As a doctor, Luke was careful to record the healing and deliverance Jesus brought to others in His day. He showed us many different ways that Jesus ministered healing; I believe there are no formulas that work every time we pray. In short, Luke taught us to refrain from putting God in a box, and instead to expect Him to heal in whatever way He chooses.

On one occasion, Jesus simply said to a man, "Stretch out your hand," and the hand was healed (Luke 6:10, NKJV). In Luke 7, upon the centurion's request to heal his dying servant, Jesus spoke the affirmation, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel" (Luke 7:9), and the slave was healed. In raising the widow's dead son (Luke 7:11-15), Jesus was overcome with compassion and touched the coffin, saying, "Arise," and he did.

In delivering the man possessed with many demons (Luke 8:26-39), Jesus asked, "What is your name?” He answered “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. When Jesus spoke, the demons left the man immediately.

We should follow instructions from Scripture, including anointing with oil, laying on of hands, praying in the name of Jesus, agreeing together, asking boldly that we might receive from Him, and offering the prayer of faith. We do our part acknowledging that Christ's life, death, and resurrection brought to us a new covenant in His blood as He provided atonement for sin, healing and deliverance.

We should expect nothing less than for God to perform the miraculous. Cultural change should never alter our view of Scripture. May we be bold enough to speak healing and deliverance through the power of the Holy Spirit and bring relief to those bound by the enemy and his forces.

I appreciate being part of the Foursquare family, which offers healing, wholeness and deliverance to those in need. Together we walk in faith, releasing hope and wholeness, until all the nations have heard. People are looking for those of us who will stay true to the task, to our calling and to the assignments given to us.

Thank you Dr. Luke for reminding us of the life and ministry of Jesus. May these passages of Scripture draw out of us a fresh commitment to follow Jesus’ example—stepping out in faith and impacting our world with the gospel of Jesus Christ and touching them with the power of the Holy Spirit.

By: Brent Roberson, senior pastor of Sangamon Valley Christian Center, a Foursquare church in Mahomet, Ill.

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

Traders from countries such as India, Malaysia and China intermingle with the Thai population in Mae Sot, giving the town a reputation as one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in Thailand.

How did you end up as a missionary in Thailand, and what do you love about the country and the people?

Mike: I grew up in The Foursquare Church. I am the son of two retired Foursquare pastors, Donald and Sally Arter. I also served for over 12 years in the U.S. military, which prepared me for serving on the mission field, adapting and learning quickly about cultures, and blending in to new environments.

I attended the Foursquare WorldBase Field Ministry School in Bangkok in 2004, and then returned to Bangkok for a semester abroad in 2005. After graduating from Life Pacific College (also called LIFE Bible College) in December 2006, I asked the Lord for just two weeks to say goodbye to my friends and family, and then I moved permanently to serve in Thailand before the start of 2007.

I love the beauty of God’s creation in Thailand. I also love Thai values that promote a deep love and respect for family. Young people are motived to hard work, not because they want a nice house or material wealth, but because they want to support their families.

My heart for Mae Sot is to see spiritual and emotional healing in the young people. The youth in Thailand are searching for love and acceptance in many wrong places, which causes terrible future repercussions in their lives. I long to see young people give their lives to Jesus Christ and experience the power of our one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that the general population of Mae Sot will come to know the Lord through the younger generation.

What are some of the spiritual challenges you encounter in Thailand?

Mike: Thailand is 94.6 percent Buddhist. The Thai people wear amulets around their necks to ward off bad karma, and they rely on many idols and gods to promote their success. They believe that all fortune and misfortune are related to their own good and bad deeds in this life or in a previous life.

Thai people seek merit by giving food to monks and going to temples to offer flowers, money and food. The Thai people live in a spiritual realm where they must bow to idols and ask permission to pass along the street. Being Thai is equated to being Buddhist, and to separate from Buddhism means that one is not a true Thai.

Another challenge comes from the prevalence of sex trafficking. There are many sewing factories here in Mae Sot, and most of the factories employ young women who cross the border into Thailand looking for work. Sex trafficking is a real and significant problem along the border. Many young women cross the border looking for work and are coerced into a van and relocated throughout Thailand to work in sex shops. Many girls, as young as 12 years old, begin prostituting themselves so they can afford fashionable clothes.

What is your primary role and responsibility?

Mike: My primary role is to serve the local Foursquare church. I help disciple and train youth in outreach and evangelism. I will also assist in the teaching at the Bible training center that will open next year.

I currently work in several local schools as an English conversation teacher. Through teaching English in the local school, I am able to learn more about the youth in Mae Sot and understand their struggles and challenges. This helps me connect and bring encouragement to young people and make the love of God more personal when I am given opportunities to pray with them either in school, in the classroom or at our youth center.

Are there short-term missions opportunities or other ways people can partner with what you are doing?

Mike: Short-term missions teams that have come to help build the Elpis refugee school, now teaching over 400 refugees from Myanmar, have blessed us. We need people who are willing to come and teach at the school to improve students’ English-speaking skills. We will need people—either short-term or long-term—to come and teach at the Bible training center, to raise up leaders for evangelism and church planting. We need people who are willing to come and invest in our youth group as well as engage in outreach evangelism in Mae Sot.

Additionally, there are open doors for reaching into the local schools through “English camps.” The camps are two- or three-day events at local schools. Activities include playing games, sharing the love of Jesus, teaching songs and building self-esteem in young children.

There are also opportunities for teams to come and assist in mercy ministry by giving out blankets and other needed items to the hill tribes, as well as praying for the sick.

We also need special funding to cover travel expenses and supplies to our hill tribes. The average cost of travel is between $1,000 and $1,200, which covers fuel cost and supplies to bless the people in the hill tribes, as well as food and shelter for the team. Currently we are only able to visit once or twice per year. There are still many hill tribes that have not yet heard the gospel.

Another way to help is by sponsoring Thai students and future Foursquare leaders who want to attend our Bible training center. The cost is about $60 per month to cover food, utilities and training materials. The sponsors are connected with the students through letters and photos, and become a vital part of their future ministries.

Bee and I would like to thank all of those who have been giving and supporting us through your prayers and your finances. We thank God for each of you, and we believe in the power of prayer. God moves when His people pray!

How to Pray for the Arters

• Pray for their family and for all missionaries serving in Thailand to have strength, health and an anointing in power from the Holy Spirit.
• Pray for resourcing for more teachers at the Elpis refugee school, which is a branch of ministry out of the Foursquare church in Mae Sot.
• Pray for the young people in Mae Sot to open their hearts to receive Jesus Christ and for deliverance from alcohol, drugs and other issues.
• Pray for provision to purchase land to build a youth center.

