Las Vegas Outreach Team Newsletter 

July & August 2009

This Newsletter:

Teach A Man to Fish

Speaking to a Jehovah Witness

Calendar

Prayer Concerns

                                                          Teach A Man To Fish

June 12th-13th of this year, five of the evangelist from Las Vegas, made their way north to Panguitch Lake in Utah.  The purpose of the trip was to help train the men from Red Hills Baptist Church from Cedar City, Utah.  The theme of this men's retreat was, "Being Fishers of Men", and the Las Vegas Outreach Team (LVOT) was asked to help teach these men how to be fishers of men.

On the evening of the 12th the men set up camp and then had a quick meal before the worship and teaching started.  The worship was sweet as it brought these two groups of believers together for the sake of Christ.  After worship, the men were challenged to consider the command to share the gospel and to look at if they are being faithful in sharing, and if not why.  After the teaching and small groups finished up, the men came back together at the campfire and sang together for a couple more hours.

The next day, the men were given time to head out to ride mountain bikes, go fishing, or some geocaching.  The men came back together at lunch time and continued their fellowship.  After lunch the men got back together to talk about what is the true gospel and how should it be presented.  The day finished up with the Coordinators from the LVOT sharing some interesting ways to share the gospel through tracts, magic, and paper tricks.  In the end, each of the men were encouraged to begin sharing the gospel where they work and to even consider coming to Las Vegas to learn some more while on the streets.

To teach a man to fish you cannot expect them to know the truth in just on short men's retreat.  Instead these men were encouraged that more work and training must occur for them to become faithful to the command to preach the gospel.  Since that time the head of the Red Hills Baptist Church Men's Ministry, Andrew Osborn, has joined us on the streets.  Hopefully, over the next few months we will see more of the men come and join us on the streets or at special events.  Additionally, some of the evangelist from Las Vegas are returning to Utah to help share the gospel.  On August 14th & 15th there will be a group of men who will head to Cedar City to shrare the Gospel and further train those who are becoming Fisher of Men.

                                                            Speaking To A Jehovah Witness

There is one brother in Las Vegas that many of the other evangelists look up to for wisdom and teaching, brother Jim Webber. This brother has been a faithful believer and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus for over forty years. Additionally, he is very faithful in equipping the evangelists with shirts, signs, and training them to be better at preaching the Gospel.                                                                            
                                                                                                      It was Jim Webber and Tom Griner who were arrested in 2005 for breaking a Clark County ordinance that would not allow evangelist to hold a sign on the Strip sidewalk that was wider than your body width. When Jim and Tom looked at the law, they found it was a violation of their First Amendment rights and brought a lawsuit against the Clark County Government. In April 2008, the Clark County Government addressed the ordinance by changing the language. The new language allows evangelists to hold a sign is any width, as long as they did not obstruct the sidewalk. Soon after the lawsuit was dropped and now you see many evangelists who hold signs that can be seen from a hundred yards away.
                                                                                                    Brother Jim has also brought to many of the brethren the knowledge on how to speak and reason with a person who believes in a false religion. That very thing happened recently with brother Daniel Palmquist. Daniel works with a man who is a devout Jehovah Witness and threw their discussions, it was agreed that they should sit down with Jim Webber. There were two meetings and the first was video taped and the second had a video recap.
                                                                                                 Many of the local preachers have loved watching these videos because Brother Jim shows how to share the true Gospel by using the Jehovah Witness bible, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. In the end of the first video you will see how Jim reveals that a Christian and not the Jehovah Witness worships the true Jehovah.