ISEMA Newsletters
Fantasy Fest Outreach Report
In the recent “Rescue Atlanta” newsletter, Mel Rolls included a report on the Fantasy Fest Outreach in Key West, Florida. The festival, held annually during Halloween and drawing 90,000 people, glorifies homosexuality, nudity and immorality. Yet each year, Rescue Atlanta has been able to enter a Christian float in the parade.
The theme of this year’s festival was “Lost in the Sixties.” They printed 25,000 special tracts for the event with the message “If you were lost in the sixties, why be lost in the nineties? Jesus Christ can change your life! Let Him!” The theme of their float was “I once was lost, but now I’m found.”
According to Rolls, “Our float was simple. On it was a 14 foot cross laying at a 45 degree angle so that everyone in the crowd could see it. Walking before the float was one of our team members dressed like Jesus in a loin cloth, carrying the cross, and being whipped and flogged in the street. He depicted what it was like as Jesus fell under the weight of the cross. They then threw Jesus up on the float and crucified Him. A hush fell over the crowd. Several people cried out, “My God! My God!” After His hands and feet were nailed to the cross we lifted the cross up to the sky, as the crowd witnessed first hand what Jesus had done for them at Calvary.
“When the cross was all the way up, the lights went out, and we played sound effects of lightning, thunder and wind howling, along with a strobe light that simulated lightning. Jesus then cried out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” He then looked back and forth across the crowd with those eyes of compassion that we read so much about. After a short period of time, Jesus cried out “Into your hands I commend my spirit. It is finished!” When He hung His head and died, we began to sing “Amazing Grace.” I can’t begin to describe the feeling that I had as I stood at the foot of the cross looking up at the crucified Lord and worshiping! We then preached, as many of those in the crowd were weeping at what they had just witnessed.
“Yes, some people mocked, but the majority of them were confronted first hand with Jesus. We did this four times throughout the parade route. The locations were Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the LaConcha Hotel, The Copa Homosexual Bar, and the judges’ reviewing stand that broadcasts live to over 27 cities.”
News Around the World
Caribana Outreach, Toronto, Canada (from the Christ in Action Newsletter): We had Christians from several states as well as from several places in Ontario. We were pleasantly surprised at the openness to the Gospel. There wasn’t the hostility toward the message of Christ that we normally find in the States.
We saw many genuine conversions. One in particular stands out in my mind. Michael, a French man from Quebec, was living on the streets and was in the area where we were preaching. Michael was approached by Randy Charles, who brought a group to the outreach from northern Ontario. After sharing with him, Michael prayed to receive Jesus as Lord of his life. Michael, who was drunk, was immediately sober and the smell of alcohol left his body!
Randy and his partner, Fraya, took Michael to a local church that was involved with the outreach for some teaching in the Word of God. Michael was handed a Bible, but he said he needed glasses because of his poor eyesight. Randy said he didn’t have glasses but that Jesus heals eyes. They prayed and Michael picked up the Bible and began to read God’s Word for the first time in his life! Michael joined us for the next several days on the outreach and then was taken to a discipleship home in Randy’s home town.
From SOS Ministries Newsletter, San Francisco: Last October, we were witnessing on Haight St. on Friday night. John Hurst witnessed to a man named Theo. He was dressed like a Hare Krishna and lived in their house, yet he was open to the gospel. John stayed in touch with him and took him to breakfast the next week, witnessing to him some more. On November 11, Theo prayed to receive Christ. Today, he lives at the San Francisco Gospel Mission. He has a real desire to learn more about God’s word and to witness for Jesus Christ.
On Saturday December 18, New Life Christian Church led a Christmas worship rally at the Powell St. BART station. After the second song, a man approached singer Rick Charles and asked him, “Do you think I could accept Jesus Christ now?” Rick spoke with him a few minutes and introduced him to Tim Burgess. The man had gotten out of prison 1 1/2 years ago. When he was 13, his sister had been raped and he killed the rapist and some others. Tim prayed with him to receive Christ. Please pray for this man and for Theo, that they will continue to grow in the Lord.
