Set Free South Dakota is under the ministry umbrella of the Southern Baptist Convention (Pastor Al Peratt was ordained in 1997 by the Southern Baptist Convention) Set Free South Dakota is under spiritual authority to God, Jesus Christ, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Dakota Baptist Convention and Ridgecrest Baptist Church. Set Free South Dakota is a mission work of Ridgecrest Baptist Church and Pastor Jesse Moore. Pastor Phil Aguilar, I believe, gave Pastor Al permission to ride "Set Free So Dak-Nomad" several years ago when Pastor Al toured Set Free Recovery Facilities in San Diego. Pastor Al has a dream of providing long-term treatment and life rehabilitation services to the people who need it most. He would also like to provide temporary to permanent housing for the homeless. Pastor Al has worked at Keystone Treatment Centers as the Senior Spiritual Advisor for 15 + years. He works with Volunteers of America, Dakotas as a Community Service Coordinator for adults and at risk youth in conjunction with the South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC gave him a service award in 2005). He is on staff at the South Dakota State Penitentiary as a Prison Chaplain (you can bet the government investigated him thoroughly before allowing him to minister to men in the penitentiary where he once was an inmate.) His past Federal Parole Agent encouraged him to apply for a Presidential Pardon and wrote him a character reference letter as have many people across the U.S.

Pastor Al Peratt has never sent anyone to prison or jail through testimony or by any other means. In 1989, 1990, he was able to make a plea agreement with the government on federal charges (RICO, Possession, Sales, etc) by testifying in front of a grand jury regarding a methamphetamine manufacturer. That person never did a day of jail because that person was a "government sponsored" undercover agent. That person's birth name was [Ms. M. W.] (rrmoderator may want to withhold this for the person's and her family's safety because this has NEVER been published before but I included it to set the record straight). He made that plea agreement to keep his then-pregnant wife from going to prison.

The sex offender comment-wow. One man whose one conviction was nearly twenty years ago. He is not a pastor at Set Free, but even if he was...
I'll venture a guess as to why he attends Set Free... My guess is that he is not judged there.

I first read the negative things on this site, about Pastor Al Peratt and the parishioners of Set Free SoDak several weeks ago and prayed about whether or not to respond. Thank you for allowing another point of view. I believe this site, overall, serves a valuable purpose and your hearts are in the right place. I suppose that every "pure" vision enacted into reality cannot maintain complete purity or goodness despite the intentions of the creator because people are involved. And where there are people there is also free will. Some people will always look for the negative and if they can't find it, they'll make it up using just enough truth to sound plausible and cause suspicion. I thank you for the opportunity to allow a woman who has been "Set Free" from so many, many things to attempt to share the truth as I have experienced it. Peace be with you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2011 02:46AM by rrmoderator.

[sioux.livingstonesnews.com]

Al Peratt lived a hard life smuggling and selling drugs. Through a prayer to God, his life has come full circle. He ministers to the depressed, oppressed, addicted and convicted.
By Veronica Stoneall, Living Stones News Writer

“I waited patiently for the Lord: He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit. Out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 NIV

Al Peratt, pastor at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, had lived an addictive lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, crime and subsequent prison time. In prison, Peratt found Jesus. He now ministers to those still living in the bondage of sin.

Pastor Al Peratt, senior pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., has come full circle in his life. Dealing with foster care and abuse as a child, alcoholism in his family and his own life as well as becoming involved with selling and using drugs led him on a downhill road to serving time in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. The miracle of his life began when he fell to his knees and asked Jesus to free him spiritually and allow him to help others like him.

Peratt grew up in San Diego, Calif. His parents were divorced. His dad, who was in the Navy, tried, but the kids ended up in foster care until Peratt was about 6 years old.

“That was very disorienting for me,” Peratt said. “It affected how I trusted people.”

When Peratt was growing up, his father and step mother drank alcohol quite often. However, when he was in high school, they made a complete turn around and accepted the Lord as their savior. Peratt became a youth leader and music leader in the church. He was the “boy who would make it in the world.”

“Being an adult child of an alcoholic, I knew how to ‘do’ church and say the right things,” Peratt said. “However, I pushed the limits. I went to dances and stayed out late. I didn’t break the law, rob banks or anything. I just broke the rules. But, I loved school. I never missed it. School was my safe place.

“My dad, under the guise of helping me out, asked me to help clean the church. It was a beautiful day, and I was in church. This man and I went back into the choir room under the guise of cleaning it out, and he shut the door. He said for me to sit down and have a Pepsi. He started to molest me. There was a picture of Jesus on the wall. This went on for a year or more. The man would know when my folks were going to be gone, and he would show up when I was studying. From that point on, I associated Jesus with bad things.

