A video by Todd Leibovitz recorded in June of this year depicts Jeremy Hiltz preaching at customers of the Bonham Exchange as they enter and leave the club. Leibovitz and Hiltz were arrested for verbal harassment in front of the bar on July 11.

Bible College students arrested outside Bonham Exchange
QSanAntonio.com, July 17, 2009

The registrar of the International Bible College in San Antonio confirmed that two men arrested on July 11 for verbal harassment in front of the Bonham Exchange are students at the school. Sulema King explained that Jeremy Hiltz, who graduated in May, and Todd Leibovitz, a fourth year student, were out preaching.

According to a police report submitted by Officer Craig Nash of the SAPD, Hiltz was standing across the street from the Bonham Exchange "yelling and preaching" at people as they entered and left the club. Leibovitz had a video camera on a tripod and was filming Hiltz and occasionally turned the camera toward the Bonham’s front door.

Hiltz has become a well-known fixture on the block where the Bonham is located. He told QSanAntonio that he’s been preaching there an average of twice a month for the last two years. Officer Nash’s report indicates that police have received complaints about Hiltz and Leibovitz on numerous occasions.

"Open Air" Preacher

The twenty-six-year-old Hiltz is a native of Maine who came to San Antonio to attend the Bible College. He is married and has two sons. Now that he’s finished school he and his wife Suzanne intend to move to Serbia where they would like to start a ministry. These plans are detailed on their web site, JTTN.org (Jesus to the Nations Ministries).

Hiltz says the message he preaches in front of the Bonham is the same he preaches elsewhere, "God’s love and forgiveness is available -- but God will only come if you turn away from sin." He told QSanAntonio that he wanted everyone to know "that we don’t hate anybody."

QSanAntonio found many online videos of Hiltz preaching not only at the Bonham Exchange but also in front of the Alamo, at an area college and at a senior citizens home.

On a web page that features the video titled "Confronting Hypocrites at the Bonham Exchange Gay Bar" Hiltz writes, "While preaching outside of the Bonham Exchange some ‘religious’ people came to cuss me out and ‘flash’ me along with throwing stuff. I decided to confront the religious hypocrites head on." That video was recorded in late June.

Another web site with the same video offers this description: "Open Air Preaching to the Bonham Exchange, a well known gay oriented bar in downtown San Antonio. We preach and confront all sin at the Bonham including homosexuality, adultery, drunkenness, etc."

Since his interview with QSanAntonio on July 17, the two web videos that featured Hiltz preaching outside the Bonham have dissapeared from the Internet. They were previously available on YouTube, Viddler and Vimeo. Videos of him preaching at other locations remain.

They Only Yelled Louder

On the night of July 11, Officer Nash drove by the Bonham Exchange around 10 p.m. When he saw that Hiltz and Leibovitz were out there once again, he warned that if he received any telephone complaints about them, he would arrest them.

At 10:30 p.m., Officer Nash responded to a complaint called in by Carolyn Rios who was out in front of the Bonham. Rios and two other witnesses told Nash that Hiltz and Leibovitz were "annoying and embarrassing them while they walked into the club by preaching directly to them."

Rios told Officer Nash that when she asked the duo to leave her alone they only yelled more loudly at her. The police report says that the manager of the Bonham was upset because he felt the two were chasing patrons away from the club. Additionally, the report states that Hiltz and Leibovitz told Rios and others to "go to hell."

Officer Nash writes that when he asked the pair to leave the area they refused. That’s when he arrested them and took them into Police headquarters on South Frio Street. The two were later freed on bail.

Hiltz told QSanAntonio that his and Leibovitz’ actions were in no way connected to the International Bible College -- that they were acting on their own. The police report lists their home address on the same street where the college is located.