No Greater Love Ministries President Fred Bishop has written a new book: The Road to Ground Zero: Finding God’s Will. Their latest newsletter contains this description of the book: “From midwestern America to the Alps of Austria, The Road to Ground Zero is filled with adventure, action and suspense. Not only does this book show how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things, it also reveals many principles that are necessary ingredients for finding God’s will for your life.” For a copy of the book, call 800-722-6774.
Audio and video tapes of the 1993 National Street Ministries Conference are available from Scott Hinkle Outreach Ministries. For an order form, write Box 380306, Duncanville, TX 75138.
Coming Events
February 7-9 Pastors’ and Leaders’ School. Over 6000 attended last year. Contact First Assembly of God, 13613 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85022, (602) 867-7117.
February 10-16 Mardi Gras Outreach, New Orleans, LA. Contact Christ in Action, Box 4200, Manassas, VA 22110, (703) 368-8286 or Rescue Atlanta, Box 965029, Atlanta, GA 30066, (404) 924-0201.
February 11-13 Mardi Gras Outreach, Galveston, TX. Contact Gulf Coast Christian Center, Box 143, Hitchcock, TX 77563, (409) 986- 7889.
Sat. February 26 Chinese New Year Parade Outreach, San Francisco. 300,000 people watch this parade, the largest annual event in San Francisco. Contact SOS Ministries, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-5325.
March 11-14 Spring Break Outreach, Port Arkansas, TX. Contact Street Ministry for Jesus, 6322 Whitaker Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78468, (512) 991-1111.
March 18-19 South Texas Street Ministers Conference, San Antonio, TX. Contact Rev. David O’Dell, 3400 W Park Blvd. #2117, Plano, TX 75075, (214) 519-0195.
Sat. April 23 Fiesta Outreach, San Antonio, TX. Contact Rev. David O’Dell (address above).
May 6-7 Kentucky Derby Outreach, Louisville, KY. Contact No Greater Love Ministries, Box 263, DuQuoin, IL 62832, (618) 542- 4503.
May 19-21 Regional Street Ministries Conference, Portland, OR. Contact Christ in Action (address above).
May 27-29 Indianapolis 500 Outreach. Contact Christ in Action (address above) or No Greater Love (address above).
June 17-25 SOS-San Francisco Outreach. Contact SOS Ministries (address above).
June 28-July 1 North America Conference for Itinerant Evangelists, Louisville, KY. Christians from 40 denominations participating. Affiliated with Billy Graham Assn. Write Box 94, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
FORWARD EDGE is sending outreach teams to Cuba, Central America, Europe, Vietnam, and several other places. For more information, contact them at 15121-A NE 72nd Ave., Vancouver, WA 98686, (206) 574-EDGE.
Ministry Needs
We receive lots of letters. Many are from Christians who are involved in street ministry and need help. But we also receive quite a few letters from Christians in prisons, needing encour agement and spiritual help. We reply to every letter and try our best to help those who write us. Here is a letter we received from a brother in a Greek prison: “Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Saviour. [I am a citizen of] Great Britain and am now in a Greek Prison. I decided to write to you to see if you could help me here….I have a long time left [on my sentence] and have been here two years. I know that I am a sinner and I can’t forgive myself….We don’t have any fellowship here….My parents are dead and I now am 23 years old without any family.” Jeffrey Williamson, K.F. Patron Prison, Agios Stephano 26110, Patras, Greece. Please pray for Jeffrey. I am sure he would welcome letters from newsletter readers.
We are thankful to each of you who prays for us and supports this ministry financially. We do ask that you pray and ask God if He would have you support us monthly or on a one-time basis. Perhaps you could contact your church missions committee to consider putting us on their budget.
Finally, as we enter a new year, we want to encourage you to renew your ISEMA membership for 1994, or to join ISEMA if you haven’t already done so. ISEMA is the only association of street ministries, and your membership fee helps us to continue to serve those who are laboring in the gospel trenches.
Our Tape of the Month is Using Drama on the Streets by Kirk Henneberry. Kirk is director of House of Prayer Ministries in Decatur, IL and is the author of Harvesting the Fields, a book on Street Drama. He has been ministering the gospel through street drama for many years.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
