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Police drop charges against street preacher arrested outside arena

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A California street preacher arrested while evangelizing to concert-goers outside a public events arena no longer faces charges after a religious freedom law firm argued that law enforcement made an “unfortunate and serious mistake” that resulted in the violation of the pastor’s First Amendment rights.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney has dismissed the charges against Pastor Arturo Fernandez following his arrest in June, according to a Dec. 5 statement from Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

“This dismissal is a victory for free speech and religious expression,” Advocates for Faith & Freedom Attorney Julianne Fleischer said in a statement.

“Pastor Fernandez was peacefully exercising his God-given and constitutionally protected rights to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the attorney continued. “While we have the utmost respect for the men and women in law enforcement, no government entity has the right to silence lawful public preaching.”

The Ontario Police Department and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.

Following the street preacher’s arrest, the law firm issued demand letters to the Ontario Police Department and the division chief at the district attorney’s office in San Bernardino County.

According to copies of the letters Advocates for Faith & Freedom provided to The Christian Post, the incident began when two security guards at the Ontario-based Toyota Arena approached the street preacher.

Fernandez had reportedly positioned himself on the sidewalk at the top of a flight of stairs, standing about 20 feet from concert-goers as they entered the arena.

The letters also noted there were four sets of railings between the street preacher and the event attendees. While the law firm argued that Fernandez had preached at the arena for years without incident, the two arena security guards approached the man with a written warning.

One of the guards told Fernandez that he was on private property, but the preacher insisted he was standing on public property and that the guard should call the police to confirm. An officer who arrived on the scene told the street preacher that Toyota Arena is a “property run by a private company,” meaning that the company has the right to decide who it wants and doesn’t want on the property.

The officer claimed that Fernandez was violating the company’s code of conduct, and he instructed the preacher to leave or face arrest for trespassing. When the preacher brought up free speech rights and asked to speak with the officer’s supervisor, the policeman insisted that the company had the right to insist on Fernandez’s removal.

“Pastor Fernandez explained to the officer that he had preached at the Toyota Arena before, that the City of Ontario owns the property, and that when certain parties use the Arena, their right to exclude only applies to the inside of the building,” the letter stated. “The officer denied this latter statement, arguing that such parties’ rights extend to the parking lot.”

After the pastor insisted that he had a right to preach outside of the arena, the officer warned Fernandez again that he would arrest him if the preacher continued refusing to leave. According to the letter, Fernandez “peacefully submitted” to the arrest. He was charged with trespass in violation of California Penal Code section 602.

The street preacher was eventually released and ordered to appear in court in October, according to Advocates for Faith & Freedom. While the nonprofit law firm expressed its respect for the police, it argued that the department violated the preacher’s First Amendment rights.

The firm argued that the First Amendment protects street preachers and that entities with a permit to use public property “do not enjoy unfettered control over the speech occurring on that property.”

“Even if the arresting officer acted in the public’s interest, we find further proof of his mistake in the fact that the government had no substantial interest in removing Pastor Fernandez due to public safety or traffic flow concerns,” the letters state.

During his time preaching at the concert, Fernandez was standing 20 feet away from the event attendees, which the firm claimed is a “respectful distance,” adding that the nature of the man’s preaching posed no threat to public safety. In addition, Advocates for Faith & Freedom emphasized that the arresting officer presented no evidence that Fernandez had obstructed traffic.

“Thus, Ontario Police Department has no substantial interest in stifling Pastor Fernandez’s street preaching, and the officer was mistaken when he arrested the Pastor for trespassing,” the legal group concluded.

As a result of the letters, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office agreed to dismiss the charges.

The case is not the first time Fernandez has been arrested for street preaching. In 2021, Fernandez was arrested but not charged while preaching in San Bernardino.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

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Nearly 2,000 Students Choose Christ in 1 Night at Ohio State: ‘God Is Moving in This Generation’

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Thousands of college students gathered at Ohio State University on Tuesday night to seek the hope that’s found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and nearly 2,000 of them made decisions to give their hearts to God.

It was the second massive revival event of 2025 organized by the Unite US movement, and this time students braved sub-freezing temperatures down in the teens to get baptized in the backs of U-Haul trucks.

“We’ve been in awe of how God has already been moving on this campus over the past year, and He met us here again tonight,” Unite US said in a social media post. “Over 6,500 students gathered in The Schott to lift the name of Jesus and almost 2,000 responded to the altar call – experiencing the freedom only He can bring.”

