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Listen to the Heart of the Matter program!

Heaven or Hell? gospel tract

The Value of Our Souls gospel tract

An Urgent Plea to Roman Catholics

Una Advertencia Urgente a los Catolicos Romanos

More Than These: A Call for Reformation by Pastor Ralph Ovadal

No Excuses! pro-life/gospel tract

What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality

Homosexuality: The Truth
 

WCU ACTION HIGHLIGHTS
Three Ladies and a Shoe Salesman
Black Earth: The Other Shoe Drops
Inauguration Day Witness
Turning the Tables on Action Wisconsin
More Stolen Thunder
A Parting Prod
27 News Headlines: Protest Against Ban on Same-Sex Unions
WISC-TV 3: Protesters, Supporters Voice Opinions On Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Janesville Gazette: Janesville church's workshop draws protests

February 10, 2005

"And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants,
that with all boldness they may speak thy word."
Acts 4:29

Dear Friends,

I hope you are blessed by this WCU bi-monthly ministry report. We have had many encouraging moments in the last several months, including a request for literature from the administrator of a large Lutheran school who told us that his students need to learn the truth about homosexuality as they are being influenced by the world with regard to that sin. We happily supplied copies of our brochures Homosexuality: The Truth and What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality. The administrator made certain that every junior and senior student received each brochure!

As you will see from our ministry report, we have recently taken advantage of several key events to expose multitudes of Wisconsin citizens to much-needed truth. During the period reported on in this newsletter, I did a number of interviews with Wisconsin media, and I was blessed to share truth through a fairly lengthy appearance on a liberal talk radio program which was heard in three New England states. The issue of the program was religious liberty and the arrest of Christians in Philadelphia who were simply sharing the gospel on the public sidewalk during a sodomite event. Relative to that same issue, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran this quote from me, excerpted from a "Heart of the Matter" program:

"This homofascism has come to our doorstep; it's in America," said Ralph Ovadal, head of Wisconsin Christians United, in a recent radio program. "Christians need to wake up and realize how quickly the walls are closing in on their religious liberties, on their religious duties to preach the gospel."

Sharing the good news at Monroe's holiday parade

Sharing the good news at
Monroe's holiday parade

We are thankful for all the different ways which the Lord provides for us to share truth. In the last several months, we have had the great privilege of sharing the Word of God with tens of thousands of people through our lit drops, pickets, gospel tract distribution, and street preaching. I am thankful that members of the church I pastor, Pilgrims Covenant, play such a key role in the work of WCU while still finding time to take part in PCC ministry, such as gospel tract distribution and street preaching in our hometown of Monroe as well as our weekly Planned Parenthood ministry.

Currently, the homosexuals and their friends are in the midst of a PR campaign, desperately attempting to derail the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin state constitution which would ban recognition of sodomite couplings as marriages. The amendment would also ban state recognition of civil unions. I am convinced that WCU's weekly lit dropping of homes with our brochures dealing with homosexuality is of utmost importance in laying the groundwork for the final passage of the marriage amendment into law. It is times like this that I am glad for all those years of hard work taking the truth door-to-door, and I am strengthened in my conviction that the work must continue on. Our own Mike Foht has been a tireless worker in that area, and it is our hope that he will be able to raise enough ministry support to continue his invaluable ministry work.

If you are one who follows WCU's web site, you may have noticed that it is currently semi-dormant. That is because we are working on a new web site which will be much wider in scope as it will be under the name of Pilgrims Covenant Church and reflect all of our church's ministry activities. It is our intent to eventually make WCU and "The Heart of the Matter" program which I host both ministries of Pilgrims Covenant Church. Lord willing, we hope to have the whole process complete and the web page up within several months.

I do want to thank all of you who have been so instrumental in keeping us equipped and encouraged to stay on the frontline as we battle the devil's lies with God's eternal, immutable truth.