How You Can Bless the Arters

In addition to donating to the Arters and their ministry efforts, you can send a letter or a note of encouragement, or even a gift on a holiday. To send correspondence to Mike and Bee, email them, or write to them at the following address:

Mike and Bee Arter
P.O. Box 47
Mae Sot, Thailand 63110
Thailand

By: Amy Swanson, a pastor’s wife and director of women’s ministry at New Life Church (Santa Barbara Foursquare Church) in Santa Barbara, Calif.

I am on the other side of youth by a lot of years! Just check out the white hair and the very s-l-o-w walk. Being this old makes it possible for me to have a very long memory, especially about important truths like this one: Jesus Christ is our Healer.

This week, we read Luke 4:31-37, and remember again Jesus’ encounter with the unclean spirit and the possessed man. We see how Jesus responded and brought healing. It wasn’t a performance for Jesus. He simply spoke with authority and power, and the spirit came out of the man. 

Praying for the sick and the possessed does not require showmanship, but it does require one to trust in the Lord and His Word, and staunch obedience to Him.

My memory goes back far enough that I can remember Sister McPherson teaching us the doctrine firsthand: Jesus Christ, the only Savior, Jesus Christ the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ the Great Physician, and Jesus Christ the Soon-Coming King.

I also remember students reciting together the Foursquare Declaration of Faith regarding divine healing:

We believe that divine healing is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to heal the sick and the afflicted in answer to believing prayer; that He who is the same yesterday, and today and forever has never changed but is still an all-sufficient help in the time of trouble, able to meet the needs of, and quicken into newness of life, the body, as well as the soul and spirit, in answer to the faith of them who ever pray with submission to His divine and sovereign will.

—Aimee Semple McPherson from Declaration of Faith

Scriptures that support this doctrinal stance can be found in Mark 16:18 and James 5:14-16, and in both examples the Bible says that God “will” heal. These verses do not say that He “may heal” or that He “can heal.” Further, as we look carefully at the two verses that precede Mark 16:18, we notice that Jesus is speaking directly to those who believe and are baptized (see Mark 16:16-17). That’s you and me!

When He healed the possessed man in Luke 4, Jesus showed us how to pray for results. The account does not imply that Jesus yelled, waived His arms or pounded something. Instead, it says that Jesus spoke with authority, and the man was delivered.

I may not pastor a church or teach in a Bible college any longer, and I know that being young is very important these days. But after all these years, I know for certain that God will heal, if we will pray. God has given us the same authority that Jesus used in Luke 4—the authority to pray in faith, trust His word and believe God will heal.

By: Dorothy Jean Furlong, Foursquare ForeRunner, Bible college professor, evangelist, pastor and teacher

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

Dealing with issues about getting older is an uncomfortable thought for many. But the fact is, deny them or not, the issues don’t go away. Ignoring the realities can prove to be a disastrous miscalculation.

Did you know?

• The average pastor goes through a major life challenge every 36 to 40 months. It may be a health issue, a move, a relational challenge, a financial emergency or something else.
• Fifty-eight percent of Foursquare churches have fewer than 80 people in attendance, and many Foursquare pastors are bi-vocational. That makes it really tough to put bread on the table, let alone think about socking money away for retirement!
• Many pastors look at their retirement plan as a savings account, taking the money out for yet another “emergency,” never allowing the “miracle of compounding interest” to go to work for them.
• It’s difficult for many pastors just to make ends meet, and putting additional money away for retirement seems to be a pipe dream.

If any of the above points have described you, read on! You’ll find the information below very helpful.

Realities of Retirement

My name is Harlyn Matson. I pastor a Foursquare church, am the vice president of Foursquare Financial Solutions (FFS), and had the privilege of being one of the architects of the Foursquare Retirement Plan that began January 1, 2000; currently, I am the chairman.

My dad was in the ministry 41 years. He thought he didn’t need medical insurance, and he hadn’t been sick in more than 30 years.

He died from a heart attack on Christmas Day 1985. He left my mom living in a church parsonage—she received an eviction notice 10 days after he died—and with $100,000 in medical bills, a car for which she owed more than it was worth, and no savings or retirement. (She did have a family who loved her very much and was honored to take care of her until the day she passed on.)

Now you see why I have a passion for pastors and their retirement!

According to a 2012 retirement advisors “Measurably Different” report, recent statistics of those taking part in retirement plans tell us that 87 percent ranked their retirement behind only health insurance; 82 percent admitted they would not be saving if not for their retirement plan; and 56 percent ranked their retirement plan as the primary or only source of their retirement.

At the Foursquare Retirement Plan, what do we consider to be a successful outcome? We consider accumulating the highest attainable 403(b) account balance at retirement a great success.

I’d like to introduce you to a not-so-new spiritual principle: Taking care of your retirement is a stewardship responsibility. God has called you to be a steward of your entire life, not just the working years of your life.

Currently, you are projected to live 20 years beyond the retirement age of 66 (according to Retirement Insights Searching for Certainty/JP Morgan Asset Management/2011). Are you preparing for that today?

Foursquare Can Help You

Here’s the great news. You are not alone. Your Foursquare family is passionate about helping you prepare for retirement.

In fact, since the inception of the Foursquare Retirement Plan in 2000, the denomination has invested over $37 million into its Foursquare pastors and staff retirements through the Foursquare Retirement Plan.

We are not just suggesting you prepare for retirement—we are putting God’s money behind the exhortation! During the worst recession since the Great Depression, there was no cutting back on what has been invested in the Foursquare Retirement Plan by the Foursquare central office.

Here’s the question: Are you taking advantage of what may be the greatest opportunity you will have for building your retirement nest egg?

When you put your money into the Foursquare Retirement Plan, you are investing pretax dollars into a retirement vehicle that will grow tax free and can be taken out tax free as a housing allowance to any licensed Foursquare pastor upon his or her retirement. That’s a win-win-win!

Think of the Foursquare Retirement Plan as a four-legged stool—(1) Foursquare; (2) the church you pastor; (3) our government; and (4) you—all working together to make your retirement years some of your best.

Making Money Work for You

It’s all about leveraging the dollars you currently have to their greatest potential.

When you look at the combined assets of 401(k) and 403(b) plans nationwide, the 62 million participants have a median account balance of $26,900 (according to a report from America’s Commitment to Retirement Security/Investor Attitudes and Actions). The Foursquare Retirement Plan account median is $23,322, but we are only 12 years old! Currently, about 30 percent of eligible participants do not participate in our Foursquare-sponsored retirement plan.

Little changes you make right now can have big effects on your future. For example, let’s look at two hypothetical Foursquare Retirement Plan participants: Pastor Joe and Pastor Josephine.

