Stephen Reynolds Sr. was just 7 years old when he first stood on a Portland sidewalk and professed his love for Christ.

That was in 1967.

Now 55, Reynolds, of Scarborough, has devoted his life to public ministry.

In conversation, his demeanor is quiet and direct. When he is on the pulpit or on the sidewalk, however, his voice crescendos and the words rise and fall in rhythm, a rapid-fire arc of Scripture.

As head pastor of the Deliverance Center on Congress Street, Reynolds has spent his life on street corners, proselytizing a fundamentalist brand of Christianity.

Reynolds believes the Bible is the literal word of God, and that its teachings are the only way to find salvation and rid one’s life of evil and sin, which he says are pervasive in modern life. He opposes abortion and homosexuality, and believes that if America does not repent for its sins, the nation will crumble.

All around him, Reynolds sees a society embracing sin. It motivates him to spread what he believes is the truth about God.

But not content to spread his faith only inside the confines of Sunday morning worship, he’s choosing to exercise his right to express what are often unpopular views in a liberal enclave, making his mission the “public” part of his ministry.

Outside of his church at 1008 Congress St., Reynolds’ second home is Congress Square Park, where he is a regular presence in the evenings. Sometimes he and supporters hold signs. Other times it’s just a Bible in his hands.

He is almost never bashful, he said, but is also conscious of the difference between exercising his right to free speech in public, and cornering a captive audience.

“I don’t like going into a crowd and preaching at them,” he said. If people want to stop and listen, they will.

“It’s not so much that I get people to believe what I believe. It’s that I have peace in what I say.”

Reynolds has led the ministry at the Deliverance Center since 1977, when the church’s mission focused more on helping alcoholics and drug addicts find salvation. Now, along with the street preaching, he holds Sunday services for several dozen congregants, and also runs periodic revivals.

Still, in a city recognized by many as Maine’s most politically and socially liberal, Reynolds’ message does not always strike everyone as inspirational.

Most people ignore him. Others interrupt, yell or argue, calling him names.

But that does not bother Reynolds, who receives most of his critics with patience, he said.

“I want to make sure my heart is always tender,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me what people say about me or think about me. I can deal with that.”

When people want to argue, he listens.

“If someone approaches you, they’re probably upset,” he said. “If you just listen to someone, they will usually give you the same respect.”

 

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