Hello all!
Thank you everyone for your interest, your prayers, and your support. We are wrapping up a great summer of ministry starting into our fall/school season. College ministry is starting up again this week, so I thought it was a good time to send out an update. Please continue to pray for us, and consider supporting us financially if you are able. If you’re interested in more details about OAC and our work in Northern California, please reach out and we can set up a meeting in person or via Zoom. I’d love to tell you more!
For those of you I’ve talked to more frequently, how can I encourage you? How can I pray for you? Let’s get coffee and talk!
Dan B. 408-768-9262 dan@yoursoulmatters.org
You can also give to our work at: https://dan.livethegospel.net/donate/
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
Echo Ranch
I had the privilege of going back to Echo Ranch Bible Camp in the beginning of June. This was year four for me and over 20 years for Open Air Campaigners. It was another wonderful year, though things that the camp had changed a bit. During the winter they have stored a number of their vehicles inside their gymnasium. Unfortunately the gymnasium roof collapsed under unusually heavy snow and destroyed a number of their vehicles. God is good and they’ve been getting by, but the the building will have to be rebuilt. Thankfully there are very few people on the property during the deepest parts of winter, so no one was injured. Please pray for them as they rebuilt.
Despite that fact, they kept to normal camp schedule, and I was there for the very first camp of the year. What a privilege! The theme was outer space, and we talked about God as Creator a lot. We also talked about how the God that created the universe came as a man to die so our sins could be paid for. What an amazing truth that is! The video below is a recap from the week I was there. It’s designed for family so they can see what the kids did, but they have made sure to include a strong gospel message, which I had the privilege of narrating. I hope it’s a blessing!
Also, if you know a young adult who has considered spending a summer doing ministry, Echo Ranch is always looking for summer counselors and staff. You can check out the details at their website HERE.
Tiny Heartbeat Ministries Visit
My time with Tiny Heartbeats has become another annual event that I very much look forward to. Tiny Heartbeat Ministries focuses on speaking up for the unborn and training and equipping Church teams in Washington and Idaho. This was year five of their summer interns visiting the Bay Area. After Mark Kennedy, our Washington/Idaho director trains them to use our paint board, they come down and spend 2 days with me putting what they’ve learned into practice, and getting a chance for a more positive evangelism experience. Front-line pro-life ministry can be very tough and very negative sometimes so it’s great for them to interact with people who actually want to hear the good news of the Gospel.
I spent a Friday and Saturday with their interns, giving them basic guidelines for public evangelism and helping them as they went through their messages and talked to people one on one. I also got to join one of their outreaches pro-life outreaches at a farmers market the following Monday. It was neat seeing them doing what they do best, and what they’ve been very thoroughly trained to do. Please keep them in prayer, and particularly the interns, most who are in their teens or early twenties, as they head back to their churches to help build their own pro-life teams.
The THM team leader, Gavin, also gave the Sunday morning message at a church we both partner with, Calvary Chapel San Mateo. Two of the interns also gave testimonies from the weekend, including someone praying to receive Christ. For the sermon Gavin talks about partnerships within the Body of Christ, and it’s well worth listening to.
Streetlife Ministries
Street Life Ministries is the group I work with for homeless Outreach. I’m now on the regular speaking rotation, speaking once a month, generally at their Menlo Park location. I use my paint board to teach and always try to share a very strong gospel message. I also organize my message around common questions, beliefs and misunderstandings. I’ve talked about the fact that anybody can be saved, no matter how wretched their life is, about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, and about why we have good reason to know God exists. This clip if from a message called What Comes Next. A man asked “what if people refuse to change?”
Basic Taining and Outreach
I’ve been thinking for a while about developing a short evangelism training that I can share with local churches, and an invitation by a local church gave me the incentive to do so! About 2 months ago I got a chance to spend a day with my friends from Calvary Chapel San Mateo, along with a team from Calvary Chapel Boise. We spent the morning going over the basics of sharing the gospel, then hit the streets in the evening. I won’t go into detaild, but it was a really good day. I think those who were trained were encouraged and equipped, and we had many many good conversations that evening in downtown Burlingame.
With that in mind, if your church needs some basic evangelism training, please reach out. I think there is tremendous value to learning a basic outline, and then taking that outline and immediately putting it into practice, with experienced help to back you up. So if your church might be interested in something like that, please let me know!