Pastor Ralph Ovadal

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WCU ACTION HIGHLIGHTS
December 3, 2004—February 10, 2005

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."
Matthew 5:14

Mike Foht and Michael Bergum preaching in Mazomanie.

Preaching in Mazomanie.

• Towns and cities lit dropped with brochures dealing with homosexuality (and the gospel): Albany, Madison, Benton, Lead Mine, New Diggings, West Baraboo, Whitewater, Lancaster, Palmyra, Sturtevant, Reedsburg, Elkhorn, and Genoa City.

"Anti-Homosexuality" Pickets: Black Earth, Madison, Janesville, Albany, Milwaukee, Lancaster, Whitewater, Elkhorn, and Genoa City. WCU also held a pro-life picket in Sauk City.

Schools where WCU lit was distributed to students: Marquette University, Memorial High School (Madison), Baraboo High School.

Towns where gospel tracts were lit dropped door-to-door: gospel tracts were lit dropped door-to-door: Mazomanie, Monroe, and Black Earth.

WCU literature was also distributed by Christians in the following cities: Kewaskum, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, and Waukesha, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; Powhaten, Virginia; Pottstown, Pennsylvania; Penns Grove, New Jersey; Gladwin, Michigan; and Placerville, California.

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Lady police officers giving us a hard time in Black Earth.

Lady police officers giving us
a hard time in Black Earth.

Three Ladies and a Shoe Salesman

On December 11, after a very successful pro-life picket in Sauk City, WCU conducted an "anti-homosexuality" picket in Black Earth at the very strategic intersection of Hwy. 78 and Hwy. 14. During our picket, the owner of the Shoe Box, a nearby shoe store, spent much time harassing, mocking, and railing at us. Several female Dane County sheriff's deputies who came to the scene did their level best to coerce and threaten us into clearing out as well. Those gals were joined by the "Christian" Black Earth village president, another lady, who insisted that her town be swept clean of our biblical witness. As our picket was entirely lawful and perfectly safe, we repeatedly declined to relinquish our religious liberty. This caused the lady cops no end of frustration and reduced the village president to mocking us as she left in a huff. In the midst of the skirmishes with the police and the store owner, an area citizen rode up on a motorcycle to tell us how much he appreciated our witness. He ended up standing with us until the end of the picket. Back to top.

Black Earth: The Other Shoe Drops

WCU went back to Black Earth on January 8. We blanketed almost every home and business in the town with a gospel tract complete with a special insert which filled citizens in on our reception by their village president on December 11. The insert also informed citizens that we would be doing another picket at the same corner that afternoon and invited them to come by to see our message. As might be expected, our subsequent picket was anything but dull as we received enthusiastic encouragement from many motorists while becoming the target of taunts, threats, and obscenities from the tolerant folks. We were also able to do some one-on-one witness and hand out some literature. Our friend from the Shoe Box spent much time in our faces, laughing, mocking, threatening, and generally acting like a lunatic. Three male police officers from the Dane County Sheriff's Department made a tepid try at running us off, no doubt at the instructions of superiors, but then handled matters in a very professional manner. At one point, they were forced to escort the Shoe Box owner back into his store after he got a bit too enthusiastic. All in all, we were pleased that the Lord saw fit to get our message out to many thousands and to restore a right relationship between us and the Dane County Sheriff's Department. As for the Shoe Box man, the last we saw of him, he was still wagging his tongue and mocking all attempts to save his soul. (Ouch!) Back to top.

Inauguration Day 2005

Inauguration Day 2005

Inauguration Day Witness

Wisconsin state legislators took their oaths of office in our state capitol building in Madison on January 3. This is the third inauguration day at which WCU has ministered. We set up gospel banners at two of the most used entrances to the capitol and spent approximately three hours preaching and handing out salvation tracts as well as a special flyer addressed to the incoming legislators. Attendance at the inauguration seemed to be off from other years, but our time sharing the Word of God was a blessing to us and, we trust, to many who heard it whether they perceived it as a blessing or not. Back to top.

