ake Charles, La. » During the last few weeks of March, seven students from Ouachita Hills College moved to the Lake Charles area to canvass the surrounding area and blanket the town with Adventist literature. Sorin Munteanu, pastor, had recently moved to the district and was eager to get things moving. The students stayed in the Lake Charles church and came to the pastor’s home each evening for showers and to have a sharing time with the Munteanu family. They were enjoying knocking on doors and visiting with the people, but Satan was not happy and began to stir up trouble. The sheriff’s office received a few irate calls from someone in the community and by Sunday evening, March 31, all seven students had been arrested for soliciting and were being detained in the county jail. Margaret Jackson, communication director at the church, contacted the mayor, Randy Roach, and shortly after his intervention, Munteanu and Jackson went to the sheriff’s office and had all the students released. It was found that they had been arrested twice in the same day and charged with misdemeanors for soliciting! Wade Smith, an elder in the Lake Charles church, immediately began working on providing a bail bond for their release in the eventuality that they be charged and sent to prison. We thank God that didn’t happen! Munteanu spent Sunday night trying to understand what happened. Reading the local laws and researching the history of such cases, he realized that the sheriff’s department had committed a serious violation by arresting our students– as there is a parish ordinance, and federal laws that allow canvassing door-to-door—this activity itself is not considered soliciting. Monday morning, Munteanu visited with the district attorney’s office and presented the situation and the documents showing the legality of the student’s situation and asking for clarification. He was assured that the students’ canvassing activities are legal under state and federal law. Also, the decision of the sheriff’s department to arrest the students twice was condemned and he was directed to go back and talk to the administration of the sheriff’s department. Munteanu was given a letter asking that all charges against the students be dismissed. After speaking with sheriff’s department head, Tony Mancuso, the sheriff’s department agreed to dismiss all charges and acknowledged making a mistake by arresting the students. On Thursday, a follow-up meeting with the mayor was scheduled. Munteanu, Jackson, and the seven students attended. Surprisingly, the mayor began with an inspiring devotional from Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee wheresoever thou goest.” We took the opportunity to thank him for his intervention on our behalf and presented him with a set of books as a gift. In the meantime, Munteanu was asked by the local authorities to keep in touch with the local police department and sheriff’s office to prevent any further situations from arising. Even after the meeting with the mayor, the students had several encounters with police officers, but each one ended on a good note after they called their office and were told to leave the students alone. We praise God for the opportunity to witness to local government and we are glad that our constitutional rights were recognized! In spite of these difficulties, we consider the canvassing event a success. The Lake Charles church was left with more than a hundred interests for Bible studies and healthy cooking seminars. Also, the Deridder church has more than 30 interests. We praise God for the opportunities we had and for the ones that are still open to us to witness.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:19:22 +0000
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