Camp Meeting Gospel Witness
Operation Saturation II
Preaching to a Dyke (That's What They Call Themselves) on a Bike
Oktoberfest Gospel Ministry
City of Monroe v. Planned Parenthood
Wet Shoes at the Shoe Store
Shoe Box Encore
Windsor Redux
Autumn at the Farmers' Market
Legal Matters
Lit Distribution
The Encouraging Words

October 15, 2005

"Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124:6, 8

Dear Friends,

I hope you will have the time to read this summary of PCC public ministry activity, including a short report on a new mailing campaign that PCC just recently kicked off. We have been getting quite a bit of feedback from our first mailing. Given what some people have written, it is surprising that their messages have not been destroyed by spontaneous combustion before they arrive here! The focus of Operation Saturation II is homosexuality and a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution which has the sodomites up in arms and franticly organizing. In fact, the sodomite group Action Wisconsin is boasting about the many new staff workers they have hired. AW is oozing with confidence that the amendment in question will be crushed, especially with the help of their apostate "Christian" friends led by a pack of howling wolves in clerical collars. Sodom's hopes have been buoyed up of late by a number of churches and denominations which have come out publicly against the constitutional amendment. One case in point is the Winnebago Presbytery, which is made up of leaders from forty presbyterian churches in northeastern Wisconsin. Responding to that presbytery's public statement, which was widely reported on by the media, Action Wisconsin's Joshua Freker stated, "(Religious organizations) are calling the amendment an injustice. It's a beautiful thing" (Oshkosh Northwestern). If ever there was a time for the mailing campaign and the lit dropping which PCC is doing, now is that time. We are telling the public what the Word of God truly says about homosexuality, and we are telling the truth about the proposed amendment in no uncertain terms. And we are doing this as the Church of Jesus Christ. The lies of wolfish clergy and false churches must be answered by the Lord's true shepherds and His true Church. With your help, we will continue to do just that.

There is so much about many pressing, critical issues which I could share in this space; but instead, I will urge you to listen to the "Heart of the Matter" program, which is available by tape or CD subscription or can be listened to at www.theheartofthematteronline.com. We talk about many issues on HOM which you will not hear discussed elsewhere.

At the close of this newsletter, you will find some good comments which have been sent our way. I include them out of a sense of gratitude to the Lord for blessing this work. I hope that the remarks will also encourage you who have been a part of what we do.

Pastor Ralph Ovadal

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One corner of a PCC gospel display in Monroe.

Camp Meeting Gospel Witness

Every year, Pilgrims Covenant Church holds a camp meeting attended by those with whom we do ministry or who have supported our ministry in some other way. Although this is a time of teaching, resting, and fellowshipping, we always hold one ministry event as well. This year, we set up a large gospel display at a busy intersection in Monroe. In addition to the dozens of signs which we set up all around the intersection and leading up to it, we also handed out gospel tracts to motorists. We were pleasantly surprised by the large number of tracts we handed out. Perhaps Hurricane Katrina had people thinking about life, death, and eternity a bit more than they normally do. At any rate, it was a great blessing for us to share with others the soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Back to top.

Operation Saturation II

Two years ago, we conducted a campaign which we called Operation Saturation. In the campaign, individuals paid the postage for us to mail the brochures Homosexuality: The Truth and What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality to about 70,000 rural families. Beginning this month, we are mailing to other rural homes those same two brochures plus our flyer on the proposed amendment to our state constitution which would, if the people of Wisconsin approve it in the 2006 election, ban so-called same-sex marriage in Wisconsin and state-created "civil unions." Of course, the brochures also contain a gospel message. These mailings will go to rural addresses in areas where we do not normally lit drop. Our October mailing went to 4,167 Wausau homes. We are making these mailings with the help of gifts to PCC's public ministry fund. By God's grace and the help of His people, we hope to do a mailing a month until summer. Back to top.

Preaching to a Dyke (That's What They Call Themselves) on a Bike

What? Me? A hell-bound sinner in need of repentance and salvation through faith in Christ? What a joke! Tammy (L) and friend laughing at the preaching of God’s Word.

During August, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin spent two days riding Wisconsin bike trails in her district, stopping at towns along the way to politic. Tammy's itinerary included a Green County trail from Belleville to Brodhead and running through the towns of New Glarus, Monticello, and Albany. This is in the same county where PCC is located. Baldwin began her tour by doing some street walking in New Glarus. As Tammy strolled from shop to shop, we walked along with her, with me preaching all the way. Each time Baldwin and her entourage ducked into a business to glad hand the owners and customers, we set up outside with a gospel sign, a sign dealing with homosexuality, and a sign bearing a picture of an aborted baby. As soon as Tammy cracked the shop door open to exit the place, I would begin to preach again. By the end of her New Glarus tour, Tammy was visibly upset, angry, and walking considerably faster.