The WCU welcoming committee waiting for Action Wisconsin activists to come out of the Best Western Inn on the Park.

The WCU welcoming committee waiting
for Action Wisconsin activists to come
out of the Best Western Inn on the Park.

Turning the Tables on Action Wisconsin

Lining up to hear some good preaching! (Even if they don't want to hear it!)

Lining up to hear some good preaching!
(Even if they don't want to hear it!)

On January 27, the sodomite organization Action Wisconsin held a day of training and lobbying at the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison. The event was cosponsored by Planned Parenthood. The goal was to derail the proposed constitutional amendment to our state constitution which would ban state recognition of so-called same-sex marriage and civil unions. On the morning of the twenty-seventh, AW trained well over three hundred individuals in how to pressure state legislators into seeing things Sodom's way. This was done at the Best Western Inn on the Park across from the capitol building grounds. In the afternoon, the AW cadres put their new-found propaganda skills to work as they visited the offices of state legislators. Wisconsin Christians United was on hand from 12:45 until 4:30 in the afternoon. Prior to the main WCU body arriving on the scene at 12:45, Mike Foht preempted Action Wisconsin by visiting the office of every state legislator and leaving a packet of WCU literature about homosexuality.

Inside the capitol rotunda during Action Wisconsin's rally.

Inside the capitol rotunda
during Action Wisconsin's
rally. "We will rejoice in thy
salvation, and in the name of
our God we will set up our
banners: the LORD fulfill
all thy petitions." Psalm 20:5

The Lord richly blessed our efforts throughout the entire day. First, we had ample opportunity to preach to hundreds of sodomites and their supporters as they streamed toward the capitol building from the hotel where they were being trained. Though most would not accept our tracts, they could not refuse our signs, banners, and preaching. The AW crowd came out of the hotel in bunches of twenty to thirty and gathered across the street from us, waiting to cross with the light. We had our banners set up directly across from the hotel on the sidewalk in front of the capitol grounds. I preached to each group as they waited to cross the street. I continued to preach to them until they had all passed by me and started up the long walk to the capitol building. I then turned my attention to the next group waiting to cross the street. Meanwhile, another preacher, who was stationed by the capitol building entrance, preached to the group trudging toward him. We continued the cycle until New Sodom's three-hundred-plus activists, including some "pastors," were all in the capitol building.

Yes, we're still here! Greeting Action Wisconsin lobbyists leaving the capitol.

Yes, we're still here! Greeting Action
Wisconsin lobbyists leaving the capitol.

After several hours of lobbying state legislators, the citizens of New Sodom gathered inside the capitol rotunda for a rally. A contingent of our people stayed outside with signs and banners to greet the rally attendees at its finish as they headed for their cars. The rest went with me into the capitol. We positioned ourselves on a balcony directly over the sodomites. Right before the rally began, we unfurled on the marble rail of the balcony our fourteen-foot banner which reads, "Homosexuality is sin." We also held a large sign reading, "Christ can set you free." The capitol police made no effort to remove us. Television networks showed the banner and sign that night and played excerpts of interviews with me. I have included below transcripts from those reports. It is encouraging to see that the Lord must surely have had a hand in choosing which excerpts the news editors used. In each case, my comments answered the lies just quoted from one of our adversaries.

We had many one-on-one-interaction witnessing opportunities during the rally as well as before and after it. One of the highlights of my day was when three teenage girls, one who had apparently been crying, came up to me and asked, "What does that sign mean--Christ can set you free?" Shades of Acts 2:37! The girls listened to every word I shared, and two of the three took gospel tracts. All in all, the devil had a hard day of it on the twenty-seventh, and the sodomites' thunder was surely stolen. Perhaps that is why, at one point, a red-faced, middle-aged man got in my face, grabbed me by the front of my jacket, and cussed me out for being "hate-filled." Back to top.

More Stolen Thunder

Welcome to St. John's!