“God is moving in this generation, and we know that He’s just getting started!” the post exclaimed.

Tonya Prewett, the founder and visionary behind Unite US, also posted to Instagram saying, “What a night at The Ohio State University! …close to 2,000 students made a decision to go all in with Jesus! I am in awe of how God is moving on college campuses!”

The Ohio State revival follows a Unite US outreach held last week at the University of Kentucky where more than 2,000 students gave their lives to Jesus Christ and many were baptized as well.

The next Unite US outreach will be held at Purdue University in Indiana on March 5. Since September of 2023, the ministry’s events have reached more than 70,000 college students across multiple campuses.
Sources:CBN News

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‘Amazing Salvation Numbers’: Seismic Spiritual Shift in World’s Largest Catholic Country

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RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil is witnessing a seismic shift in its religious landscape that’s rapidly reshaping the country’s spiritual and social fabric. As  News discovered, evangelicals are poised to outnumber Catholics as the largest faith group there.

In the heart of Brazil, amidst the rhythmic beats of samba and the vibrant colors of carnival, something spiritually profound is unfolding. “We are on the verge of a religious change in Brazil’, said Brazilian sociologist Dr. José Alves.

If there’s one image that symbolizes Catholicism’s influence here, it’s Rio de Janeiro’s 98-foot-tall Christ the Redeemer. Inaugurated in 1931, the iconic statute celebrated the country’s rich Catholic heritage. There’s also the beautiful blue Cathedral of Brasilia – one of the largest Catholic churches in Brazil’s capital city. But despite these historical landmarks, Alves says the faith’s dominance is rapidly declining.

“In 1950, 93 percent of Brazilians identified as Catholics. The Church was losing about 1 percent of followers every decade,” said Alves. “However, from 1991 onwards, the Catholic Church started to lose 1 percent of followers every year, resulting in a dramatic drop.”

Evangelical Christianity, once a minority faith here, is now growing at unprecedented levels. The surveys show that what was once the world’s largest Catholic nation, will be overwhelming evangelical by 2030.

Signs of this growth are everywhere—mega-churches dotting the landscape, filled with thousands of worshippers each week. That includes Andre Fernandes’ church in São Paulo.

“We are living in the fulfillment of a promise,” said Fernandes, who pastors Lagoinha Church. “For many decades, we have heard that Brazil would experience a wave of revival that would be exported around the world, and I believe that this is what we are experiencing at this moment.”

It also includes Lourival Pereira’s congregation in the Amazon region—boasting more than 10,000 members across roughly 600 cell groups.

“The foundation of our growth is these cells,” said Pereira, pastor of a Foursquare Church in Belem. “The real revival is taking place outside the church walls. Every day, people are meeting in small groups in homes; it’s the biblical model.”

Then there’s J.B. Carvalho’s church in the capital city of Brasília.

“We started the church in 2003 with only 25 people. Today, we have about 12,000 people in Brasília alone,” said Carvalho of Community of the Nations Church. “We also have another 15,000 people in Fortaleza. Our churches are spread throughout Brazil.”

And Silas Malafaia’s church in Rio de Janeiro is one of the largest and most influential Pentecostal churches in Brazil with more than 100,000 members.

“In the next seven years or so, we will be the majority in the country,” declared Malafaia of the Assembly of God Victory in Christ church. “Today, we make up about 35% of the population, and God’s Kingdom has influence in every corner of Brazilian society.”

Marcelo Crivella, a well-known evangelical pastor turned politician, once served as mayor of Rio de Janeiro. He says that, years ago, evangelical Christians hesitated to get involved in politics—but that’s no longer the case.

More than 30% of the country’s legislators are now evangelical. “We are more than 140 deputies and more than 20 senators,” said Crivella, a Brazilian Congressman.

Many of them gather each Wednesday in the halls of Brazil’s Congress for worship and prayer.

Celina Leão, the vice governor of Brasília, tells CBN News that God is also at work in other branches of the government.

“I used to participate in those prayer meetings when I was in Congress,” Leão told CBN News. “Now, every month in the governor’s office, we meet for prayer, and people come to my office. It’s a wonderful time to see friends and be in communion.”

The country’s first evangelical church opened in 1922. By 1990, the number had grown to more than 7,000 congregations. Nearly 30 years later, it grew to almost 110,000.

The growth is so staggering that one study found 17 new evangelical churches opening every day across Brazil.

“Now in Brazil we have 550,000 – 550,000 churches,” declared Crivella.

