Street Evangelism

SOS SAN FRANCISCO OUTREACH REPORT Some of our outreach workers gather at SOS house after outreach. (Top to bottom, left to right) Scott, Janet, Larry, Mary, May, Loi, Mike, Corey, Alex, Ryan, Tats, Sarah, Paul. We knew that our 41st annual SOS-San Francisco Outreach would be unlike any previous outreach. Because of the worldwide pandemic lockdown, we moved it as late as possible to October 8-11 in hopes that the city would at least partially be reopened. On Thursday Oc...tober 8, we witnessed at 24th St. and Mission. This is the first place we had witnessed at after the lockdown began in March. It has been consistently filled with people. Ryan, Alex and Mary all witnessed to Jose. He is a homeless man who was stricken with fear, holding on to a trash can. Alex bought him some clothes and gave him a Bible and some gospel tracts. They prayed that he would be freed from bondage. The fear started to leave him and he was able to let go of the trash can. Mike witnessed to Eddie, who said his mother hated him and he had been molested. He understood the gospel but is an alcoholic. He also ministered to Victor, 75, a backslidden Christian who had been at Victory Outreach. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202011 See more

****SAVE THE DATE*** COME JOIN US Takin' it to the Streetz FOR A DAY OF WORSHIP AND MINISTRY

This Saturday. Pier 43 1/2 next to Franciscan Restaurant. Embarcadero near Taylor St.

SOS-San Francisco Outreach Schedule - YEAR 41 Thurs Oct 8 24th & Mission 3-7 PM Fri Oct 9 16th & Valencia 4-8 PM... Sat Oct 10 Fisherman’s Wharf 12-5 PM address above Sun Oct 11 Fisherman’s Wharf 12-5 PM address above. THE WORLDWIDE INSANITY PANDEMIC Dear Christian friends, We certainly live in strange and difficult times. A year ago, nobody could have imagined that the world’s economies and most of our churches would be shut down for at least six months. Nobody would have imagined that hundreds of millions of people would be forced to wear masks in stores and even outdoors. In the US, we face an election on November 3. Our cities have been devastated first by the COVID lockdown and later from violent protests that have continued for over 3 months in some cities. Many are warning of a violent response to the November election, if it does not go the way certain groups want. There are many possible scenarios, one of which is that the winner will be decided by the US Supreme Court, as happened in 2000 (Bush v Gore). If so, it is likely that the deciding vote will be cast by John Roberts, who could rule either way. Our nation has for a very long time been blessed and protected by God, and we have as our national motto: In God We Trust. However, for a long time, our nation has been turning away from God, and it appears that God has been withdrawing His blessing and protection from our nation. In much of our nation, it has been illegal for churches to meet for the past six months. While a few Christian leaders have spoken out and resisted these orders, and some have paid a heavy price for their opposition, the vast majority of Christian leaders have been silent or even endorsed the orders. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202010

USING SIGNS AND BANNERS Today, it is difficult to talk with people on the streets and give out tracts. So what can we do to bring the gospel to people? One thin...g we can do is use signs and banners. We can keep a distance from people and still bring the gospel to many people. For the past three months, we have taken our ten-foot banners and put them on Interstate 580 near our house. From about 5,000 to 15,000 people an hour pass by this location and we are there from 3 to 4 hours. While the message is necessarily brief, at least it brings a thought about Jesus into the minds of many people who had not been thinking about Him. We also put up our banners and signs on streets and in parks wherever we witness on Saturdays. Signs are an extremely easy and effective method of witnessing, yet Christians almost never use them. Political protest groups and labor unions know the power of signs, and have used them for years. If a dozen people are carrying signs, it looks like a major event. If the event is put on TV, it can influence millions of people. When we have an outreach, we might give out a few hundred gospel tracts. Several hundred people might walk by us and hear our preaching, but they may only hear a few sentences. We might get to talk with a dozen people. But often over a thousand people will be challenged to think about Jesus by reading our signs. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202008

This is my home church. We can't meet inside so we're meeting outside -- at Hayward City Hall.

Very encouraging as many Christians join together to reach the people of Minneapolis with the gospel after the Floyd riots. (10 minute video worth watching). th...e death of George Floyd ignited cities on fire. God sent the church to bring healing. Jesus is Justice. the cross is where all of the injustices committed against you and all of the injustices you have inflicted on others meet mercy when there is repentance and forgiveness. we are asking that you would join with local churches from across the Twin Cities to establish an expression of the church that never stops. day and night worship + prayer + evangelism + discipleship. introducing FIREBASE twin cities. get more information at www.firebasemovement.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT5TIMNra-8&feature=youtu.be