Welcome to St. John's!

As part and parcel of a determined effort to defeat the constitutional amendment spoken of earlier, the Wisconsin Council of Churches recently held four seminars in Lutheran churches (ELCA) around our state. (See article below.) Wisconsin Christians United set up a perimeter of truth around St. John Lutheran Church in Janesville when a seminar was held there on February 1. We held our positions in front of the church for two hours, preaching truth to the few people attending the seminar and sharing the same with motorists passing by our signs and banners. After our picket in front of the church, we moved half a block to a busy intersection and set up our banners there for another hour. The sum total of the matter is that the WCC seminar impacted a total of nine individuals while WCU's open-air witness impacted tens of thousands, reproved the unfruitful works of an apostate church, and enabled me to share biblical truth through the local newspaper. When you read the article below, please take note of how the woman "pastor" of that church distanced herself from the seminar. By the way, the paper did not put in my whole quote which actually ended "through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ." Back to top.

A Parting Prod
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."
Hebrews 10:24

Some Christians believe that using the term homo-fascism to describe New Sodom's strategy and agenda is too extreme. We think it is both reasonable and accurate. Every week, we receive letters, e-mails, and phone messages which are violent and incredibly obscene. For instance, a recent caller spoke in graphic terms of the homosexual acts which he would commit against our Lord if given the opportunity. Can you imagine what that same man would do with your children? We provide the following excerpted comments, not because they are violent or obscene; but we provide them because they reflect the mind of a very large group of young people who are being trained to very dispassionately and systematically strip you, your loved ones, and your Christian brethren completely bare of religious liberty. Those young people need constant exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ, ever preceded by God's law. Unfortunately, due to the fact that most Christians are pew-bound, that is far from what is happening at the present.

"Needless to say, I along with most people with a decent measure of tolerance, intelligence, and openness, disagree with you strongly. . . . you will not win. You may collect small victories along the way, but you will not win. . . . As a lifetime churchgoer living with 9 other college students with a similar background, I want you guys to know that what you're doing is disgusting. . . . you and your supporters are collectively like a dying dog, whimpering and whining, gasping for precious breaths before the inevitable sets in. . . ."

"Don't you see that it is over? The fear is gone now, old man. Gay couples can be themselves and no one but a small, vocal bunch of folks like yourselves gives a hoot. . . . Does it infuriate you to know that there are happy, confident gay couples out there raising happy, healthy kids? I bet it does. Sad isn't it. People are happy and all you want to do is tear that apart if you can. . . . all you do is futileley [sic] stir up old bigotry and make yourself a laughingstock. Perhaps that is what you enjoy. I would have thought that a pastor would want to do more than that."

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
James 4:17

Read "The Bride Betrayed" by Pastor Ralph Ovadal!

Back to top.


Protest Against Ban on Same-Sex Unions
27 News Headlines, January 27, 2005, www.wkowtv.com

Protestors attempt to block a proposed ban on civil unions and marriage of gay and lesbian couples.

Supporters say it's a sin, opponents say it's discrimination. The debate over amending the Wisconsin constitution to ban homosexual marriages and civil unions is back for round 2.

The proposal to ban same-sex unions could go to voters as early as November of next year. The proposal has already passed one of three hurdles. State lawmakers passed it last year. If the ban also passes this session, voters could possibly see the issue next Fall.

But those against the proposed ban want to make sure the idea doesn't get that far. More than 300 demonstrators gathered in the Capitol Thursday, hoping to sway Legislators to legally recognize same-sex relationships.

'I see how discrimination hurts them. I see what this amendment does to them and it is simply unfair,' says Rev. Curt Anderson.

'The Bible's very clear about what it says about homosexuality and there is no love in telling people that God condones something that he actually condemns,' says Rev. Ralph Ovadal.

About a dozen people who support the ban were also at the rally. Aside from some vocal outbursts, the event was mostly peaceful.

