TEMECULA -- Redge Peifer doesn't need the sanctified atmosphere of a church to get his message across. A noisy intersection will do just fine.

Peifer has been street preaching on a corner at Margarita and Winchester roads for the past few months, with a guitar in hand. He can barely be heard above the din of the traffic, with motorcycles screaming by and engines idling at the intersection.

But he's OK with that.

With his "Got Jesus?" T-shirt and spray-painted "Jesus" signs dotting the sidewalk, drivers have no problem deciphering what Peifer's all about.

"I do not believe everyone is called to go to a street corner -- it's kind of like the special forces in the army," he said.

Peifer is on this corner, he said, because the Lord told him to go there -- the same reason he gives for coming to Temecula after street preaching in Alabama for the past four years. And, although he sees Temecula as a beautiful city that doesn't have blatant problems with drugs and other subversive elements, there are evil influences lurking under the surface, he said.

"Even though it's a wholesome city, the circulation of drugs can be accessed at almost any level." he said.

Peifer, 58, is from Detroit and has been street preaching full time for 22 years through his Thunder and Lightning Street Ministry, he said. Before that, he frequented nightclubs and partied, he said. After becoming a born-again Christian 35 years ago, he later became an ordained minister. He said his preaching activity is nondenominational and he conducts it in a nonconfrontational manner.

"I let people approach me," Peifer said. "I make sure to sing toward the area where (the cars are stopped)."

He said he came to this area in October and is staying with some friends in Murrieta. He preaches about three to seven hours a day either at the Margarita-Winchester intersection or outside of Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta.

Peifer doesn't solicit funds while he is preaching, but is not averse to receiving gifts, such as the McDonald's gift certificate some young children gave him through a car window recently, he said. He is supported by various Christian ministries that offered without his asking, he said.

At the Margarita-Winchester intersection, the people who typically walk by him on weekday afternoons are students from nearby Chaparral High School. Young people need to know they are loved these days, he said, and he is eager to tell them that Jesus loves them.

"(I try) to help reach young people who may not walk into a church, and need to be there," Peifer said. "They need to understand they're loved whether they're on drugs, victims of abuse, or involved with the occult. There's hope for them and God still loves them and wants to bring them on the right path."

The reaction to him from people driving and walking by is mixed.

Some people in their cars don't even turn their heads to see what he's all about. Others have quizzical looks on their faces. Some drivers honk in support and some passengers yell out the window affirmations such as "We love Jesus" and "God bless you."

"Some people are so excited, it's hard to keep them in their cars, literally," he said.

One driver Wednesday afternoon who identified herself as Rheana said there's not a whole lot of time to listen to Peifer as she drives by, but she believes in Jesus and "it's a great thing he's doing."

Another anonymous driver said Peifer doesn't bother him, "as long as he doesn't get in my way."

The people who have more time to talk to Peifer are those walking by.

Megan Johnson, 15, who was walking from Chaparral High School carrying a guitar on her back, received a hug from Peifer.

"I've seen him before," she said. "I like him."

When young people express interest in receiving Jesus into their lives, Peifer tells them about various churches in the area that he has visited.

He sings secular songs he has adapted with religious lyrics, such as "Sweet Caroline" becoming "Sweet Lord of Mine." He said he also has written more than 100 songs, including one he wrote since being in the Temecula area called, "You Can't See the Wind, but the Wind is Real."

While music is an integral part of his preaching, he rails against the message some young people are exposed to from music such as Marilyn Manson's.

"I'm not against any style of music," he said. "It's the message that's coming across. Is it positive or negative?"

He also does skits such as a routine about monkeys in which he says humans did not evolve from apes.

"You may act like a monkey, but you didn't come from one," is part of this routine.

From what he has seen so far, he said he believes the Temecula-Murrieta area will be at the forefront of a revival movement. He says he is carrying out a biblical prophecy with his street preaching.

"Jesus said before his second coming that certain people would go to the highways and the byways to compel people to turn to Jesus," he said.

With his wavy, yellow hair, he could be mistaken for a hippie, but he said he has never used drugs. He has a college degree from East Michigan University, so he is able to discuss ideas with people "on their level, if necessary," he said.

The corner of Margarita and Winchester is a happening one. On some days, he is on the southeast corner of the intersection, someone with an arrow sign pointing to new homes for sale is on another corner and two people dressed as a French fry and a hamburger touting a nearby restaurant are on yet another corner.

"You have physical food and spiritual food on the same corner," he said.

Not everyone thinks Peifer has chosen the best location.

Brandon Adams, 16, said Peifer would be better off at a different, less noisy place. He said Peifer can be intimidating because he "looks like a hobo."

For his part, Peifer is content to spread his message wherever he gets the calling to do so.

"(Jesus') presence is love and peace and as I sing to the Lord, his presence comes down and touches people," he said.

Contact staff writer Deirdre Newman at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2623, or dnewman@californian.com.