Joe and Josephine’s profiles are identical: Both are age 25; both earn a $30,000 annual salary; both receive a 4 percent annual salary increase; both plan retirement at age 60; both have an 8 percent average annual 403(b) investment return (6 percent to 50 percent match).

Everything is equal, except that Joe waits three years longer than Josephine before beginning participation in the Foursquare Retirement Plan. The differences at retirement age are dramatic.

At retirement, Josephine has a 47 percent larger account balance ($966,000 to $1.4 million), and her retirement income is 47 percent larger ($87,848 to $129,069). Additionally, her retirement income would be 90 percent of her preretirement income, while Joe’s would be only 61 percent—all because Joe waited three years before participating in the Foursquare Retirement Plan!

The Time to Plan Is Now

Participants in retirement plans often vastly underestimate their cost of living. A measly 3 percent inflation rate erodes buying power by 100 percent over 24 years (according to wisegeek.com/seacoastonline.com).

Sixty-eight percent of retirement plan participants think their savings rate is “too low.” But only 14 percent actually plan to start saving (according to Key Finding: Phases of Retirement Report/Society of Actuaries/2009). Amazingly, 23 percent of Foursquare Retirement Plan participants have 100 percent of their money in our cash equivalent fund, eroding away their nest egg most years (Lincoln Financial/2012).

The Foursquare Retirement Plan is here for you today to prepare you for tomorrow. You have access to one of the best retirement plans in the nonprofit world. It is my prayer that you will partner with us in preparing for your retirement—should the Lord tarry and you find yourself retiring!

For more information, visit the Foursquare Retirement Plan online. If you have any questions, our team is here for you. You can email us, or call us at 888.635.4234. It is our privilege to help you.

By: Harlyn Matson, vice president of Foursquare Financial Solutions and senior pastor of Crossroads Community (Rocklin Foursquare Church) in Rocklin, Calif.

“It’s not about us; it really is about the communities that we live in,” says Pastor Dave.

With room in their church building to spare, Pastor Dave and the Yakima Foursquare Church leadership made the decision to open up their facilities. Through their generosity, God created a home for a local church in need. The impact of this decision could not have been predicted.

And their example should not be lost on us.

“As you challenge your people to give themselves away—as you say to them, ‘You were not just meant to be someone, but you were meant to do something’— you need to be doing that something,” Pastor Dave challenges.

This story of generosity—Accelerate: Giving: What Does God Want to Do With What We Have?—is Part 1 of the Accelerate: Story video series produced by The Foursquare Church.

Watch the full video to learn more about how we as members of the Foursquare family can move past ourselves and accelerate kingdom work.

Pastor Dave’s story and others like it are available on the 2011 Accelerate: Story DVD for $39, as well as in the 2011 Experience Kit for $149.

Reviewed by: Ashley Wolpert Miller, a freelance writer living in Long Beach, Calif.

I was in Major League Baseball for 17 years. I ended my professional management career as vice president/general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001, and entered the business world.

I was first introduced to the Dream Center in 1999. I received a phone call and learned that Pastor Matthew Barnett was a big Dodgers fan, and that he would like to meet me because I was new to L.A. and the Dodgers. I invited him to come take a tour of Dodger Stadium, visit the team clubhouse, stay for a game and sit with me in my general manager’s suite.

Pastor Matthew told me about the Dream Center that day and what he was doing to help others through the love of God, and said I should come visit him there. I did, and was so humbled by the work and how God was changing lives at the Dream Center. I have spent time there every month since then.

Pastor Matthew and Pastor Mike Conner, who oversees the discipleship program, asked me to come and speak (or bring guest speakers) every other Wednesday morning, and I have been doing so for more than 10 years now.

In 2005, Pastor Matthew and Pastor Tommy Barnett asked me to be a part of the Dream Center Foundation board. The Foundation board and discipleship involvement led to the full-time opportunity for me to serve the Lord at the Dream Center.

My title is Capital Campaign Director. The position includes bringing awareness of how God is working at the Dream Center, donor development and, primarily, helping to raise financial support to complete the build-out of five floors, which will enable us to help hundreds more hurting people.

I am committed to the discipleship program, as well. It is a focus of mine to provide encouragement, wise counsel and whatever help possible to the men and women in the program. I spend some time with at-risk teens, and also with the Under the Bridge ministry. Under the Bridge is an outreach that serves 1,500 hot meals every week to the homeless population of Skid Row and surrounding areas.

I love international missions and taking the gospel to the lost all over the world. I am involved in several ministries, including Score International, which is a sports ministry in the Dominican Republic. I love Israel and the Jewish people, and am on the board of a ministry called Hope for Israel; we serve those in need in Israel. Close to my heart is helping to fight human trafficking, with a focus on helping to prevent it and restore kids who have been trafficked. Human trafficking is happening here at home in the U.S., not just in Third World countries.

Bottom line: I am, by the Grace of God, attempting to show His love to people in whatever way that I possibly can. I have been married for more than 28 years to a godly lady named Marilyn, and we have two children: a 24-year-old daughter, Shannon, and a 21-year-old son, Shawn.

I love seeing people come to a personal faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Putting Jesus on display, and showing His majesty and glory, motivates me each and every day.

To hear life-changing testimonies of people from the Dream Center and to be fed the Word of God at Angelus Temple is encouraging, challenging and inspiring. Angelus Temple is a blessing, because I see so many in the congregation who have experienced true life-changing transformations by the grace of God.

In today’s economy we see so much failure, collapse, hurt, pain and disillusionment. We see churches shrinking, we see longer prayer lines and, what’s worse, we see many people leaving those prayer lines the same way they came.

It’s easy to let our environment affect our ability to see what God wants to do.

The Spirit of God is calling us to connect with Him on a deeply spiritual level. He calls us to renew our ability to see with the sight of the Spirit and not with physical eyes, physical eyes that can be tainted and moved by what they see.

In Mark 10, we read of a blind man named Bartimaeus, who was hanging out by the side of the road. I believe he was waiting on Jesus. The Bible doesn’t say that, but his actions show that he knew who Jesus was and where to find Him.

The closer Jesus got to Bartimaeus, the louder Bartimaeus yelled, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48, NKJV).

When Jesus responded to him, Bartimaeus jumped up, threw off his cloak and went to Him. Bartimaeus clearly couldn’t physically see Jesus. He was drawn to the voice of God and did not allow his circumstances to keep him from seeing fully.

Then, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Boldly he said, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” To which Jesus responded, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” The text then states, “And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

I think Bartimaeus saw better than most!

What could the Holy Spirit be trying to show us in this brief story? Like Bartimaeus, we must begin to cultivate an eye that is lined up with the spiritual and not with the flesh.

There is something significant about truly acknowledging and moving in a daily partnership with God, who dwells inside us. The same Spirit that split seas, consumed an altar drenched in water, brought down mighty walls, healed multitudes and raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us!

Like Bartimaeus, this world is waiting to see the sons of God reveal that which is of God. The focus is not on the miracles, but on whether or not we as His vessels are seeing and portraying that which He is revealing in the Spirit. 

These are the eyes that see mountains moved, the lame walk and the unloved loved.

My encouragement and prayer for our Foursquare churches and beyond is that we will experience God’s resurrecting power, and that we will bring His healing to the lives of our ministers and our congregations.

By: Joe Harrison II, Director of Student Ministry at Connect4Life Foursquare Church in Waxahachie, Texas

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

As you prepare to bring your team to Connection 2012, we’ve got a few last-minute reminders for you. There are a lot of exciting new events and opportunities this year—you don’t want to miss out!

Network With Other Leaders

Senior pastors and key leaders will have the chance to connect with other Foursquare pastors from around the country during special Learning and Connection Tracks. This focused time of networking and conversation will be a good chance to learn from one another. Leaders will be placed into groups based on church size to foster discussion and practical idea sharing.

Get Social

Share your Connection experience by posting to Twitter with the hashtag #connection12, or by checking out the Foursquare Facebook fan page. You can also check out photos during and after Foursquare Connection 2012 on foursquare.org.

Session for Worship Leaders

There’s a special track for worship leaders this year with the opportunity to submit a song for feedback from the group (deadline is May 15). Special guest Matt Redman will also share with Foursquare worship leaders and answer questions. Get info on how to submit your tune upon registration for the workshop.

How to Volunteer

You can still volunteer and be a part of the team that makes Connection happen. Not only will attendees appreciate your help, but volunteers have the opportunity to get their registration fees waived. Sign up online to join our volunteer team.

Administrative Track

This year’s administrative track will offer parallel sessions for executive pastors and church administrators. Topics covered will include delegation, conflict and social media.

Local Phoenix Residents

Phoenix area residents are welcome to show up on site to attend the Connection evening sessions at no charge. You’ll need a valid ID, and you can check in at the guest services desk in the North Building, 300 level of the Phoenix Convention Center, at the registration area.

The Future of Foursquare

Gateway District Supervisor Sam Rockwell and Life Pacific College Adjunct Professor David Moore will lead a learning track discussing the past, present and future of The Foursquare Church along with other Foursquare leaders and scholars. It’s an opportunity to address the question of how we preserve our uniqueness and identity in the face of the changing landscape of global Christianity.

Connection Center

With great food, ample seating and live music, the all-new Connection Center is the place to be. You can also check out the resource marketplace and play a game of ping pong. It’s the ideal spot to connect with new friends, reconnect with old ones, and maybe even win one of the special prize giveaways. And yes, it’s even open after each evening session.

Support Our Sponsors

While you’re at the Connection Center, be sure to check out our sponsors, including Life Pacific College, Foursquare Financial Solutions, The King’s University, Israel Ministry of Tourism, Oodles World LLC, Operation Solid Lives—Intense Discipleship Program, Foursquare Ignite and Operation Christmas Child.

Mentoring Young Leaders

Special evening sessions have been scheduled outside the general session times for young leaders ages 18-35. Highly respected Foursquare ministers will share their hearts and pour into emerging leaders. A question-and-answer session will follow, encouraging growth and mutual learning for everyone involved.

Programs for Kids and Youth

With an increased number of younger Foursquare leaders attending this year, Connection is now offering programs for kids and young people ages 15 months through 18 years. This special NextGen Connections Program is an option for parents who pre-register their children at $30 per child—a great deal for an entire week of spiritual nourishment and inspiritation. This isn’t babysitting; kids and students can look forward to special programs that will challenge and inspire.

Reaching the Next Generation

NextGen leaders will examine why the next generation is leaving the church, with author David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group. Then breakout discussions will be organized for ministry leaders based on church size.

Business and Bylaws

Don’t forget about the business agenda for Connection. Read up on the proposed bylaw amendments and the Cabinet 2012 discussions so you’re ready to vote. 

Can’t Make It?

If you can’t make it to Connection 2012, you can always watch online. Get the schedule here.

Need More Info?

Visit the Foursquare Connection 2012 website to register and get more details.

By: Kevin D. Hendricks, a freelance writer in St. Paul, Minn.

The 20th century revolutionized entertainment. World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and technological innovation all served as catalysts in the entertainment evolution. With war and hardship came the desire to find something to appreciate, to escape to or get lost in.

Storytelling is, of course, one of humanity’s great loves, and with advances in transportation, communication and media (thanks in large part to the earlier Industrial Revolution), “story” through venues such as music, radio and film had its own cultural petri dish.

One woman who knew well the power of story and entertainment was Foursquare’s founder, Aimee Semple McPherson. Fiercely passionate about the gospel message, Sister Aimee used dramatic productions, radio and many profound gifts to draw people in, captivating audiences—reportedly drawing “bigger crowds than those of P. T. Barnum, Harry Houdini, or Teddy Roosevelt,” as noted on pbs.org.

Sister Aimee settled in Los Angeles in 1921 and, by 1923, had constructed Angelus Temple in historic Echo Park, an area called home by several entertainment studios in the decades prior. Today, The Foursquare Church is still reaching into the entertainment world and shining a light for Christ. Recently, we were fortunate enough to catch up with three people who are using their talents in entertainment.

Taking Aimee to the Stage

Known by millions for her work as a talk show host, Kathie Lee Gifford has been working long and hard on a project particularly close to her heart about a woman likewise close to ours. Unbeknown to some, Kathie Lee has been a long-time admirer of Sister Aimee. It was while attending Oral Roberts University in the 1970s that she first heard of the famed evangelist’s work.

“I remember being amazed by the stories I’d heard about her, and that turned into a lifetime fascination,” Kathie Lee tells Foursquare.org in an exclusive interview.

This lifetime passion propelled Kathie Lee to dedicate the past 10 years to a project she considers a part of her life’s purpose. Saving Aimee, for which Kathie Lee wrote the book, the lyrics and some of the music, is a musical about the life of iconic Hollywood evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.

“I hope every person will realize that God has a purpose for them,” says Kathie Lee when asked about her hope for the musical, “that He loves them with an unfailing love and will strengthen them for the purpose He has given them.”

Her hope seems to transcend entertainment accolade, reaching to inspire others with a message that was formative for Kathie Lee and that, perhaps, will also be for many others.

Movies and Music

Amick Byram, two-time Grammy nominee and himself an Oral Roberts University alumnus, works, he says, to “[bring] authenticity to projects that are attempting to have God’s imprint on them,” valuing that as one way Christians can have influence in show business.