“This does not have to happen, but it does,” he added. “Parents need to be aware.” Peratt graduated from high school and enrolled in seminary at California Baptist College in Riverside, Calif.. His first year went well, but as a sophomore, he discovered girls and became complacent. He quit going to chapel.

“I had a bad game of basketball, took my first drink and had my first blackout (drinking/drugging until unconscious). I was scared, but intrigued,” Peratt said. “Many times I had heard, ‘Drinking is bad, You will go to Hell.’ My young mind said, ‘That is a lie! It feels good!’ If you said don’t, I would do it.”.

A few weeks later, Peratt drank because he had a good game. He drank again and had more blackouts. He was kicked out of seminary.

“I played the blame game. How dare they kick me out! That was the beginning of my using drugs.” Peratt said.

Peratt joined the military during the Vietnam era in the late 60s and 70s. He found he could drink more than anyone. He was proud of that fact. He was sent to Europe where he was introduced to hashish -- his first drug. He was intrigued again because it felt so good.

“Life is boring to an addictive person,” Peratt said. “I enjoyed things that made life more exciting. By day I was a sergeant E 5 Battalion legal clerk. By night
I dealt hashish to the whole brigade. I made an enormous amount of money. I smuggled liquor, explosives and dope back to the states. Friends in San Francisco sent me LSD.”

Pastor Al Peratt is comfortable taking the Gospel to people who need Jesus -- wherever they are.

Peratt received an honorable discharge in 1971. He went to Los Angeles where his real mom lived. He sold drugs he had smuggled back from Europe to the outlaw biker gangs.

“The reason I left Los Angeles was I got involved in the Brotherhood which is the inside organization of a biker gang,” he said. “They enforce — collect debts and beat people up when necessary. One day I was handed a gun by a carload of gang members while driving on the Long Beach Freeway.

“I never understood the Trinity as a youth in the church. I knew the Father, I knew the Son, Jesus Christ, but the Holy Ghost? (Holy Spirit) It seemed like Halloween
stuff to me. But, I knew that when the gang gave me that gun, the Holy Spirit saved my life in that car. Because I said, “No!”

“The Brotherhood kicked me out of the car and told me to get my stuff. I got it and went back to San Diego. A couple weeks later, the FBI came to my door and asked questions about that night. They knew I did not participate in what ended up being a murder. They plea bargained for me. The others have been doing life sentences since 1972.”

While living in San Diego, Peratt got deeper into smuggling marijuana, pills and cocaine. He was caught and given five years to life for transporting (smuggling and selling drugs). He was sent to Chino State Prison in l974.

Peratt met his wife, Teresa, when he was 25 and she was 15. Peratt smoked a joint with her dad, and he gave Peratt permission for her to live with him. When he got out on parole, Peratt tried heroin. He and his wife smoked $400 worth every day. To keep this habit, one either commits a crime or smuggles dope or drugs. Peratt would work his parole job during the day and smuggle drugs at night.

“Teresa and I would go to Mexico and get drugs. She would pack them for me, as I did not trust anyone else. I would swallow 35 balloons filled with triple bags of heroin to cross the border. Any one of the balloons could have killed me. I have trouble with my stomach today as sometimes I couldn’t get the balloons back out of me.

Peratt and Teresa married and had a son, A. J. Peratt. Their lives were very dark spiritually. Thinking that all the problems in his life were his wife’s fault, Peratt kidnapped his son and moved to Rapid City, S.D. Peratt missed his wife and asked her to come to Rapid City. He also asked her to bring “some of the product.” The whole drug scene started over again.

“I believe God gives us every opportunity to come back to him. For some of us, it is going to the penitentiary. This was true for me,” Peratt said. “I was busted by the State of South Dakota, and I got seven years for possession and three years for selling drugs.

“I went to the penitentiary,” Peratt said. “I was a tough guy. Shades, bandana -- I thought this was my life. Medical people tried to help me. I had Hepatitis C. I cussed them out. My name was “Nasty Al” as I had a bad mouth. Then I saw chemical dependency people. I marked 53 different drugs that I had used and added five more not listed. I laughed at them. I went to my cell and hallucinated for two weeks. I saw bugs everywhere. It was very sad.

“South Dakota State Penitentiary was a blessing to me. I needed to go there. While at the Penitentiary I went to prison school. My teacher Barb Mueller told me, ‘You hurt! You don’t hate.’ She made me journal. I hated it. It was so hard. I hated me. I was worthless.

“God brings God’s people in God’s time. God brought me a prison lifer. He brought me Reid “Doc” Holiday. Reid asked me if I wanted to go to a 12-step meeting.

“All I could see was the picture of Jesus in the choir room!” Peratt said.

“These lifers saved me in these meetings. They taught me. I thought God would not want a worthless man like me. They taught me different.”