30 Years!! It really has been a wonderful and busy summer. But the most exciting thing for me is the fact that I just celebrated 30 years of marriage with a wonderful and godly woman. Becky is an amazing wife and an amazing support for me. I couldn’t do this ministry without her, and I’m looking forward to many, many more years with her. God blessed us with a short anniversary trip out to the coast, and it was a wonderful time. The picture at the top is from that trip.
BE ENCOURAGED! (Stories from the Streets)
Does God Use Street Evangelism? Kian’s Story
I believe salvation is of the Lord. It’s not something I, or anyone else, can take credit for. God doesn’t need us, but by His grace He uses us for His glory and purposes. And there is nothing better than being there while God is transforming someone’s life and heart. That’s what He did for Kian, and I have his permission to share this.
My first meeting with Kian was clearly a divine appointment. I had just finished a day of ministry (or so I thought) at San Jose State University, and was walking back to my car, with my cross over my shoulder. I use my cross to draw attention and help start conversations, and particularly at university campuses. While I was walking Kian, who I had never met before, stopped me and asked about the cross, and what I was sharing with people. It quickly became clear that God was already working in his mind and heart, causing him to think about his life, and his sin. So I shared the gospel message, and tried to answer his questions. And while we were talking three other young men came up to me, also wondering about the cross, and interested in the conversation. None of them knew each other, I had never talked to the others either, and only one was a Believer! The five of us talked for about an hour, covering a lot of ground, and at the end I asked if I could pray for them. I’ve spoken to the other three since then too, but Kian seemed particularly excited and interested, and I had a feeling I’d see him again.
And I did. I try to be at the same spot and the same times each week so students know where I’ll be. Over the next couple weeks Kian came by several more times with more questions, excited at what he was learning and what God was doing in his life. I think it was our fourth meeting when Kian prayed and asked God to forgive him and save him. I’ve seen this before, but it’s rare. Most of my time is spent planting seeds or watering them. Every once in a while I get to see God bring the harvest in, and what a joy it is!
Since then I’ve watched God dramatically changing Kian. We’ve been meeting almost every week to talk about the Bible and his new faith. And it seems like everyone else is watching it too! Kian is a very charismatic young man, and shortly after he started attending our church he started bringing guests. It seems like I see a new face almost every week. I’ve have the privilege of meeting many of his friends and both of his parents. And a couple of weeks ago I got to see him and his friend Darlin baptized. What a joy!
When I asked Kian if there was anything he wanted included in this story, he asked me to mention prayer. He said that prayer has made a huge impact on him, particularly daily prayer that God would change him, and draw him into closer relationship. I would echo that. When I go the streets I ask God to send those people He’s prepared to hear the gospel, and I see Him do that all the time. If you are a believer in Christ, you are called to share the gospel message, and I encourage you to pray that God gives you that boldness, and that brings you the people He’s prepared. Step out in faith friends. One day you’ll meet someone like Kian too!
WHAT’S COMING UP
Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival – This is a yearly Ministry we’ve been doing for about a decade. It’s a good outreach, and not the busiest, with few confrontations, so it’s a great chance for people just getting use to sharing the gospel in public to get much needed practice. If you are interested in participating, please reach out and I’ll give you more details. The event will be September 19th and 20th in Santa Clara Central Park.
University Ministry – San Jose State starts this week, and Stanford University starts up next week. I am very much looking forward to being back on the campuses. Please pray that God continues to make connections, continues to bring students to talk to us and to build our existing student relationships, and pray that many will come to Christ.
Kids Bible Clubs – Yes,I’ve mentioned this in almost every recent newsletter. We are still working diligently to make this happen, and the church contacts who were interested before still are. Please continue to pray that God will work out the details.ray
MINISTRY/PRAYER NEEDS
Financial Support: Please consider supporting our work if you are able.
Family – Please pray for those members of our family who don’t know Christ. Also, please pray for our granddaughter who is scheduled to come into the world in about a week!
Both of my brothers have major changes going on in their lives. One is moving to Canada, due to a new job, and the other is getting married in October. Please pray for both of them and their families.
Our Church – Please pray for wisdom as I look for outreach opportunities specifically to encourage our congregation. We also may be moving to a new building soon. Please pray for wisdom for our pastors and elders.
Thanks all for your interest in this ministry, and you’re continued prayers and support. If you have any questions, any prayer needs, or if I can encourage you in any way, please send me an email or give me a call. God bless you!
ADDITIONAL OUTREACH PICTURES
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