The Federal Government is also reviewing a proposal to amend the United States Constitution to ban same-sex unions. The Senate revisited the issue yesterday.

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Protesters, Supporters Voice Opinions On Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Republicans Might Delay Vote Until November 2006
WISC-TV 3, POSTED: 10:43 pm EST January 27, 2005,
UPDATED: 11:09 am EST January 28, 2005
http://www.channel3000.com/news/4137832/detail.html

MADISON, Wis. -- About 375 opponents of a ban on same-sex marriage took their message to the halls of the state Capitol Thursday.

A group led by Action Wisconsin lobbied lawmakers not to approve a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Supporters of the ban were also there with a counterprotest.

Lawmakers approved the idea last session, but have to sign off again before the decision's put to the voters in a statewide referendum.

"(The protesters) are saying this amendment goes too far because it bans not just marriage but civil unions and domestic partnerships," said Christopher Ott, executive director of Action Wisconsin. "This (amendment) would hurt real families."

Ralph Ovadal, director of Wisconsin Christians United, has a different point of view.

"We feel that the civil union issue is just marriage in drag," Ovadal said. "It's marriage in disguise, and I think they do need to deal with them both, and I'm glad they are."

Republicans might delay the vote until the months leading up to the November 2006 election, so the referendum falls at the same time Gov. Jim Doyle runs for re-election.

Assembly speaker John Gard said no decision has been made on when to take up the amendment.

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Janesville church's workshop draws protests
By Mike DuPré, Janesville Gazette, February 2, 2005, http://www.gazetteextra.com/churchprotest020205.asp

If you wondered what the anti-gay demonstrators at North Parker Drive and Centerway were protesting Tuesday, it was a workshop at St. John Lutheran Church.

The Wisconsin Council of Churches is sponsoring a series of four workshops at Lutheran churches on the "history of Christian ethical reflection on issues relating to homosexuality" in light of legislative efforts, such as the one in Wisconsin, to constitutionally ban marriage between homosexuals.

The Rev. Judi Huseth, pastor of St. John Lutheran, explained that the statewide church council asked to use the Janesville church for one of its seminars and the local congregation did not sponsor the workshop.

Huseth did not attend the workshop because of a schedule conflict.

Nine people attended the seminar, said its presenter, Gary Simpson, professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He is leading the workshops, which continue today in Wauwatosa, Thursday in Appleton and Friday in La Crosse.

Simpson said he didn't directly address his opinion about the constitutionality of a gay marriage ban.

"I talk a lot about Western Christian religious tradition and how it's come up with its norms . and the different ways people think their way into the question," Simpson said.

"Most of the time I present what the church has taught through the years and how it thinks about these things."

But to the Rev. Ralph Ovadal of Monroe and six other members of Wisconsin Christians United, the event at St. John Lutheran was "a seminar to train people to support homosexual marriage," Ovadal said.

"We wanted to come out and show people what the Bible says," he said. "Clearly that's wrong. That's what the Bible says."

Simpson acknowledged he would like to revise Christian thinking on the question of same-sex sexuality.

Whether lifelong relationships between homosexuals should be labeled marriage or not is open to question, Simpson said.

Nevertheless, such unions should be considered normal, Simpson said, because, as in heterosexual marriages, they generate social good and benefit the community's welfare.

But Ovadal said: "Any discussion of homosexuality in a church should be from the Scriptures, and the conclusion should be that homosexuality is an abomination but that homosexuals can be saved."

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This web site contains references to Wisconsin Christians United (WCU). That ministry, which was founded by Ralph Ovadal in 1993, has been included as a ministry of Pilgrims Covenant Church since April 1, 2005. Those who desire to support the ministry of Pilgrims Covenant Church may send their gifts to PCC, P.O. Box 314, Monroe, WI 53566. Those who desire to support a specific ministry effort of PCC, such as "The Heart of the Matter" or the cost of the literature which we distribute, should be sure to designate that when sending their gifts.

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