He doesn’t bother me at all! Once again, Pastor Ovadal preaches to Rep. Baldwin.

After New Glarus, the only PCC member who was able to stay with Tammy the rest of her bike tour was Mike Foht. For the entire day, Mike was Rep. Baldwin's constant companion. He preached to her at spots where the bike trail crossed country roads. In each town in which Tammy did her walking tours, Mike stuck to her like glue as he preached and carried a sign reading, "Homosexuality is sin." By the end of the day, Rep. Baldwin was once again relieved to leave this remote corner of her district. Thanks to her visit, many Green County residents heard the gospel along with the biblical truth about homosexuality and abortion.

We continue to pray that Tammy, if she is not yet given over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28), might yet be saved by the gospel which is "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16). Back to top.

One PCC team at the Oktoberfest in Monroe.

Oktoberfest Gospel Ministry

PCC conducted a gospel witness on Monroe's downtown square on October 1 during our town's Oktoberfest celebration. We were encouraged by the number of gospel tracts which we were able to hand out, especially considering how well-known we are in town. We also set up our large gospel signs and did some one-on-one witness. One Christian passing by, apparently not finding anything else to complain about, told us we had "too many people handing out gospel tracts." And so it goes. Back to top.

Guard duty at PPM.

City of Monroe v. Planned Parenthood

Last newsletter, I shared some photos we took of Planned Parenthood of Monroe's overgrown, weed-infested property. Shortly after those pictures were taken, I called the Monroe Police Department's attention to the state of PPM's property, including a number of safety violations. Being the professional and competent police force that they are, MPD turned the complaint over to the City of Monroe for action. The action was not long in coming. Under threat of legal sanctions, PPM contracted with a private company to essentially bulldoze their lawn as it was far beyond the simple mowing stage. The company also brought in a huge dumpster for all the refuse. Currently, PPM is surrounded by bare dirt with spots of grass and has no sidewalks left. The front porch of their "health center" is sinking on one side; their roof has shingles missing; and the entire building has a pressing need for some paint. Through their arrogance and negligence, PPM has been a great help in our campaign to turn hearts and minds against them.

Singing hymns under PP’s office window.

Pilgrims Covenant Church continues to have a presence at PPM on the one day per week that they are still open. We reach many young people with the gospel during that ministry. We know that the Lord has graciously worked through us to save lives; souls; and in some cases, virtue. Back to top.

Wet Shoes at the Shoe Store

The Shoe Box owner mockingly pretending to worship Pastor Ovadal as he preaches.

On September 6, my family and two Christian guests from England did some ministry at a busy intersection in Black Earth. At our guests' request, we set up a mix-and-match sort of display with gospel signs along with both pro-life and anti-homosexuality signs. The owner of the nearby Shoe Box store almost immediately turned on a sprinkler system. Amazingly, the underground system is on public property, right next to the curb of the highway. And so the question became, Can a city allow a business to set up a sprinkler system on public property and in turn use that system to deprive citizens of their civil and religious liberties? Rather than retreat, we blocked the sprinkler heads with our feet, soaking our shoes and directing a flood of water out into the street.

You actually want us to constitutionally enforce the law? Dane County sheriff’s deputy listening to Pastor Ovadal expound on religious liberty and the Constitution.

Dane County sheriff's deputies who arrived on the scene refused to do anything but smirk and pretend not to know how to handle such a case, even after the Shoe Box owner admitted he turned on the water in order to chase us off. Of course, we did not get chased off and actually held our position longer than we had planned. After we did call it quits, I apologized to our English guests in front of the Dane County officers. I told them most American police officers are not so unprofessional, childish, and ignorant of constitutional law. I then lectured the officers for a good ten minutes on constitutional issues and the purpose of federal courts. By the time I was done, they were also done smirking. Every time we had ministered at that location, the police had collaborated with the Shoe Box owner to give us the hardest time possible. In the past, the police have threatened us with arrest. Back to top.

Shoe Box Encore

Not wanting to quit until the Dane County Sheriff's Department leaves us alone and the Shoe Box owner quits harassing us, PCC was back in Black Earth on October 8. This time, we set up gospel signs and banners around the contested intersection. We had a great response from many drivers and had great contempt directed at us from others. Thankfully, the gospel of Jesus Christ was shared with many people as both the Shoe Box owner and the Dane County Sheriff's Department left us alone for the first time ever. It pays to persevere. Back to top.

One corner of our witness in Windsor.

