Disturbing the Peace
Dear Christian friends,
I believe that SOS Ministries has had a tremendous impact on the people of San Francisco and many others from all over the world. We have printed and given out several million gospel tracts. We have trained thousands of Christians in evangelism, many of whom are now witnessing in their own communities. We have personally witnessed to thousands of people. We often receive calls and letters from people responding to a gospel tract or a personal witness. Countless others we will only learn about in heaven. We know God’s Word does not return void and that if we sow abundantly, we will reap an abundant harvest of souls for our Lord.
I once read a biography of John and Charles Wesley. These men, along with Whitefield, preached out of doors several times weekly to as many as 25,000 people at one time, without an amplifier! Most churchgoers regarded them as fanatics for preaching outside the church. They also often found themselves in the middle of riots, and were stopped from preaching by the police.
As John S. Simon wrote, “If Methodism had not come into contact with the mob it would never have reached the section of the English people which most needed salvation. The `Religious Societies’, shut up in their rooms, would never have reformed the country. It was necessary that a race of heroic men should arise, who would dare to confront the wildest and most brutal men, and tell them the meaning of sin, and show them the Christ of the Cross and of the Judgment Throne.”
“The incessant assaults of the mob on the Methodist preachers showed that they had reached the masses. With a superb courage…the Methodist preachers went again and again, to the places from which they had been driven by violence, until their persistence wore down the antagonism of their assailants. Then, out of the once furious crowd, men and women were gathered whose hearts the Lord had touched.” (The Revival of Religion in the Eighteenth Century)
When we are willing to obey the Great Commission of our Lord and follow in the footsteps of His disciples, God will bless our labors and bring forth much fruit.
SOS-San Francisco
Because of the problems we have had with the police permit department, I did not expect to get any permits at parks this summer. To my great surprise, we received all seven permits we requested for the SOS week–for Union Square, Embarcadero and Washington Square! Thank you, Jesus! Meanwhile, Vineyard Christian Fellowship obtained a permit for Sharon Meadow, a large area in Golden Gate Park for Saturday July 12. They are also applying to close down streets in four San Francisco neighborhoods during this week! And Living Hope Christian Church is applying for a permit to close a street in the Mission District. We last applied for street closings about 10 years ago. Hundreds of people from the neighborhood would gather, wondering why their street was closed down. This year, block parties are planned in the Mission, Haight, Richmond and Sunset districts of San Francisco. Please pray that these churches will be granted permits for these street closings.
Danny Lehmann, Director of Youth With a Mission, Honolulu, will be teaching evangelism from July 4-6. He helped us start SOS Ministries 20 years ago and inspired me to start preaching on the streets. We are scheduling other evangelism teachers and musicians to minister throughout the week. Singers Barry McGuire and Terry Talbot will be ministering on July 11 and 12. Both are well-known singers from the “Jesus Movement” who have put together an evangelistic band playing 1960’s – style songs. Also, we have tentatively scheduled the Christian Reggae group Christafari to minister on July 12.
This summer is the 30th anniversary of the “Summer of Love.” Hundreds of people still come to San Francisco as a “spiritual mecca,” looking for love, peace and spiritual fulfillment. During this year’s SOS outreach, we are calling on Christians from all over the U.S. to come to San Francisco to bring God’s Word to these people. This summer, we will be working with two other Christian ministries. “Shake the Nation” Ministry is planning to bring 250-500 youth to the city this week, mostly from Assembly of God churches. And the Vineyard Churches in San Francisco, San Diego and British Columbia are planning to bring several hundred Christians to the city. Together, we are planning some major outdoor rallies.
We have printed 2000 posters and 15,000 bulletin inserts to let Christians 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. Also, talk with your pastor and Christian friends and encourage them to get involved. Set aside the week of July 4-12 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.
We have enclosed a registration form with this letter. Free housing is available during the outreach. Bring a sleeping bag and foam pad. If you prefer, we can send you names of hotels in the area. See the bulletin insert enclosed with this newsletter for more outreach details.
