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Street Witnessing
Spring Diversity Weekend
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
April 7, 2012
This weekend was the Spring Diversity Weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This is a gay pride event, in which homosexuals from all around come to Eureka Springs to spend the entire weekend participating in events that support the homosexual lifestyle. As Christians, it is our responsibility to share Christ with everyone - even if it appears there may be some persecution involved. We were able to be a witness for Christ during the Saturday PDA (Public Display of Affection) in Basin Park.
Here is the group picture of the attendees of the Spring Diversity Weekend in Eureka Springs.
There were approx. 13 Christians from various evangelism ministries and churches who showed up to be a witness for Christ. We met up with Kevin Thompson, who lives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where the event was held. He goes to the Diversity Weekends and other events in town and shares the gospel.
The event started out slow, with people slowly arriving to Basin Park. There were various people who were showing up. There were homosexuals who were participating in the event, there were those who were not gay, but are supporters of their lifestyle, and there were the folks who just happened to be tourists to Eureka Springs and stumbled into the Diversity Weekend events.
We had several tourists who came up to us during the event and shook our hands. Some said they were Christians and appreciated what we were doing to be a witness for Jesus. Others, said they had relatives or friends who do things similar to this in other parts of the country.
Greg Marlin was the first to step up and open air preach. Since we did not hear that anyone reserved the amphitheater above the Basin Park, we decided to use it until we were told otherwise.
Greg gave roughly a 15 minute open air preaching segment, explaining why were were out here today, and that we are here to share the gospel with folks so that they can go to heaven instead of hell. There are many sins listed in the Bible. Many of those who commit these sins will end up in hell. Those who participate in the homosexual lifestyle is one of these sins. There are multiple Bible verses to support this. Unless a person is born-again, they will not enter the kingdom of God.
Next up to open air preach in the amphitheater was Don Simmons.
After Don began preaching, one of the locals, who is a supporter of these events, came up to be a heckler and stand in front of Don. I'm holding the cross below near the statue.
Next up to open air preach was Dennis Vance.
As you can see, he has a heckler as well. I thank God for the boldness in Dennis, as well as the other open air preachers. They proclaim the gospel in the face of persecution and obnoxious people, who have their lives controlled by Satan - who are out to disrupt the preaching of the gospel.
As I was holding the cross in the park, Chip, the photographer with the local newspaper came up and was taking pictures and asking me questions - who we were and where are we from, etc. I gave him my ministry card.
The police came up to Kevin Thompson, who is a local and out with us, and told him that we needed to stop open air preaching in the amphitheater.
After the police asked us to move, we began open air preaching up front in the Basin Park, where I had been holding my 6-foot tall cross. My brother in Christ, Rich Hagan, came up to stand with me as the open air preaching began in front of the park.
Below is John Matuszyk open air preaching.
During some of the open air preaching, a woman who was attending the Diversity Weekend came up and acted as if she was hanging on the cross. She was mocking our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was sad to see, as she will stand before God in judgment one day to answer for everything in her life.
Kevin Thompson was up to open air preach.
Kevin really has a heart for the all people, especially for those who attend these gay pride events. He wants to show them that God loves them, but they are in sin and must turn from their sins so that they can live in Christ.
We had a good number of hecklers and sign holders. They went out and made their own signs - just for us.
This young woman was holding a sign and they kept yelling at us about this bible verse above. It is the following:
Matthew 7:1-5: Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I couldn't sit idly by and let them pull this scripture out of context any longer. I took my place on the step-stool to open air preach.
I brought up that later in the same chapter of Matthew, it says to "beware of false prophets". How can we "beware of false prophets" if we don't judge? In John 7:24, Jesus said to "judge righteous judgment". In Luke 7:43, Jesus said "you have rightly judged". In Luke 12:57, Jesus asked, "Why don't you judge for yourself what is right?".
If that's not enough verses for you, I Corinthians 6:2-3 says, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?". I Corinthians 2:15 says, "He that is spiritual judgeth all things".
As Christians, it is our responsibility to judge by God's Word. In this politically correct world, those who are living against the values of the bible don't want to hear about it. They try to pressure Christians not to say anything about it. Many Christians buckle under and keep their mouth shut.
I don't want to be one of the people Jesus is talking about in Mark 8:38 when He said, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
We spent a couple of hours being a witness for Christ at this event. At the end of our witnessing, some of us were standing around talking. One of the Christians who came out had been witnessing to a young teenage man who had been heckling us. This young man ended up making a profession of faith in Christ to be born again. Praise God. Please pray for this young man.
It is sad that this town - Eureka Springs, Arkansas - is do deep into various sins. It is the same city that has "The Great Passion Play" and the huge statue of Jesus - "Christ of the Ozarks". I went to see the statue after our witnessing.
I thank God for those who went out with us to share the gospel and stand against sin. Please pray for those who heard the gospel, that they will see their sin, repent and ask God for forgiveness and be born-again.
In Christ,
Brad St. Clair