wfn.org | [LCMSNews] Mission society wins lawsuit

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

> 	
>	
> 	
>	
>6.18.2009		
>	LCMS News	 	
> 	

>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod  	 	
>	

	

	June 18, 2009 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 50

Mission society wins lawsuit on 'leafleting' gay festival

>By Paula Schlueter Ross

The Apple of His Eye, a St. Louis-based LCMS mission society, is free to
distribute religious literature at public events in the city of St.
Louis, according to a U.S. District Court judge.

On June 11, Judge Henry Autrey signed a permanent order that bars the
city from arresting or threatening to arrest members of The Apple of His
Eye while they are handing out their literature.

The First Amendment lawsuit was filed last year after Apple of His Eye
missionary Alan Butterworth and founder Steve Cohen were distributing
free religious tracts in the city's Tower Grove Park during a 2006 "gay
pride" event.  Both men were first told to cease literature distribution
at PrideFest, and later told to vacate the premises or face arrest.

The attorney for The Apple of His Eye, Rick Nelson of the American
Liberties Institute in Orlando, Fla., brought the matter to the city's
attorneys, hoping for an amicable resolution.  When no progress was
made, the lawsuit was filed by the mission society on May 1, 2008.

Cohen said the group "got tired of being threatened with arrest" and
"just wanted to bring it to an end."  Cohen and a seminary student
recently were confronted by police at two events in April -- the women's
Final Four basketball tournament and opening day of the St. Louis
Cardinals baseball season.

"When religious freedom is at stake," Cohen said, "I've always felt that
our constitutional rights here in the United States should be affirmed
and upheld, and that's what we tried to do."

The Gospel handouts, or "broadsides" -- written especially for the
PrideFest event -- did not mention homosexuality, but focused on the
fact that "all of us are sinful.  All of us fall short," said Cohen.
"But God loves us so much that -- while we were yet sinners -- He sent
His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have
everlasting life."

"We can't tell people how to live," he added, "but we can tell people
what Jesus did for them.  And from there, the work of the Holy Spirit in
a person's life is powerful and mighty and capable of bringing change."

As a result of the lawsuit, the city has rescinded a part of its bylaws
that bans literature distribution and is required to let police and
PrideFest organizers know that handing out religious fliers is allowed.

Cohen says he is "thrilled" at the judge's decision and will be at this
year's PrideFest, June 27-28 in St. Louis.  He said he is hoping for 15
to 20 volunteers to join him.

"Going out and talking to people about Jesus is one of the best ways you
learn to sharpen your own skills in personal witness," he said, and
volunteers don't have to be Jewish.  The society's mission is to "boldly
declare Y'shua (Jesus) as the Messiah for both Jews and gentiles," and
to "urgently equip the church to do the same."

The ministry's work "is with anybody who is unchurched and needs to hear
who Jesus is," according to Cohen.

"Our prayer is that Christians will take seriously the Great Commission
and take the initiative to reach out in their own communities as
opportunities become available," he said.  "We can help!"

The Apple of His Eye offers free religious handouts that congregations
can print and distribute.  In fact, Cohen says he will even write a
Gospel tract for a specific event, if a congregation requests it, and
offers free PDF copies of his book, Beginning from Jerusalem, a 156-page
primer on sharing your faith with others.

His organization routinely hands out broadsides at sporting events,
concerts, parades, festivals, and other public gatherings that allow it
"to maximize the opportunities to reach a lot of people in a short
amount of time."  Often, volunteers will begin a conversation with,
"What do you think of Jesus?"

The Apple of His Eye distributed about 60,000 Gospel tracts during a
recent "Taste of Chicago" event, which led to "hundreds and hundreds of
conversations, and of those conversations, about 200 people gave us
their names and addresses for follow-up," Cohen said.  Those contacts
are forwarded to local LCMS congregations and the Jews for Jesus
organization.

For more information about The Apple of His Eye, contact Cohen at
steve.cohen@appleofhiseye.org <mailto:steve.cohen@appleofhiseye.org>  or
636-326-4040, ext. 3.  Or, visit the ministry's Web site at
www.appleofhiseye.org <http://www.appleofhiseye.org> .

>****************************************

If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact
Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

>****************************************

>	
> 	

This Edition of "LCMS News" e-News is provided
by:

Board for Communication Services, Division of News and Information

Contact Editor

<http://www.lcms.org/enews/contact_editor.asp?title=LCMS%20News&editori d
=6> 
	

This LCMS e-News message comes from a "Send Only" mailbox that
does not recognize replies. To reply to this message, please click on
"Contact Editor" above.

>_____

To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this Newsletter and many others,
please visit LCMS e-News <http://www.lcms.org/enews> .
Share this Newsletter <http://www.lcms.org/enews/forward.asp?m=7722
with a Friend. 	
MessageId=7722 UserId=10073

>_____

© 2002 - 2008 The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod  <http://www.lcms.org/
.
No reproduction without consent. All rights reserved.