Ezenete Rodrigues says this dramatic transformation began, as in many great movements, with the most profound of practices: prayer.

“I’ve always believed that prayer is like planting: You plant, plant, plant, and at some point, it will sprout, and then the explosion will come,” Rodrigues told CBN News.

Rodrigues is one of the country’s most well-known intercessors. She has organized countless prayer rallies nationwide, urging her fellow countrymen to turn to God.

“Brazil has been hungry and thirsty for God, and the key has been intercession—bending our knees, seeking God, and letting the Spirit of the Lord guide us in everything we do,” said Rodrigues. “Today, we can look back and see so many beautiful fruits of this commitment.”

Those who have been tracking the explosive growth of the evangelical movement here in Brazil say worship has also played a monumental role in the church’s growth. And one Christian artist, above all, has been at the center of it all.

Her name is Ana Paula Valadao.

“Even growing up, I had glimpses of crowds, of multitudes worshipping the Lord,” Valadao told us.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, her group’s music became synonymous with a powerful worship movement that emphasized intimacy with God, passionate worship, and personal revival.

“As I was songwriting, the Lord always made me very intentional,” Valadao said. “The whole idea was about transformation, was about changing the nation.”

Paula’s songs played across Brazil, helping many experience a deeper connection to their faith. “It was about healing the land, and we started seeing amazing salvation numbers,” said Valadao.

She held concerts in strategic locations, drawing millions of people, many of whom were Catholics.

“Like the carnival sight in Rio de Janeiro and in the soccer stadiums, Jesus broke every record, gathering more people than any soccer tournament,” Valadao recalled.

Because of her songs, many Catholic services in Brazil today—like one CBN News attended in São Paulo—have embraced a more evangelistic style of worship, shifting away from traditional liturgies to incorporate contemporary music.

Father Antonio Luiz Catelan Ferreira, who leads the Cathedral of São Sebastião in Rio de Janeiro, says the change is part of an effort to encourage former Catholics to ‘come home.’

“People are attracted to environments where worship celebrations and moments of prayer are done in a more charismatic way,” Ferreira told CBN News. “Today, a growing number of Catholics are returning precisely because prayer meetings are conducted in a more Pentecostal style.”

Still, for Brazil’s Catholic majority, the question is no longer whether they will lose their dominance, but how quickly.

The answer? Probably, faster than anyone ever expected.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

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‘Only God’: Massive ‘Miracle’ as Thousands of Students Choose Jesus, Confess Sin, Get Baptized

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Author and speaker Jennie Allen is witnessing what she calls a real-life “miracle.”

Allen told CBN News she was absolutely astounded last Wednesday night, when UniteUs, a ministry serving young people, arrived at the Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky and saw thousands of students show up to praise the Lord.

“This is this is just all a miracle,” Allen said. “We are on our 12th University. Next week, we will go to 13th at Ohio State, and, in every single case, it has been miraculous.”

Images and photos show hordes of young people engaging in praise and worship, with many coming forward to accept the faith and get baptized.

“So many kids come forward, confess sin, follow Jesus, and we’re baptizing usually into the morning,” she said. “And it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s unlike anything I’ve even been bold enough to pray for … until recently.”

Allen continued, “You can just see all over the stadium, huddles of kids, wiping tears, nodding, praying, holding each other. I mean, it’s so precious and brave.”

After the event, four people baptized droves of young people for around an hour and a half, showcasing the full impact of these events. Allen mentioned one young man who was lost and not living right whose friend had been praying for him.

“He said, ‘I’m tired of living the way I was living and I want something to change,’” she said. “And he goes, ‘I’ve been going this way and now I need to go this way.’”

It was incredible for the man’s friend, who had been praying for him, to see him change right before his eyes.

“It can only be God,” Allen reiterated.

Despite never dreaming such events could be possible, Allen has been blown away by all God has done. It’s especially remarkable because these campus events are organized by local student teams who do all the fundraising and work to make it unfold.

The young team responsible for the University of Kentucky event had prayed fervently beforehand, doing a massive, 42-mile prayer walk around their campus.

Allen, who is gearing up for her own event, Gather25 — a “25-hour global broadcast event telling the inspiring stories of the global Church, by the global Church” — said it’s remarkable to see these revival-like moments unfolding on campuses across the globe.

Ultimately, she believes these simultaneous spiritual revivals are all God-ordained.
Sources:CBN News

http://theendtimeradio.com

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