“Then I got a federal indictment — racketeering influenced corrupt organization, a gang leader of over 150 people. I qualified and faced 160 years, but the sentence was brought down to five years to 40 years and a $1 million fine.

“ I got down on my knees. I made a deal with God. I’ll give up my family, but let me help others, I prayed. This is so bad.!” Peratt said. “My Judge was mean, but somehow he gave me so much rope, and said, ‘but if you mess up, you will be mine for life.’

“I got five years and no fine. This was a new start. I went back to the penitentiary, but it was different. I was incarcerated, but I was free!” Peratt said. “My new name was just Al not Nasty Al. I started the Ball and Chain Church Choir. It was tough. I had to quit smoking, lying and swearing. My biggest support was the lifers who helped me see life for the way it was. This prepared me and gave me a foundation.

“I still had a problem with Jesus. Then something hit me -- it was the Holy Spirit again. I made a commitment to serve God. I need to serve Jesus Christ. My life was changed! I got out on parole. I had nothing. I wore used clothes.

In l991, my first day out of prison, someone from Narcotics 12 Step Program came to take me to a meeting at Keystone. I could work, attend church and go to meetings. So I went to Ridgecrest Baptist church. I sat in the back daring them to ask me to leave.

“A little lady named Mrs. Garrott came over and asked, ‘Are you Al? I’ve been praying for you for three years.! I love your family. I am so glad you are here!’

“I found my home -- Ridgecrest Church! The pastor Reverend Jesse Moore said to come on down and help. I cleaned bathrooms, swept and washed dishes.”

“They had fed my family!” Peratt said.

“I had earned a business and paralegal degree while in the penitentiary. I found a job and later started as an operator at Hutchinson Technology. I worked hard and came to work early. I wanted people to know it didn’t matter if I was a con. Today, I am a production supervisor at Hutchinson Technology.

“People began to see my walk was genuine,” Peratt said. “I go into jails to help people know what it will be like in the penitentiary. I was licensed to preach so I could go into jails and institutions. I administer to addicts. I was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1997. I was asked to come into the prison school and speak. I said. ‘Yes. if you let me out the same day I come.’ I am now a prison chaplain. In 1999 the governor of South Dakota gave me a card to go to the penitentiary and speak anytime -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is unheard of for a convicted person. God has given me the gift of helping others.

“I have pierced my lip. It gives me many opportunities to minister to others. We have Church Set Free! On the Edge (of going to hell) at 7 p.m. on Saturday nights at Ridgecrest Baptist Church. We can be examples to people on the edge. We can help them find the way. My ministry is for the depressed, oppressed. addicted and convicted. We are serving Christ. I get to see the miracles! Who said you can’t have fun with Jesus! We party with Jesus on Saturday night!”.

Feel free to contact Pastor Al at his e-mail address: pasteral@sio.midco.net. He asked God on his knees to be able to help others. He is making a difference in hurting people’s lives. Thank you, Jesus.

Overall, this article is true but does contain several errors. V. Stoneall wrote this for "Living Stones" and I'm sure she wrote it from her memory and notes made during and after the interview. Some timelines and events appear to be mismatched or misunderstood. (Pastor Al's email is misspelled, he is not Sr. Pastor of Ridgecrest Church and he never testified/plea arranged in or around a murder trial, etc). Veronica is a lovely woman and she is a blessing to the community-misstatements aside. I would refer anyone to an article in the Sioux Falls "Miracles" Magazine, September 2005 edition pp 8-11 (Shawn Vincent Publisher). This is the MOST factual account of Pastor Al's life up to that point.
In Faith and Truth

Quote
In Faith and Truth
. Some timelines and events appear to be mismatched or misunderstood. (Pastor Al's email is misspelled, he is not Sr. Pastor of Ridgecrest Church and he never testified/plea arranged in or around a murder trial, etc). Veronica is a lovely woman and she is a blessing to the community-misstatements aside.

So, in other words, you are saying that Mrs. Stoneall fabricated the following quote by Pastor Al? And yet she is a "lovely woman"? Something doesn't add up here.

“The Brotherhood kicked me out of the car and told me to get my stuff. I got it and went back to San Diego. A couple weeks later, the FBI came to my door and asked questions about that night. They knew I did not participate in what ended up being a murder. They plea bargained for me. The others have been doing life sentences since 1972.”

She added a sentence that did not belong "They plea bargained for me." Does not belong. It is untrue in that context. Veronica would never "fabricate" anything deliberately, its a simple mistake.

So is that a "no" on the buddy thing, Shak?

Quote
In Faith and Truth
So is that a "no" on the buddy thing, Shak?

No thanks. Nothing personal, I don't have anyone on a buddy list. If Set Free has helped your life, great. If Pastor Al has really turned his life around, great. There really isn't enough info out there on him to make that call one way or the other. HOWEVER, there is plenty out there on Phil Aguilar (and Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel) to the point that I have made my mind up about him. If Pastor Al wants to disassociate himself from Aguilar and create something new, I think that would be a very good P.R. move as well as the right thing to do.