Fans may recognize Amick as the singing voice of Moses in The Prince of Egypt (DreamWorks), and thousands have seen him in one of his many Broadway or L.A. theatre performances of Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables or Sunset Boulevard, to name a few. The son of a minister, Amick gave his life to Christ as a child in his father’s church office, and from early childhood dreamt of working in entertainment.

“It was the only thing I could picture myself doing for a career,” Amick recalls. “I have to believe that God was in charge of that.”

After graduating from college, Amick made his way to Los Angeles to pursue his longtime career aspirations, utilizing his musical training to land work as a session singer, then a professional actor. He has been a part of many musical productions, albums and more—and has dedicated much time to communicating biblical stories and ideas through his work. A member of The Church On The Way (Van Nuys Foursquare Church) in California for over two decades, Amick is passionate about his church community and about representing the gospel message authentically.

Television and Comedy

Dan Rupple, an associate pastor at The Bridge (Rancho Santa Margarita South Foursquare Church) in California, has a heart for people and is leading the charge in creatively using comedy to communicate positive truths. With 35 years of experience—including 10 years as supervising producer for The Price Is Right—Dan has long been working bi-vocationally as a ministry and entertainment leader, and believes in the power of humor and story.

Though a founding member of the formative sketch comedy group Isaac Air Freight, Dan often finds himself behind the scenes. And whether it’s teaching, training or mentoring members of his staff or congregation, he works diligently to remain on the cusp of cultural trends while studying the currents of the past. Capitalizing on his gifts in leadership and comedy, he pours into the local and global audience reached by his work.

His current venture, Seriously Funny Entertainment, is championing faith-based comedy in the digital age with a goal, Dan says, to “encourage, uplift and celebrate our God-given innate value.” He is passionate about knowing culture and using his time, talent and resources to lead others into deeper relationship with God.

Entertainment has changed dramatically in recent years, but one thing is certain: It is sure to remain. Though its evolutions may be difficult to predict, there are Foursquare leaders, pastors, members and friends who are challenging and contributing to the current industry—and the stories are sure to continue coming.

By: Ashley Wolpert Miller, a freelance writer living in Long Beach, Calif., who has served internationally as a writer and English educator

Rev. Eileen M. Fehlen
Deceased: February 28, 2012

Last appointment: assisting minister, Northwest District

Rev. Helen L. Harvey
Deceased: April 20, 2012

Last appointment: retired, Heartland District

Rev. Glinda M. Lee
Deceased: February 27, 2012

Last appointment: retired, Greater Los Angeles District

Rev. Glenn B. Long
Deceased: March 27, 2012

Last appointment: assisting minister, Central Pacific District

Rev. Luther Smith
Deceased: April 13, 2012

Last appointment: assisting minister, Southeast District

Rev. Arlene R. Ziegler
Deceased: April 2, 2012

Last appointment: retired, North Pacific District

If a Foursquare credentialed minister in your life has passed away and you are looking to notify the central office, please contact us by email.

At least a quarter of the world’s 2 billion Christians are Pentecostals—those who embrace a “baptism” in the Holy Spirit and believe the gifts of 1 Cor. 12:4-11 are valid and active today. According to a survey by The Barna Group, 36 percent of Americans, or about 80 million adults, claim this spiritual experience.

In The Foursquare Church, the power of the outpoured Holy Spirit is the very foundation of our heritage. For part three of our “Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit” series, we spoke with Foursquare pastors and ministry leaders about what it means for the Holy Spirit to move freely in our churches today—and how we can keep that fire burning as we move together into the future.

While their ways of introducing and pastoring the work of the Spirit vary, they agree on one thing: We must be about reclaiming the importance, gifts, power and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our churches.

Introducing the Holy Spirit

In Portland, Ore., Senior Pastor A.J. Swoboda of Theophilus Church (Hawthorne Foursquare Church) leads a congregation of about 150 to 200, most of them from the city’s alternative culture. Many come from unchurched backgrounds and know nothing about the Holy Spirit. A.J. preaches often about the Trinity as a way to introduce them to the Spirit and honor His equality with the Father and the Son.

“In the U.S. church, the Holy Spirit … is like the Cinderella of the Trinity, relegated to being third,” A.J. explains. “But the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is as important as the role of the Father and the Son.”

A.J. makes room for God to work through the gifts of the Spirit in his congregation, but he also accentuates practical forms of service—such as loving and serving people—to teach the value of other expressions of the Spirit.

Teaching as a vital introduction to the Holy Spirit is also an approach favored by John and Sonja Decker, ordained Foursquare ministers, teachers and missionary evangelists. They have had good success with this in their ministry, Christ’s Ambassadors International, which provides ministry training and Spirit-led small-group training.

The Deckers have served in two Foursquare churches for 31 years where the philosophy of both churches is to be visitor-friendly—use of the gifts of the Spirit is not encouraged in the weekend services. The Deckers have successfully trained hundreds within Foursquare how to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in that type of church context. They participate in a once-a-month Holy Spirit service at their home church, during which use of the gifts is encouraged.

“We are still growing in this area,” Sonja tells Foursquare.org, “but it is exciting to see how the church is maturing in the corporate expressions of the gifts.”

John believes being “Holy Spirit sensitive” during corporate gatherings is important, but acknowledges that “it is totally up to senior leadership to allow or disallow the release of the supernatural gifts whenever we gather.”

Practicing Safeguards

For any church or ministry leader, the potential for spiritual gifts to be wrongly used in corporate settings is a valid concern today, just as it was when the apostle Paul penned his first letter to the Corinthians with detailed instructions on the their use. What safeguards, then, should be weighed when introducing the gifts into a congregation?

Doretha O’Quinn, vice provost of multiethnic and cross-cultural engagement at Biola University and assisting minister at Faith Community (San Diego Foursquare Church) in San Diego, Calif., believes the gifts of the Spirit shouldn’t be taught in a quick course. People should be able to practice their spiritual gifts, she believes, but church leaders also should test and affirm what they see.

“Teaching what the gifts are not, when to live them out, what they are for and why they are given is essential,” she says, while noting the fallout she’s seen from the improper use of the gifts: “Over the years, there have been so many confusing layers to the operation of the gifts of the Spirit that it has pushed many away even from their relationship with Jesus.”

Senior Pastor Christopher Manginelli of Mill Creek Foursquare Church in Lynnwood, Wash., similarly notes that “many believers are skittish about the gifts due to previous experiences that they deem as scary, inappropriate, religious or sensational.” As a pastor, he advocates listening to people and trying to understand why they feel as they do about expressions of the Spirit.

It’s one thing to introduce the gifts of the Spirit into a church; it’s entirely another challenge to grow a church in which the use of the supernatural gifts can occur openly in main services.

