Newsletter April 1999

Chinese New Year Parade Outreach

Dear Christian friends,

For  over  20  years,  we have witnessed  at  the  Chinese  New  Year
Parade. This is the largest annual event in San Francisco, attracting
up  to 400,000 people. Two years ago, Eric Livingston  was  arrested
by  Captain Martel and taken to jail while witnessing at the  parade.
A  judge has twice dismissed the charges, but the  District  Attorney
continues to appeal the matter.
This  year  it  did not rain on their parade  (or  our  outreach).  After
ministering  at Powell and Market Street from noon to 1:30  PM,  we
moved to Stockton and Geary, on the corner of Union Square. When
we  arrived,  we  learned that this had  become  the  central  viewing
location  for  the  parade!  Paul and Noreen  Coca  sang  and  others
preached   from  2  PM  until  5:15  PM  (when  the  parade   began).
Thousands of people heard the gospel as they waited for the  parade
to begin. Captain Martel walked by but we had no problem with  the
police.
Sadly,  it  appeared  that most people care more  about  the  parade
than  their  eternal souls. Only God knows what is going  on  in  the
hearts  of  those who make no visible response to  the  gospel.  Pray
that  many  will be convicted of sin and trust in Jesus.
When  I  got home, I opened a newsletter that contained  this  quote
from Charles Spurgeon:
“If  sinners  will  be damned, at least let them leap to  hell  over  our
bodies.  And  if  they  will  perish,  let  them  perish  with  our  arms
around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled,  at
least let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
God,  cause us to weep over the condition of the lost! Cause  us
to  commit  our  lives to reaching as  many  people  as  possible
before it is too late!

Legal Update

Last  August,  during our SOS outreach, I was cited  for  “disturbing
the  peace” and violating a noise ordinance. Our sound system  was
confiscated.  We  filed  a  motion  asking  the  judge  to  dismiss  the
charges.  The  hearing  was postponed three  times.  Finally,  Judge
Mason  issued  her  ruling on March 4. She refused  to  dismiss  the
charges. However, she scheduled a hearing for April 16 at which  we
could  try to prove that the ordinance is being  enforced  discrimina¬
torily. My trial, if needed, is scheduled for May 7.
I am disappointed that she did not simply dismiss the charges.  The
hearing  will probably last a week. It will take many days to  prepare
for  the  hearing. The trial could last a month. Any time  they  want,
the  police can cite us again and we’ll have to go through the  whole
ordeal another time.
Of course, the persecution we endure is nothing compared to  those
who  are tortured and killed for the gospel in other nations.  Still,  it
is  very  stressful  and time-consuming having  to  defend  ourselves
against   criminal  charges  that  are  never  brought  against   other
groups  using  amplification.  Please  continue to  pray  for  me,  our
lawyer Russell Davis, and Judge Mason, that she would dismiss the
charges at the April 16 hearing.
Singing in the Rain
On    February   6,   the   Charles   family–Tim,   Lisa,    Rick    and
Cynthia–led  worship at Powell and Market St. It was raining  hard,
so  we  put up our canopies. Officer Dahlberg had told us  we  could
not  use  these canopies without a  “temporary  occupancy”  permit.
When  we  called the person who issues these permits,  he  said  we
didn’t  need  a  permit.  Still, we didn’t want  to  fight  this  issue  in
court.  Officer  Dahlberg  stopped  by,  but  he  didn’t  say  anything
about the canopies.
The rain adds to our difficulties. Will the music group show up on a
rainy day? Will their instruments or our sound system be  damaged
by  the  moisture?  Will we be cited for using a canopy?  Will  we  be
arrested  for violating a noise ordinance? Will our sound  system  be
confiscated?  Despite these obstacles, the gospel must be  preached.
People  go  to  jail to save a redwood tree. How  much  is  a  person’s
eternal soul worth?
The canopies do not keep our sound equipment completely dry,  but
so  far, our sound system still works.  To avoid arrest, we  kept  our
volume  so  low  that people could barely hear us.  Despite  the  rain
and  low volume, we ministered to hundreds of people at  this  location.
At 1:30 PM, we moved a block away to Powell and Ellis Street. Mark
Whitehead  and  Paul and Noreen Coca ministered  in  music  using
our  9-watt maximouse amplifiers. The maximouses are as  loud  as
our P.A. system, but the sound quality isn’t as good.
Witnessing  in  the rain is difficult. We get cold and wet.  Our  tracts
get  wet.  Still, thousands of people come to Market Street  on  rainy
days.  They  need to hear about Jesus. Perhaps  our  willingness  to
witness in the rain will show them that we are serious about serving
God.
Fifty thousand football fanatics will sit in the rain or snow for hours
watching a football game. Four hundred thousand people will stand
in  the rain to watch the Chinese New Year Parade. Why  should  we
be  less dedicated to serving God than they are to watching  football
or a parade?
New Friday Meeting Location
As  you know, the Vineyard was forced to leave their building.  They
are  renting a school for Sunday mornings and are looking for  office
space  to use during the week. Glad Tiding Temple is allowing us  to
hold  our  SOS-San  Francisco  outreach in  their  building,  but  we
needed  a  new  meeting  place for  our  Friday  night  outreaches.  I
called Pastor Steve Weaver at City View Church and he immediately
offered  to  let  us meet at this church. City View  is  located  at  884
Rhode  Island  St.  near  20th  St. just  east  of  U.S.  101  (take  the
Chavez/Army St. or 9th St. exit off U.S. 101).

Coming Events

Note: All outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325  the
day before to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday  April  2,  9, 16, 30 7:15 PM. Witnessing  in  various  S.F.
neighborhoods.  Meet at City View Church (location  and  direc¬
tions above).
Sat.  April  3  San Francisco Outreach. 12-1:30  PM  Powell  and
Market; 2-5 PM Powell and Ellis.
Sat. April 10 Berkeley Outreach 1:30-5:30 PM. Telegraph and Haste
St.
Sat.  April  17  San  Francisco  Outreach  1-5  PM.   Washington
Square Park. Union & Columbus St.
August 13-21 SOS-San Francisco. Set aside this week to join  us
for our 20th annual outreach to the people of San Francisco.

Ministry Needs
Again, we thank you for your prayers and financial support for  this
ministry. Pray that God will bring a quick end to our legal  struggles
and  give  us  victory so we can get  loudspeaker  permits  for  5
hours  at  Powell  and Market and at  other  locations,  and  can
minister without fear of arrest. Pray for us as we plan our  SOS-
San   Francisco  outreach,  that  many  Christians  and   church
groups would join us and that many will be saved.
Please  pray  for  those  we  ministered to  on  the  streets  this  past
month  including  Dan (met on Castro Street, went to  Victory  Out¬
reach  men’s  home),  Dana  and Leonard (prayed  with  at  6th  and
Market), and Daniel (prayed with at Powell and Market).
We  need  many  more  Christians  to  join  our  outreaches   on
Friday  nights  and Saturday afternoons.  Over  100,000  Chris¬
tians  live  in the San  Francisco area. Surely,  there  are  many
that  God  is  calling to witness with us, and  who  are  resisting
that  call. We also need one spiritually-mature Christian with  a
calling in evangelism to live in our ministry house.
Our  Tape  of the Month is Making the Heathen our  Inheritance  by
Dennis  McNally.  This  message is  an  impassioned  appeal  for
God’s people to mobilize to reach the unsaved. Dennis is Pastor
of my home church, New Life Christian Church in Castro Valley
and  a  member of our Board of Directors. I hope  many  of  you
will join us for an outreach this month. We need your help.

Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum