Summary from Pastor Ralph Ovadal of our ministry at “Cocktails and Dreams,” the Juneau nude dance bar
The Lord blessed us mightily last evening; here is a quick rundown. I hope to see many of you tonight and/or tomorrow night.
THE POLICE The police came on like thugs, telling us that we could not have large signs; we could not have the large banner on a pole; we could not have the large cross and preaching platform; we had to move to the opposite side of the street from the bar; we could not preach; we could not “harass” anyone; and if anyone at all complained about us, we would have to leave. All this was accompanied by threats of arrest and the sneering comment of one officer, “You haven’t ever seen me mad.” After intense negotiations, the police left, having achieved none of their objectives. We stayed; we preached from the platform by the cross; we prayed; we sang; we held signs and banners; and we did it all within feet of the door to “Cocktails and Dreams.”
THE CUSTOMERS Business was way down, which is bad for the bar owners considering they advertised “Shelly Jones” in a lot of papers, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It appeared to me that quite a few men drove by that may well have planned to go in. I suppose that forty people with large signs, a banner on a pole, a huge wooden cross, a propane sidewalk heater, and a preacher on a platform waving his Bible and expounding the Word of God may have been a deterrent. Also, at least one man turned away after talking at length with some of our people. At one point, three liquor delivery men came in a van. Although two went into the bar, one stayed outside and took a salvation tract!
A local citizen told us that on Friday and Saturday nights, several busloads of voyeurs are brought in from somewhere. We will see.
THE LOCALS Throughout the evening, the gospel was shared with people who were walking past us. One older gentleman was interested in salvation and took a Bible home with him. Several of our people had in-depth discussions with groups of young people for extended periods of time. We received plenty of mocking and a few threats, but we also had great encouragement from passersby. One local couple and also a young man joined us and held signs. The couple are furious that the nude bar is in town and wants it out. They are frightened for their daughters. I have their names and address and will be getting info to them regarding how to pass an ordinance to ban nude dancing. They were excited to hear that the AFA will defend such an ordinance in court for free. The antique shop next door to the bar invited us to warm up and use the bathroom in their store. They also made coffee for us and were likewise excited about the prospect of passing an ordinance to rid Juneau of “Cocktails and Dreams.”
THE PLAN We are going back tonight and tomorrow evening. We will be back on the sidewalk in front of “Cocktails and Dreams” tonight at 6:00 PM. This afternoon, we will be literature dropping all Juneau homes and businesses with a flyer which I have written. The flyer documents some cases where bans on nude dancing have been upheld by the highest courts. It also speaks of the danger and degradation which nude dancing brings to town and challenges the people of Juneau to stand up for their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters. Lastly, it informs the people that AFA will not only write them an ordinance and defend it in court, but they will also do it all for free. We will be meeting at the Kwik Trip gas station in Juneau on Highway 26 at 3:00 PM sharp for the lit drop.