Gospel truth, he would be likely to wake up the lion in his lair!
When the appointed hour arrived I took with me my “sweet singer in Israel,” the partner of my youth, who has stood by me in every battle; and I went to the field of action. I selected for my pulpit a carpenter’s work-bench, which stood in front of one of the largest gambling-houses in the city. I got Mrs. T. and another lady or two comfortably seated, in care of a good brother, and taking the stand, I sung on a high key: “Hear the royal proclamation, The glad tidings of salvation, Publishing to every creature, To the ruin’d sons of nature. Jesus reigns, He reigns victorious. Over heaven and earth most glorious. Jesus reigns.”
The novelty of the thing had a moving effect. The people crowded out of the gambling-houses, and gathered together from every direction, as though they had heard the cry, “Fire ! fire ! fire !” By the time the echoes of the song had died on the breeze, I was surrounded by a dense crowd, to whom I introduced the object of my mission, as follows: “Gentlemen, if our friends in the Atlantic states, with the views and feelings they entertained of California society when 1 left there, had heard that there was to be preaching this afternoon on Portsmouth Square, in San Francisco, they would have predicted disorder, confusion, and riot; but we, who are here, believe very differently.
“In your tedious voyage ’round the Horn,’ or your wearisome journey over the Plains, or your hurried passage across the Isthmus, and during the few months of your sojourn in California, losses and gains have constituted the theme of your thoughts and calculations. Now, I wish most respectfully to submit to you a question under your favorite rule. I want you to employ all the mathematical power and skill you can command, and patiently work out the mighty problem. The question may be found in the twenty-sixth verse of the sixteenth chapter of our Lord’s Gospel by St. Matthew. Shall I announce it? ‘What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul’”
Every man present was for that hour ”a true American.” Perfect order was observed, and profound attention given to every sentence of the sermon that followed. The warrant for street preaching in San Francisco was thus acknowledged, and the precedent of good order, under the preaching of the word in these “highways,” was thus established.
That sermon proved to be the first of a series of nearly six hundred sermons preached in these streets, the confluence of all the various creeds, and isms, and notions, and feelings, and prejudices of the representatives of all the nations, Christian and heathen. And yet, through the restraining providence of Him who sent me, and the good common sense of the people of California, I have never lost a congregation, nor suffered any serious disturbance. The little interruptions I have had, together with specimen extracts from sermons preached, and incidents illustrating some of the modes by which truth has been presented, will be duly noted in the subsequent pages of this book.
*’Why do you preach in the streets and highways ?”
I answer, because it is a duty enjoined by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The “great commission,” under which every true ambassador goes forth in the “ministry of reconciliation,” by direct implication, enjoins the duty of out-door preaching: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
Did the apostles understand the Great Teacher to mean that they were to preach in the temple, in the synagogues, in “hired houses,” and “upper rooms?” Certainly. Did they understand him to mean nothing more than that? Certainly not. They well knew that the temple, and the synagogues, and all the house room they could command, were they all open for their use, would contain but a very small proportion of the creatures embraced in their commission. Every word of this great command, framed by infinite wisdom, is simple and unequivocal. It evidently contemplates a proclamation of the Gospel as wide as “all outdoors,” and so specific and personal as to embrace every single rebel of the fallen race.
Again, the Savior, illustrating, by the parable of the “Great Supper,” the bounteous provision of mercy in the Gospel, enjoins, by direct command, the duty of out-door preaching: “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 282-5629 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday Feb. 3, 10, 17 7:30 – 10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (call for location.)
Sat. Feb. 4, 11, 18 San Francisco or Berkeley Afternoon Outreach (Location depends on weather. Call Sat. morning for exact time and location. )
Ministry News and Needs
Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. This past month, I sent out an email to 5700 Facebook friends, telling them about the openings in our evangelism house. We still have three openings, and the house is now open to both men and women. I received about ten responses, but most were concerned about whether they could get a job here. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate here is still high. But I believe that if people are diligent in looking for a job, God will meet their needs. Please pray that God will bring the right people to our house. Please contact me if you know of any jobs in the San Francisco area.
For the past three months, we have been unable to get permits in Berkeley. A fire destroyed the hotel across from where we set up. There is a fence around the area that really wouldn’t affect our outreach, but so far the permit officer has been unwilling to issue a permit to us. Please pray that we will get permits in Berkeley soon. Fortunately, we have had good weather and been able to minister at Fisherman’s Wharf on most Saturdays.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
Jerry (r) witnesses to couple at UN Plaza.
Dave S. (second from right) witnesses to teens at Wharf.