Calvary Chapel is a nasty group that has done severe mental damage to a friend of mine. That is why this is personal for me. They are also anti-homosexual bigots. Set Free seems like a more extreme version of Calvary.

Also as for the argument "He is on staff at the South Dakota State Penitentiary as a Prison Chaplain (you can bet the government investigated him thoroughly before allowing him to minister to men in the penitentiary where he once was an inmate", I would disagree with that. The government's program for vetting chaplains is seriously flawed. For example, many muslim extremists posing as "moderates" have been allowed into the chaplain program.

I appreciate your passion, honesty and open-mindedness in this last posting. I feel like I have experienced more of who you are as a person; understand a little better where you're coming from. That's always a good thing. Each one of us is the sum of our experience. I am very sorry that your friend was harmed by the "selectively religious" (my terminology). I really do understand; its devastating. I guess you can tell that I have the same kind of passion for the people that I care for and for what I know in my heart to be right. Here's to always fighting the good fight and "creating something new" in humility and grace.
Peace

ok...phil aguilar is the founder of Set Free. Set Free is not some horrible originazation you all are portraying it to be. i happen to be the daughter of one of the pastor's of Set Free South Dakota and am very disturbed at some of the things i have read on this board. Set Free is an orginazation letting people know its ok to have grown up a rough life and that EVERYBODY is accepted iln the church and EVERBODY is forgiven by God, and HE is the only one to be a judge towards anybody. some people are looked down at by the way they've grown up and lived their lives; this doesnt mean that they dont want to change. Set Free accepts all the people that others look down on. Yes, alot of the church members are ex-cons and ex druggies and are in recovery of drugs or alcohol or gambling ect... These people found God and have accepted Him into their hearts and able to enjoy the Word of God and enjoy their times at church. They are happy to be able to join Set Free and are happy to be accepted and happy that God has forgiven them and ALL OF YOU for theirs/your sins. You may not have did drugs or alcohol or have been in prison but you HAVE sinned...a sin is a sin no matter what it is and everybody deserves a chance at God. Think about that before you go criticizing a group of people you have no idea who they are. These people love God and devote their lives to spreading the Word of God and helping the community in every way, shape, or form that they can...even if they are getting back on their own feets as well. I also happen to know that the Sisters in Service are NOT forced to only date people within Set Free. They are not forced to do anything. They are the females associated with the church that help out the community. Yes, some of them are MARRIED to people in Set Free, but others are dating whoever they want to be dating. I am appalled to have even read something so disturbing. As Far as Phil Aguilar goes, he is a warm hearted fellow and doesnt deserve such critisizm either. He founded Set Free and deserves an applause for it. He's helped make so many people find their faith and feel loved, just as Pastor Al and all the other Set Free members have. I happen to know Phil Aguilar is a man who will give his shirt off his back to someone needing it, he will let anybody in need come into his home and feed them, and give them shelter and clothing and a place to sleep. What kind of person could possibly think somebody like that is horrible? My father, another pastor of Set Free South Dakota, has given somebody the shirt off of his back right before my eyes one night. You people who sit there and critisize Set Free need to think twice about what you are saying and what Set Free really is, because if you are one bad mouthing it, then you have NO idea what it is. As Far as Pastor Al and the 15 year old girl...people change, people grow up, people find God, people take 180's in their lives...my father did, Pastor Al did...and by the way...that 15 year old girl, Teresa, is his Wife, whom he's had for years and they love and adore eachother. Also that is absolutely rediculous that some of you REFUSE to go to Life Light just because Set Free does security there. Set Free is a group of people who volunteered their time to help at Life Light and be security, where is the harm in this?! Set Free is NOT a liability to anybody, if anything they are a group that people should see more often and in more places. This world needs more people like the loving people of Set Free. I also want to add that it is NOT true that any of the Set Free South Dakota pastors are registered sex offenders. Parents, your kids ARE safe around Set Free. I am the daughter of a pastor from Set Free SD...if anyone should know this group...i should. Please dont listen to this non-sense. God loves and forgives everybody equally... please let's keep the only 'judger' be God. He is the only one with the right to judge.

PK33:

Are you 18 or older?

You must be at least 18 to participate here.

Concerns about accountability are a major concern regarding "Set Free."

The pastors seem to have very little accountability through democratically elected boards, which are elected by fixed terms by the general membership.

This is unlike the overwhelming majority of Protestant churches and ministries.

Also no one really knows exactly where the money goes at Set Free.

There is no detailed financial disclosure through an annually published and independently audited financial report, which details all salaries, compensation and expenses paid out from ministry funds.