Sonja Decker notes that a church in which the supernatural gifts are frequently and openly manifested in main services may actually be too much for visitors to handle. She offers a viable alternative: “A ministry training institute that teaches Christians how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit without being weird is the best way we have found,” she says.

Senior Pastor Steve Schell of Northwest Church (Federal Way Foursquare Church) in Federal Way, Wash., says pastors must determine for themselves why the work of the Holy Spirit in a corporate setting is important, then explore practical ways to allow for the spiritual gifts so that they help the church grow without being an obstacle. He advises several ways to accomplish this, such as pastoring the gifts, scheduling different types of services, raising your own leaders, confronting problems when they arise and allowing for honest mistakes.

In the end, the obvious cannot be overlooked: Why is the supernatural presence of the Spirit needed? South Pacific Area Missionary Jerry Stott makes the answer clear: “It was for power. He was given to us so we would go out—and make an impact.”

Jerry, who oversees 22,000 churches in 12 countries, says not allowing the deeper work of the Holy Spirit in our churches benefits no one.

“Eventually we will lose all if we do not allow the Holy Spirit in our churches,” he asserts. “People respond to what breaks the strongholds on their lives.”

You are reading Part 3 of a three-part series.

Read Part 1: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Up Close and Personal

Read Part 2: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: In Friendships and Groups

By: Jimmy Stewart, a freelance writer living in the Orlando, Fla., area

Churches

Church Openings — 5
 

• Mission City (San Fernando Foursquare Church), pastored by Tony Reyes in San Fernando, Calif. (Pacific Coast and Valleys District)
• Monte Horeb (Lakewood Hispanic North Foursquare Church), pastored by Tito Silva in Lakewood, Colo. (Gateway District)
• Orlando, FL Northwest Hispanic, pastored by Jose Encarnacion in Ocoee, Fla. (Southeast District)
• Pittsburgh Foursquare Church, pastored by Erik Germesin in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mid-Atlantic District)
• Spread God’s Word (San Francisco Indonesian Word Foursquare Church), pastored by Otto Hutapea in San Francisco, Calif. (Central Pacific District)

Church Closings (Permanent*) — 14**
 

• Anngrah Fellowship (Cypress Hindi Foursquare Church) in Artesia, Calif. (Greater Los Angeles District)
• Destiny Chapel (El Dorado Foursquare Church) in El Dorado, Kan. (Gateway District)
• Eglise Bethel Vallee de Benediction (Orlando Blessing Foursquare Church) in Orlando, Fla. (Southeast District)
• Faith Harvest (Clermont Foursquare Church) in Clermont, Fla. (Southeast District)
• Grace Chapel (Anderson Foursquare Church) in Anderson, Ind. (Heartland District)
• Iglesia Cristiana Filadelfia (Torrance North Hispanic Foursquare Church) in Torrance, Calif.
• Iglesia Misionera Jesucristo Senor (Whittier Hispanic Foursquare Church) in Fontana, Calif. (Southwest District)
• Jesus’ House of Prayer (Joshua Tree Foursquare Church) in Joshua Tree, Calif.  (Southwest District)
• Light of Life Ministry (Macungie Foursquare Simple Church Network) in Macungie, Pa. (Mid-Atlantic District)
• Lighthouse of San Fernando (San Fernando Lighthouse Foursquare Church) in San Fernando, Calif. (Pacific Coast and Valleys District)
• Lluvias de Gracia (Taos Hispanic Foursquare Church) in Taos, N.M. (MidSouth District)
• New Hope Tapestry (Los Angeles North Foursquare Church) in Los Angeles (Greater Los Angeles District)
• Onestep Family Chapel (Park La Brea Korean Foursquare Church) in Los Angeles (Greater Los Angeles District)
• Valley House of Praise (Temecula Foursquare Church) in Murrieta, Calif. (Southwest District)
   

Total U.S. Foursquare Churches — 1,728
Total Attendance at U.S. Foursquare Churches — 249,062
 

Pastors

Senior Pastoral Appointments to Established Foursquare Churches — 6
 

• Kent Higa to New Hope Christian Fellowship Hamakua (Hamakua Foursquare Church) in Papaikou, Hawaii (Hawaii District)
• Billy Holden to Concord Community Church (Lafayette Foursquare Church) in Lafayette, Ind. (Heartland District)
• Robert Key to The Gathering Place (Folsom Foursquare Church) in Folsom, Calif. (Central Pacific District)
• Carlos Medina to Friends in Fellowship (Bloomington Foursquare Church) in Bloomington, Calif. (Southwest District)
• Shawn Roberts to The Father’s House (Granite Falls Foursquare Church) in Granite Falls, Wash. (Northwest District)
• James Van Dyke to Sunnyside Foursquare Church in Clackamas, Ore. (North Pacific District)

Credentialed Minister Retirements — 8
 

• Warren Anderson in Petersburg, Ill. (Heartland District)
• Dan Larson in Buckeye, Ariz. (Central Pacific District)
• Les Mortenson in Springfield, Ore. (North Pacific District)
• Sharyn Mortenson in Springfield, Ore. (North Pacific District)
• Janene Prudler in Quemado, N.M. (MidSouth District)
• Robert Prudler in Quemado, N.M. (MidSouth District)
• Richard Trees in Absarokee, Mont. (Great Northern District)
• Fred Wymore in Chico, Calif. (Central Pacific District)

Total Credentialed/Licensed Ministers — 6,768
 

* Closings: Churches are permanently closed when assets are sold or transferred.
**Temporary Closings: Two churches were temporarily closed during the month of April.

I love good news! What is more enjoyable than hearing a report or reading about something that makes you rejoice and causes your heart to leap? I love conversations that begin with the words, “Wow, I’ve got some good news.” I love the kind of news that makes me want to celebrate and laugh.

I love the Good News. The Gospel of Mark, likely the first of the Synoptic Gospels to be written, introduces the Galilean ministry of Jesus with these words: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ " (Mark 1:14-15, NIV).

Remarkably, after Jesus selected His disciples, this gospel of the kingdom, or good news, was modeled for all to see: A demon was cast out, Peter’s mother-in-law was healed—many others were healed, and many demons were cast out in the evening. Demons were cast out as Jesus preached in Galilee, and Jesus also cleansed a leper.

The second chapter of Mark begins with the healing of the paralytic, and so it continues in the ministry of Jesus, continues through the gospel narratives, and so it was experienced in the ministry of His disciples and apostles.

It’s striking that the gospel of the kingdom, as preached by Jesus at the defining moments of His earthly ministry, is less doctrine, theology and apologetics, and more works that are transformational: healing, deliverance and miraculous encounters with the living God.