SOS Video
If you’ve never been to an SOS outreach before, let me say that the fellowship with other believers, the times of worship and personal ministry, and the times of outreach all make it an incredible and unforgettable experience. We have prepared a video of last summer’s outreach. The video contains 25 minutes of highlights from the outreach and our 11 minute SOS- San Francisco video, which is edited and narrated in a more professional manner for showing to churches and other groups. This video shows many different kinds of outreach and thousands of people hearing and responding to the gospel in San Francisco.
Coming Events
EVERY FRIDAY 7 PM. Witnessing in various S.F. neighborhoods. Meet at Vineyard, 7th St. and Harrison, San Francisco. Call (510) 531- 5325 for more information
Sat. June 14 12-5 PM. Berkeley witnessing. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Saturday June 21 12-6 PM San Francisco worship rally. Meet at 5th St. and Market.
June 20-27 SOS-Hollywood. Contact the Oasis, Box 1590, Hollywood, CA 90078, (213) 77-OASIS.
June 23-28 Rescue Atlanta. Contact Mel Rolls, Box 965039, Marietta, GA 30066, (770) 924-0201.
June 25-29 Invasion Milwaukee ’97. Contact Heart-Fire Ministries, Box 14031, Milwaukee, WI 53214, (414) 445-9490.
July 4-12 SOS-San Francisco. Set aside this week for our 18th annual outreach to the people of San Francisco.
September 26-October 19 San Francisco area Billy Graham crusades.
Ministry News
Since Eric Livingston was arrested for witnessing at the Chinese New Year Parade in February, the police have been determined to prosecute him. He is now being charged with six counts of disturbing the peace. The police claim that any time someone objects to our preaching or music, we are breaking the law by disturbing their peace. I was twice put in jail in Berkeley under this ordinance. We won the criminal cases and later won a civil lawsuit. Now we need to fight the same matter in San Francisco.
The “disturbing the peace” ordinance is even being used to outlaw private conversations. Last month, two Christians were standing at 5th St. and Market, talking about homosexuality, that it was a sin but God could save people out of it. Four homosexuals who overheard their conversation had them arrested for disturbing their peace! A police officer took them to jail! The charges were dismissed, but this is a dangerous trend.
In 1973, the California Supreme Court ruled (In re Brown) that the “term `noise’ as used in disturbing the peace statute encompasses communications made in
[a]loud manner only when there is clear and present danger of violence or when communication is not intended as such but is merely guise to disturb persons.”
In light of this and other court decisions, there is clearly no legal basis for prosecuting Eric. However, the judge has not yet dismissed the charges, and we must take the case seriously. We cannot ignore the anti-Christian bias that exists in the court system and in those who would be jurors. We are planning to file a motion to dismiss. Please pray that the judge would dismiss the charges so we could be spared a criminal trial
On the Streets
Even though we cannot get permits, we minister twice a month at 5th St. and Market, using our 9 watt amplifiers. On April 26, while Paul Coca was ministering in music, Eric Livingston noticed an older man weeping. Eric embraced him to comfort him and en couraged him to cry out to God. The man, Leno, told Eric that he had pastored a church, but when his wife died, he backslid and started using heroin. Eric called Victory Outreach and arranged for him to enter their program. Leno spent the night at their house, but decided not to enter the program. He said he did want to continue following Jesus. Please pray for Leno and Michael, another backslidden Christian we prayed with that day.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. We still have an opening 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. We also need someone with basic carpentry and roofing skills to work on our house. Please call me if you can help. Also we need an artist to help us make some new signs.
Please pray also for those who have written us this past month in response to tracts, including Loma, Thomas, Corri and Antonio (SF), Michael (Moraga), and P. Mitchell and Marina T. (Chowchilla women’s prison). Our Tape of the Month is Mobilizing Youth for Outreach by Mel Rolls. Mel was youth pastor of a large church before founding Rescue Atlanta, a street ministry in Atlanta.
We urge you not to miss this summer’s SOS outreach, July 4-12. If you cannot afford the registration fee, come anyway. Please come, even if only for a single day or a weekend. Better yet, come for the whole week. It will change your life, and the lives of those you reach with God’s love.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
