Whatever Happened to the Street Preacher?

[DAII]

Originally Posted by Sam

I remember reading about some of the Teen Challenge street meetings in NYC. They said the altar call might take 45 minutes for folks to come down from the rooftops and down fire escapes to kneel on the sidewalk and open up their lives to Jesus. Lives were changed. People became new creatures right there on the streets.

We often had street services in NYC ... sometimes at the city parks, subways, and right in front of the church ...

and a couple of times got a permit to close off the entire block.

I think I may have a couple of pics of dad preaching outside.

New York lends itself to this because of the constant flow of pedestrian traffic ...

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Sam

Some years ago when I was attending the Carthage Apostolic Church we did a series of street meetings on Sunday afternoons.

We had a piano, we'd load on a trailer, then go into neighborhood that were on our bus route. We'd fan out and knock on doors inviting people to the meeting and give them literature telling about our church. Then we'd crank up the piano (we had it amplified) sing some songs, give some testimonies and then have about a 5 minute message. We would hand out literature and try to get some new contacts for workers to visit the following Saturday to get folks to church. I did some of the preaching but I don't remember having anyone respond to our invitation and come forward for prayer. I don't know how many (if any) new people we got through that effort. We did it for several weeks one summer.

Sam, I hope you don't mind me offering my thoughts.

We're loosing America because we're trying to win people to our churches and not to Jesus. Skunk our churches. We need to get people saved where they stand and bring God into their homes and everyday lives where the Spirit and daily prayer guides them slowly into perfection. They aren't interested in becoming a member of "church" where they are dictated as to how to live before God deals with them personally, a place that will begin to demand more and more money. A place that will cause them to distrust the church down the street because of petty rivalry (it's still about money folks).

We need to lead them to Jesus and then reveal to them that they don't have to "go to church"... they are the church. They can have genuine fellowship, love, prayer, study, and worship in their homes, at their pace, under elders who are loving, non assuming, humble, and willing to share a life in Christ with them.

This is about Jesus... not about making people "Apostolic". Lead people to a genuine relationship with Jesus and being "Apostolic" will follow naturally as the Spirit leads them into all truth.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by PETER

I have read that in some cities now that street preachers are actually arrested and criminal charges laid. It is more of an attack on Christianity than anything, and we Christians should shout from the rooftops how wrong that is. Where is the freedom of speech in that? It is assumed today that Christians today may offend other religions, or the non religious with our views, and we are too quiet when we are told to shut up. But looking at it from another angle, how powerful must the Christian message be when it invokes such responses? We all have to find a way to preach, if not on the street, then we must look for loopholes in the laws, or preach one to one, or one to a group in our homes, but we cannot stop the preaching and teaching, for God tells us to go into the world and preach, just find a way and do it.
Bro. Peter

Really? Where? As long as the two rules that I mentioned above are followed anyone can pretty much preach in any public venue anywhere in the United States without fear of the local authorities shutting them down.

Like Sam, we even rolled pianos off of trucks and down the streets, though usually we used guitars and tambourines. We'd use small amp and portable equipment or none at all. Only problems we ever had was when the small crowd became too much and blocked a sidewalk or traffic in some way, then we'd have to move people around and open up a through way.

At least those were the only problems we had with the authorities. You could have all sorts of problems with the response from people on the street. I've been physically attacked, pelted with sex toys, had liquor cans and bottles thrown at me, you name it.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Sam, I hope you don't mind me offering my thoughts.

We're loosing America because we're trying to win people to our churches and not to Jesus. Skunk our churches. We need to get people saved where they stand and bring God into their homes and everyday lives where the Spirit and daily prayer guides them slowly into perfection. They aren't interested in becoming a member of "church" where they are dictated as to how to live before God deals with them personally, a place that will begin to demand more and more money. A place that will cause them to distrust the church down the street because of petty rivalry (it's still about money folks).

We need to lead them to Jesus and then reveal to them that they don't have to "go to church"... they are the church. They can have genuine fellowship, love, prayer, study, and worship in their homes, at their pace, under elders who are loving, non assuming, humble, and willing to share a life in Christ with them.

This is about Jesus... not about making people "Apostolic". Lead people to a genuine relationship with Jesus and being "Apostolic" will follow naturally.

Aquila,
I agree with what you are saying.
Let me say two things:

1. We had bus routes in those areas and were trying to get more people from those areas to our church. If people responded with, "I go to such and such church" my answer was always, "That's great. We're not trying to take you from a church if you are already attending one." Even back then I was a little more liberal than some in our church.

2. Some of this "evangelism" was based on the idea that our church had "the truth" and the other churches did not so we were trying to get these folks out of traditional churches into an Apostolic Church. I personally did not feel that way but some of us did.

[DAII]

Some outside street pics ... starting @ 3:38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYSmyEiNDn4

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Sam, I hope you don't mind me offering my thoughts.

We're loosing America because we're trying to win people to our churches and not to Jesus. Skunk our churches. We need to get people saved where they stand and bring God into their homes and everyday lives where the Spirit and daily prayer guides them slowly into perfection. ...

Again, I agree.

For several years (1992-2006) I attended a Vineyard Church. I was on prayer teams and was even a POC (Pastor on Call) for 5 of those years. Our emphasis was on serving people into a relationship with Jesus. Our senior pastor repeatedly said from the pulpit "Vineyard, Schmineyard." We did many outreaches over the years where we would supply giveaways (groceries, soft drinks, etc) or would wash cars, rake leaves, etc . We would also bring Vineyard people to augment people from the church we were working with. And, anything given away had the local church name on it, not the Vineyard.