And while Jesus taught in Mark 1 and would teach, proclaim and cause the scholars of His and our day to marvel, His sermons took place within the context of the supernatural. Clearly, there were many, many people who encountered Jesus as He ministered in word and deed, and would tell others after this encounter, “Wow, I’ve got some good news!”

The Foursquare Church was birthed not only with a theological commitment to the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the attending gifts and healing as an ongoing work of God; but also we were birthed out of the very supernatural acts of God that were transformational—healings, deliverances, signs and wonders. 

We have preached and continue to preach the gospel of the kingdom, and have expected and should continue to expect that the evidence of the presence of the kingdom attends our ministries.

This is who we are.

There are generations rising today that desire an authentic Christianity. What might be more authentic than people being healed, demons being cast out, the dead being raised, people being saved and our communities responding to this really, really Good News?

By: Jim Scott, vice president of global operations and director of Foursquare Missions International

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

Israel’s history is full of promises, failures, contradictions, war, antagonism, conflicts, global scorn and so on. When you read about the centuries of conquering forces that have destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, and rebuilt their city and country, it makes it a bit more tolerable to understand their very passionate nationalism. And while the Jewish people’s confidence in Scripture has given them a deep conviction of a spiritual destiny, their spiritual history is filled with compromise or passive behavior by their leaders. In many of these instances, God intervened, and Israel was restored.

Similarly, much of what we read today about the spiritual condition of the church declares that we are in a post-Christian era in the West. The very institution of the church seems to be up for grabs on many fronts, especially in Europe and North America. The reality is that if the church does not wake up and realize that its voice (influence) is being marginalized, threatened and in some cases silenced, then we will one day discover we have become irrelevant to the world around us.

My belief is we must find ourselves at work in the vortex of life in our communities and that the church should be looked to as a leading voice in the midst of crisis and moral dilemmas. It is vital that we add irreplaceable value to the lives of others and our light “so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16, NKJV).

The Foursquare Church, which began as a local church in 1923, has become a worldwide movement. The early days of our family’s history began in the pinnacle of revival. While we don’t yearn to go back, we must contend for a future that is filled with more than just strategies and plans. I humbly submit to you that we must contend for God’s power and presence more than we contend for growth. I believe that fruitfulness is a byproduct of our willingness to submit fully and freely to His plans for our church family!

Acts 18:9 records that the Lord visited the apostle Paul in a dream. God spoke these words to him: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent” (NIV). It is those words that challenge us during these important days to not allow the circumstances of this season to silence our voice. We must “Speak” and “Reclaim Our Voice.” It must not go silent. Too many people are depending on us to step up and lead! There are precious lives bound with hopelessness and fear. Unlimited opportunities are before us—and God’s answer is and has always been His church!

Last year I shared with the cabinet the Five Targets around which we were going to focus our time, energy and resources. This missional framework of (1) Leaders, (2) Churches, (3) Nations, (4) People Groups and (5) Resources framed the beginning of a larger conversation about the need for a simple set of overall objectives for our denomination. I want to share with you how I see those targets fitting into the larger context of the multilayered organization we call The Foursquare Church—which comprises our National Church Office (NCO), district offices, local churches and credentialed ministers.

I realize there is confusion at times even with the term, “The Foursquare Church.” It is important to continue to dialogue so that there is clarity about this conversation. This article is an attempt to aid in that dialogue. We are well on our way to adequately addressing the distinct roles of NCO, district offices, local churches and credentialed ministers. This article deals primarily with the national and district roles in the pursuit of our mission.

When you think of the human body, you see the genius of our God, who integrated the body, mind and spirit. When the body functions in a holistic way, the synergy created provides enormous momentum. When there is conflict, ill health or misalignment, however, maximum effectiveness will be lacking. In fact, if we are not healthy at every level we will face significant obstacles to fulfilling the Lord’s Great Commission. I believe we are at a point of convergence due to great wisdom we have gained from significant leaders, learned experiences from past successes and failures, and the continued influence and insights of the Holy Spirit (being revealed through prayer and prophecy).

I’m convinced we are regaining a renewed sense of identity and focus. We still have work to do; but simply put, I believe that The Foursquare Church is a Movement (of leaders and churches) with a Message (Jesus is our Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and Soon-Coming King) that is on a Mission (to make disciples of all nations). We are not reinventing our movement as much as we are rediscovering it—though we should not be afraid to radically rethink how we approach fulfilling the call God placed on us. It combines for a future filled with new possibilities!

When I was asked to step in as interim president in 2009, I outlined for the board of directors a fairly straight-forward, three-step approach to our journey together. It continues to frame the way I think about our life together. Here is the larger framework that encompasses the five targets:

1. Spiritual Vitality
2. Organizational Health
3. Missional Effectiveness

SPIRITUAL VITALITY. It is critical to the success of our movement that we declare our absolute dependency on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. From Joel’s prophetic words to the birth of the early church in Jerusalem, we have a clear precedent that the full release of God’s plan comes when men and women yield to the work of the Spirit. We have committed ourselves to:

1. A prayer culture: Our Monday morning Foursquare Leader Prayer emails call our movement to prayer each week. We have enlisted specific calls to prayer and fasting for cabinet, convention and in the life of our church! We have launched a prayer strategy leading up to our Global Summit, engaging our global family in prayer.
2. A season in the Word: During my first year, we challenged our movement to read through the book of Acts daily. We bolstered that with devotions and study materials surrounding the birth and establishment of the early church. This year, we are connecting through the Gospels, revisiting the powerful and incarnational life of Jesus Christ. Next year, we will challenge our global church to engage in the Life Journal reading plan. Many leaders are already involved. It gives us an opportunity to challenge leaders to share their journals with other leaders, engaging in a mentoring culture. I believe this could revolutionize our movement and, in turn, our world.
3. An invitation to the work of the Holy Spirit: From cabinet to board meetings to our Connection events to our staff chapels at the central office to our global meetings, we are inviting the freshly anointed visitation of the Spirit in our midst! We invite a prophetic overtone and a high priority of sensing and yielding to God’s presence among us.

ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH. When heading into Connection 2010 in Atlanta, our board of directors made an important decision to be transparent about the realities of both our financial history and our current financial overview. That decision has marked the beginning of an authentic journey that engages our movement by being open with information concerning the life of our church.