It seems hard to believe. It was only a few months ago that the United States had a strong economy and a bright future. How we went from domestic peace and prosperity in February 2020 to the madness cities on fire, military rule, curfews, economic desperation we see today will be the subject of historical reconstruction for many decades hence. There is much more going on here than police abuse of power. George Floyd became such a powerful symbol for people of all race...s and classes. He could have been any one of us. The boot on his neck smacks of George Orwell’s chilling prediction of life under government plans: ‘If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.’ (American Institute for Economic Research) Since March 26, our leaders have been ordering us to shelter in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our governors and mayors have repeatedly warned us that if we get closer than 6 feet from another human, we are likely to spread a deadly disease. In many places, gatherings of 25 or more have been illegal. But suddenly an event happened that caused many of our leaders to violate their own order, and encourage others to do the same. Many peopleout of a respect for social distancingmissed a parent’s dying hours, author J.D. Vance wrote. If you think experiencing thatwhile watching mass gatherings praised by the same scolds who prevented you from seeing familydoesn’t erode trust in authorities, you’re actually an idiot. In much of our nation (and world), churches can still not meet. We cannot visit our dying relatives or attend their funerals. Pastors can’t minister to the sick and dying. The government is still deciding under what conditions we can leave our house, go to work, or see a doctor. But thousands can gather for protests, as long as our leaders endorse their cause. Many of the protesters are now demanding that we defund our police. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202007

In our May newsletter, I wrote about the difficult decision we made to continue doing evangelism during this time. The instruction in Romans 13 to obey those in authority is not absolute. In Acts 5, when commanded by Jewish leaders not to preach the gospel, Peter and the other apostles said, We ought to obey God rather than men. While the COVID-19 orders in most states do not explicitly command us to disobey God, it is not possible to obey them without disobeying Godespeci...ally the Biblical commands to baptize, lay hands on the sick, and to preach the gospel. There are at least 6 places where government officials have arrested or threatened to arrest Christians for holding drive-in church services in their cars with the windows shut. Activities that involved no risk of spreading a virus have been outlawed. Faced with this dilemma, I think the best approach is to obey God while being sensitive to the legitimate public health concerns of our government and its residents. We are seeking ways to bring the gospel to others while minimizing the risk of spreading a virus to others or getting it ourselves. Nothing in life is without risk. There is always going to be some risk in leaving your house, and there is also risk in not leaving your house. Maybe an earthquake will strike or you will slip in your bath tub or have a heart attack from living a sedentary lifestyle. Each of us needs to educate ourselves concerning the virus and make an informed decision, guided by much prayer, concerning how we should act. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202006

Tonight.... Join us for Raven Street Church on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as we Take the Good News into the Bad Places for Jesus @8:00 PM

Last Saturday's outreach at 16th St. and Mission and Dolores Park - San Francisco. No problem at 16th St. Police would not let us preach with amp at Dolores Park so we walked through park carrying signs. About 5000 people were in the park.

AT THE STATE CAPITAL TODAY WITH JOHN AND LOIS LAND

(Note: American Christian Enterprises, Inc. is the official name for SOS Ministries. Donations help us bring the gospel to the people of San Francisco and Berkeley.) CRUSHED BY AN INVISIBLE BUG (Photo: Andy preaches at SF Embarcadero on May 2.)... Our world is changing rapidly. Last fall, we in California were told we need to get used to annual power outages to prevent fires. This past month, much of the world has been ordered to shelter in place for an indefinite period of time. Never in our lifetime have any of us seen such extreme measures in response to a disease. On March 26, San Francisco was the first place to issue such an order, followed quickly by other SF area counties, California, and most of our states. While about a dozen states have not ordered religious activities to shut down, most states have stated that religious activities are not essential, and have ordered them to stop. Meanwhile, California and many other states consider recreational marijuana and liquor sales, and abortions, to be essential activities. The first person to be cited under the San Francisco order was an 86 year old who was protesting outside an abortion clinic. We have been told to listen to the experts. The expert we have heard most frequently is Dr. Fauci, whom the New York Times called the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases. On Jan. 24, he said, this is not a major threat for the people of the United States. And this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about. Fauci co-authored an article dated March 26 predicting the fatality rate for the coronavirus will turn out to be like that of a severe seasonal influenza. During the week March 30-April 3, he said I’ve looked at all the models. I’ve spent a lot of time on the models. They don’t tell you anything. You can’t really rely upon models. However, on April 1 he said I think when it goes down to essentially no new cases, no new deaths at a period of time. I think it makes sense that you will have to relax social distancing, And the next day, he said every state should issue a shelter-in-place order. I don’t understand why that’s not happening, Nothing to worry about. You can’t really rely on models. But every state needs to issue a shelter-in-place order and keep it in place until there are no new cases or deaths. http://www.sosmin.com/?m=202005

Outreach at SF Farmer's Market at Embarcadero today -- 10 Christians preached to hundreds of people for 4 hours today at 3 locations. No problems from police.