Windsor Redux

On the same day that we visited Black Earth, we set up a sign display at an intersection in the town of Windsor, which is also located in liberal Dane County. In September, while he was lit dropping homes with our brochure What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality, Mike Foht was physically attacked by a town councilman. The man spewed obscenity at Mike, grabbed him, ripped his shirt, and took his literature! Since the whole thing was caught on video, Dane County sheriff's deputies could hardly do nothing. So they did next to nothing, ticketing Mike's assailant for an ordinance violation rather than charging him with the crime of assault! At any rate, a number of us went back with Mike on October 8 and set up a good-sized biblical witness about homosexuality at the intersection near the town councilman's home. We had a very good response to our message from passing motorists. Again, we were encouraged that many Americans have had just about enough of New Sodom's heavy-handed tactics and public gloating over perversion. One government employee expressed disgust with the actions of Mike's attacker. He also said that he is tired of constant intimidation from the sodomites who work in state government. Perhaps our witness in Windsor was the beginning of a whole new career for one government official who thought to bully into silence the biblical witness that had come to his town. I know it was an incentive to many to be more bold in standing against the growing fascism of New Sodom. Back to top.

Preaching at the farmers’ market.

Autumn at the Farmers' Market

On Saturday, October 8, another Pilgrims Covenant Church organized gospel ministry took place at the farmers' market on the capitol square in Madison. We held large gospel signs, handed out many gospel tracts, and did some preaching to the thousands of people who were shuffling around the huge square, occasionally buying produce from the wall-to-wall booths lining the sidewalk. Some people thanked us while others cursed and mocked us. All heard the preaching and saw the gospel on our signs. Many also took tracts. We are absolutely confident that the Lord will have His way in the matter. We were once more blessed to simply share the gospel with so many lost people. Back to top.

Legal Matters

In spite of a Federal Circuit Court victory in our lawsuit against the City of Madison, we are headed back to a lower federal court on the same case. To make a long story short, the courts are giving the City of Madison one more chance to try to un-prove what has already been proven. At issue is whether or not Madison officials have attempted to censor Pilgrims Covenant Church's witness against homosexuality when that witness takes place in Madison. We have provided ample evidence to show that they most certainly have done just that. The longer Madison fights this one out, the more it may cost them in the end. However, we have seen in the past the extent to which pro-homosexual government officials will go to silence biblical witness against New Sodom. We would appreciate your prayers for victory in this important case which has even some liberals, including a U.W. law professor, wondering if the City of Madison hasn't pushed the envelope a bit too far on this one. As the writer of one article put it, "The free-speech rights of many people in addition to Ovadal are suddenly now in play" ("7th Circuit Gives New Life to Anti-Gay Protester's Lawsuit," First Amendment Center Online). Back to top.

Lit Distribution

• PCC distributed literature to homes in: Stoughton, Rock Springs, North Freedom, Lyndon Station, LaValle, Wonewoc, Union Center, Milwaukee, Lake Geneva, Monroe, Waterford, New Lisbon, Windsor, Janesville, Union Grove, DeForest, Darlington, Arlington, rural Wausau, Wisconsin; and Freeport, Illinois.

• PCC distributed literature at the following high schools: Waterford, Hillsboro, Juda, Delavan, Orfordville, Belleville, Wisconsin Heights, New Glarus, Shullsburg, Darlington, Wisconsin; and Orangeville, Illinois.

• PCC literature was sent to Christians in the following cities for distribution: Brookfield, Janesville, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Racine, Viroqua, and Waukesha, Wisconsin; Flint, Michigan; Centreville, Mississippi; La Vista, Nebraska; Penns Grove, New Jersey; Syracuse, New York; Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; Columbia, South Carolina; Amarillo, Texas; and Lynchburg, Virginia. (Our Homosexuality: The Truth and What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality brochures are provided free to Wisconsinites.) Back to top.

The Encouraging Words

Due to our ministry activities, we continue to receive a barrage of contemptuous, verbally violent messages from "deeply offended" rebels and reprobates, many calling themselves "Christian." But we also receive much encouragement. Here is a sample of some of the latest:

+ "I saw your people spreading the good news this past weekend. Keep up the good work!" —Wisconsin

+ "I received your 'door to door' handout. . . . Thank you for the work you are doing explaining Biblical teachings about homosexuality. Your pamphlet is backed up by God's word." —Wisconsin

+ "We gave a CD with Pastor Ovadal's sermon 'None Dare Call it Sin' to our relatives . . . they decided to pull their children out of public school. . . . Praise the Lord!" —California

+ "Well done you people. Have just listened to your interviews with Dan New and Steve Klein. We sent the page on to folk here to inspire and educate them." —Australia

+ "I download, burn, and share your sermons often; they are a great encouragement to saints growing weary." —Michigan

+ "This is literally a breath of fresh air to hear people finally taking a stand for Christianity and our God. . . . Thank you for showing me there still is good in this world when all I keep seeing and hearing is nothing but evil." —Kentucky

+ "I really like your web site and your whole approach to the ministry. . . . I'll listen to you often!" —Ohio

"The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation:
he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him."
Exodus 15:2

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