PERSECUTED! - Stone The Preacher

Holy Hubert Revisited

Oct 10, 2011Steve Sanchez3 CommentsOpen Air, PERSECUTED!

Many people wonder what impact can be made by someone who preaches to strangers in the open air. Others may wear a furrowed brow when hearing about the “crazy” things that evangelists will do to reach the lost. Holy Hubert was a preacher in the late 1960′s who went onto various campuses to preach Christ to hippies, radical socialists, Satanists, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews; many found Christ as a result of his life and ministry.

I first posted this article about four years ago, then re-posted two years ago and have since received numerous comments from some of the people who were converted as a result of “Holy Hubert’s” ministry. Please make sure you read those comments after you read this article about a man who truly had a passion for the lost. The author of this article is unknown so the accuracy of what is said can’t be guaranteed. Also, you may not agree with all of Lindsey’s theological conclusions (I don’t; and his style of preaching is not my cup of tea either); still, as an historical article it’s pretty fascinating. “Holy Hubert” died several years ago.

Hubert T. Lindsey is one of the great Holiness preachers of our times.

During sixty years of Ministry he has conducted crusades in over 50 nations, established 12 churches and authored 5 books.

America’s best loved and most hated preacher, 74 yr. old (now 83 in nursing home in Raleigh, NC area) Lindsey is perhaps best known as the father of the Jesus movement that swept America in the late ’60s.

During this time more than 3 and a half-million hippies, radical socialist, Satanists, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews found Christ as a result of Hubert Lindsey’s life and ministry.

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Tough Crowd at the Fiesta Hermosa

Sep 8, 2011Steve Sanchez38 CommentsBIG Events, E-vangie VIDEO!, Open Air, PERSECUTED!

The crowds that hovered around the Hope Chapel evangelism booth at our local street fair called the Fiesta Hermosa, which attracts 150,000 visitors over the Labor Day weekend, were happy and enthusiastic as they took our Intelligence Tests. (Print your own here, see the video of an atheist taking the test here.) After failing the test (nobody passes), they received a coupon for a free Chick Fillet sandwich and Coke, a stuffed animal, a trillion dollar bill and our church bulletin. The other booths around us were astonished at how many people gathered around our humble little Christian booth (the only Christian representation in the fair).

The Tough Crowd revealed itself only when I decided to start preaching in the open air to those waiting to be taken back to their cars in the shuttle bus line. See for yourself, then read my explanation below.

It does not surprise me when people are hostile to my open air message. From a purely pragmatic, earthly perspective, it can be grating to hear a guy shouting a message that most people do not want to hear. I totally understand that. Still…

“Righteous” Richard (almost) Gets Whacked!

Aug 4, 2011Steve Sanchez3 CommentsGuest E-vangies, PERSECUTED!

The motto for our evangelism team is “Go and make—mistakes!” Richard Chavarria made this one on a recent weekend in Huntington Beach. Here’s his report from 2007: I handed a man a Million dollar bill Gospel tract. “What is it?” he asked. “It’s has the million dollar question on the back,” I replied. “If you

Incident Report, Pt. 2: Our Lawyer’s Letter

Jul 7, 2011Steve Sanchez41 CommentsEv Tips/Tools, PERSECUTED!

(Read part 1 by clicking here.)

Several weeks ago I posted a report about an incident that happened at our local fishing hole, the Redondo Beach Pier. A new, rather over zealous police officer forbade our team from passing out Gospel tracts—even threatening them with a citation if they did not stop— though we were not in violation of any law. (Read about it here.) Our team leader Ed Lee graciously submitted to the officer’s request.

With my Senior Pastor’s approval, I decided to pursue the matter further since I’m the overseer of the evangelism ministry at our church. All I wanted is a letter from our lawyer sent to the police department explaining our First Amendment right to free speech. I’ll explain the effect after you read it. Here it is:

Redondo Beach Police Department
Attn: Chief W. Joseph Leonardi
401 Diamond Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Re: Incident of June 18, 2011

Dear Chief Leonardi:

Please be advised that the undersigned has been consulted by members of Hope Chapel Christian Church in Hermosa Beach California, regarding an incident which occurred on June 18, 2011, while they were peacefully participating in an evangelism outreach program on the Redondo Beach Pier.

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Incident Report

Jun 23, 2011Steve Sanchez86 CommentsPERSECUTED!

Usually when we head to our local fishin’ hole, the Redondo Beach Pier, it is a placid, gentle place to hand out Gospel tracts and share our faith one-to-one; last week was the exception. A patrol officer, new on the beat, took issue with our team, led by my trusted leader Ed Lee. Here is the Incident Report we sent to our lawyer. Afterward, I’d love to hear what you have to say about what happened and your reaction to Ed’s response.

As you requested, here is a short summary of the police intervention today:

At approximately 3:45 pm this afternoon, as I was leading the evangelism outreach at Redondo Beach Pier, Sgt. ________ approached me and announced in a loud voice, “I told you people that you cannot pass out any literature anywhere on the pier or the international walkway! It is illegal to do so, and if you do not stop I will take you upstairs to the police office and cite you for a violation and it will cost you $350!”