I remember one city wide effort one weekend. When I saw the list of cooperating churches I chose to work with the "True Church of Jesus Christ" because I knew they were Oneness Pentecostal (PCAF). When I visited the congregation to speak to them during their midweek service about what we were going to do, I wore long pants. We decided we were going to do a carwash and give away cold soft drinks and water. The church backed up to a main street in the downtown Cincinnati area but there was a good alley for access to the back of the church and then exit without turning around and going back out.

The day of the outreach we decided not to do the carwash because it was sprinkling rain off and on. The Vineyard sent down two pickup trucks with the beds loaded with ice and cold water and softdrinks. Each drink had a tag with the name, phone number, service schedule, etc. of the downtown church. Several people, actually quite a few, came from the Vineyard. Many had on halters and shorts, common Vineyard summer wear. The Church members had on Jeans (if they were men) or dresses or skirts and some even hats if they were ladies. People were stationed on all 4 corners of the intersection. As cars would stop team members (both churches together) would go from car to car and offer the free soft drinks or water. Some of the folks from the Church also passed out tracts from their church.

After the supplies were all gone we crowded into the church basement. It was standing room only. We hugged, sang, and prayed together.

This was an African American congregation. The Wednesday night I went there I was the only non-African American. After a brief time of worship together, all the folks from that church were welcome to come back to the Vineyard and join in with folks from the other churches where we had hot dogs and soft drinks plus desserts and some local Christian music groups.

The day we did our outreach was during a time of unrest in Cincinnati. A young African American with many outstanding warrants was shot by a Cincinnati police officer when the officer said he thought the young man was reaching for a gun. It turned out the young man was unarmed and so there were riots, demonstrations, property damage etc. Some of that had died down by the time we did our outreach, but on the way home I passed an area nearby where the news media had just finished filming a demonstration. I thought to myself, "I just wish they would have filmed a predominantly white church and a predominantly black church working with each other, praying and worshiping with each other and hugging each other."

[Sam]

Originally Posted by DAII

Some outside street pics ... starting @ 3:38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYSmyEiNDn4

Dan,
have you ever thought about publishing a book about your dad, his ministry, and the Spanish work in NY? There are several biographies available from the PPH on preachers. Your Dad was UPC, he held an office (I think in the UPC) and he was part of a unique ministry (Hispanic).

It might be worth your while to contact someone from WAF and see if there would be any interest.

[DAII]

Originally Posted by Sam

Dan,
have you ever thought about publishing a book about your dad, his ministry, and the Spanish work in NY? There are several biographies available from the PPH on preachers. Your Dad was UPC, he held an office (I think in the UPC) and he was part of a unique ministry (Hispanic).

It might be worth your while to contact someone from WAF and see if there would be any interest.

He was unique in many ways ... above all his favorite title was "son and friend of God".

A couple of years ago Chicago Pastor's mother had an idea of publishing a book about some of the UPCI Spanish ministry pioneers ... and asked if I would write a chapter on my dad. Until this date ... I have not heard anything more of it.

I have considered it ... dad always encouraged me to write a book ... I may very well do so one day ...

Dad was perhaps among the first 5 UPCI hispanic pastors to ... pastor a solely Spanish-speaking UPCI church here in the States.

The church he pastored in the Bronx, New York was arguably the first UPCI hispanic church in the US ... if not the first on the East coast ... Started by brother Spencer in the 1960's, then Brother Barley and then Brother Hopkins ... who left the church to him.

For many years, dad pastored the largest UPCI Spanish speaking church on the East Coast and among the largest in the States when he pastored Tabernaculo de Jesucristo in Queens, NY.

He served on the the UPCI's Spanish National Board and as district presbyter
for the New York Metro District ... he may have been the first hispanic Spanish speaking pastor to serve on a UPCI district board. He was highly esteemed by his peers.

Today there are over 500 Spanish UPCI churches.

[Falla39]

Bro. Dan,
Your current avatar is so much better than the one you have been using!! Nice pic of you!

Falla39

[Sam]

Originally Posted by DAII

He was unique in many ways ... above all his favorite title was "son and friend of God".

A couple of years ago Chicago Pastor's mother had an idea of publishing a book about some of the UPCI Spanish ministry pioneers ... and asked if I would write a chapter on my dad. Until this date ... I have not heard anything more of it.

I have considered it ... dad always encouraged me to write a book ... I may very well do so one day ...

Dad was perhaps among the first 5 UPCI hispanic pastors to ... pastor a solely Spanish-speaking UPCI church here in the States.

The church he pastored in the Bronx, New York was arguably the first UPCI hispanic church in the US ... if not the first on the East coast ... Started by brother Spencer in the 1960's, then Brother Barley and then Brother Hopkins ... who left the church to him.

For many years, dad pastored the largest UPCI Spanish speaking church on the East Coast and among the largest in the States when he pastored Tabernaculo de Jesucristo in Queens, NY.

He served on the the UPCI's Spanish National Board and as district presbyter
for the New York Metro District ... he may have been the first hispanic Spanish speaking pastor to serve on a UPCI district board. He was highly esteemed by his peers.

Today there are over 500 Spanish UPCI churches.

I would think that he would definitely be of book value to the UPC and Word Aflame.

Your Dad is one of many unsung and unrecognized heroes of the faith.

P.S. I like the avatar better too but it does lose some of the shock value.