I’m convinced that you can get the spiritual vitality right, but if the health of an organization is dysfunctional—if an organization does not engage its members with clear and concise information, does not have a clear sense of identity and mission, and does not intentionally create a climate of empowerment and enfranchisement—then you will not have the strength of the unity that emerges when you lead with health. We don’t have it down fully yet, but we are trending in the right directions. I believe there are three very powerful cultures that you have to intentionally create to advance:

1. Assessment: You must be willing to look at the uncensored realities of the world that you are responsible for. This is an important “dashboard,” if you will, that gives you a concise appraisal of the arenas that are under your watch. Whether they’re financial, spiritual, administrative and so on, they all have to be continually monitored to assure that you are on target with mission. It also allows you to make midcourse corrections that will significantly improve the way you serve.
2. Alignment: Just as the body functions at maximum efficiency when it is aligned, so does an organization. When we are interdependent, rather than independent or dependent, our effectiveness is multiplied. As you audit internal processes, you discover unintentional silos and breakdowns of communication and process. We must continue to streamline, coordinate, communicate, minimize redundancies, clarify, etc.
3. Accountability: I have a strong conviction that there should be accountability at every level in our organization. It is biblical and healthy, and it contributes to a culture of trust, safety and success.

MISSIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: We have sounded a clarion call back to the primary mission of the church. In doing so, we have identified Five Targets that reflect the DNA of The Foursquare Church from its inception. I can’t emphasize enough that our primary missional effectiveness will be the result of what happens locally, not nationally. The partnership at the district and national levels is critical for coordination and resourcing, but “where the rubber meets the road” is at the local church level. Leaders are discipled, churches are planted, nations are reached and people groups are embraced and released through the local church.  NCO and Foursquare Missions International (FMI) will be sharing strategies, partnerships and “next steps.” It is vital that we get this critical balance right—between the central office, district offices and local churches.

Our missional framework comprises:

1. Leaders: Our founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, immediately established the Echo Park Evangelistic and Missionary Training Institute. That institute morphed into L.I.F.E. (Lighthouse Institute of Foursquare Evangelism). The high value of developing a culture of mentoring and discipleship was infused into the DNA of Angelus Temple from the beginning. Through the years, we have drifted from the intentionality of this target and value. It is important that we find our way back to prioritize this as a main target of our missional efforts and contend for healthy, reproducing leaders.
2. Churches: Our movement exploded because its leader was unafraid to multiply and release leaders to plant churches nationally and internationally. We want to return to our roots and become a church planting movement once more. We want every healthy church to see itself as a resource center that is unafraid to multiply.
3. Nations: Our founding church sent leaders around the world. The goal was indigenizing nations. Through the Four-Stage Development Model, we have seen that dream become a reality. The U.S. Foursquare Church pioneered the work around the world. We then became its supervisor, evolved to help facilitate it, and now find ourselves at an important crossroads to redefine our partnerships at a global level. Twenty-one nations now send missionaries around the world, including here to the United States. What an amazing opportunity there is before us! The Four-Stage Development Model is also a good model to use to evaluate our local churches: Stage 1 (Initiate – Evangelize – Reproduce Disciples), Stage 2 (Nurture – Strengthen – Reproduce Leaders), Stage 3 (Expand – Multiply – Reproduce Congregations), Stage 4 (Send – Extend – Reproduce Missionary Sending Churches).
4. People Groups: The prophet Joel said a day was coming when multiple generations would minister together, when both genders would be celebrated for their ministry gifts and call, and when people from all nations would help lead in kingdom expansion. We want to intentionally accelerate and facilitate this work of the Spirit.
5. Resources: In every arena—from administration to structure to finance—it’s our commitment to help align our resources to the primary mission of the church. It’s an exciting day to evaluate, deliberate and decide together how we can best resource our mission.

Practical Ways The Foursquare Church Is Resourcing Our Mission

• Connection 2012 “Speak—Reclaim Your Voice” will be held in Phoenix, May 28-31. Our theme this year is designed for strengthening your ministry, calling and vision. If you haven’t yet registered, please make this time together a priority on your busy calendar.
• Immediately following Connection 2012 is the Global Summit. For the first time in 25 years, leaders from more than 60 nations will come together to establish a global eldering community, build a global strategy, refine our global infrastructure and help resource every nation to send workers to bring the Good News of Christ to the world. Please pray for us as we come together in June; visit www.4sq.ca/globalprayer to learn more.
• At last year’s Connection, we took a $1 million FMI faith-pledge offering. Less than half the funds have come in with just three months left in the pledge (around $425,000 had been received as of March 31). Please—if you haven’t already—follow through with your commitment so that FMI can resource the works around the world that they intend to aid with this money.
• In our ongoing efforts to be transparent, we have posted updates and information from the Foursquare cabinet meetings, which took place in March. Please take time to review the information posted so you will be prepared to vote during Connection 2012 on important Foursquare matters. Visit 4sq.ca/cabinet2012.
• The brand-new Daily Acts devotional is a compilation of last year’s weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer emails. It is a tremendous resource that now includes study questions. It is great for local church use, and it’s available for your digital reader or in print. Bulk print orders are also available. Visit www.foursquare.org/dailyacts for more information.
• The completely redesigned issue of Foursquare Leader that recently mailed is the result of feedback from our local leaders. We hope you will enjoy reading through it quarterly for insight and inspiration, and to stay up to date on the life of The Foursquare Church.

We have enormous challenges before us. But we also have unprecedented opportunity. With the Lord’s help, we will continue to see the reformation of our movement into a formidable force that will assault the gates of hell, tear them down, and advance the kingdom of God through an unparalleled season of fruitfulness and expansion.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we contend together for the 2 billion souls who have yet to hear the gospel! It is possible to see the Great Commission fulfilled in our lifetime. And then, the end will come!

By: Glenn Burris Jr., president of The Foursquare Church

The ceremony took place aboard a replicated 19th-century slaving ship, one of the vessels used in the 2006 film Amazing Grace. Liz is also a vocalist and had just completed a duet when London Mayor Ken Livingstone, a left-leaning politician who considered himself a socialist, came over to shake her hand.

As he offered his right hand and she stretched out hers in response, Liz was lost for words as she sensed the power of God surging through her right hand. Livingstone suddenly began to weep. He stepped away, then returned and took her hand again.

This time, he began to sob while sharing that he was heartbroken over the suffering caused by England’s historic slave trade. When she heard these words, Liz knew the Holy Spirit had touched the mayor and that she was hearing God’s heart.

Over time, Livingstone remained resolute—he later broke down in tears during a public memorial service as he apologized for London’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and the tainted financial gain it brought the city.

The word of knowledge and the prophecy in prayer that prepared Liz before she went to England are examples of how the gifts of the Holy Spirit can work through yielded believers and lead ultimately to transformation in the lives of others. In this second part of our three-part series on “Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” we asked Foursquare leaders to describe ways in which they see the gifts working in the lives of others, such as one-on-one encounters like Liz experienced, in small-group settings or through friendships.

Small Groups: Freedom of Expression

Doretha O’Quinn, vice provost of multiethnic and cross-cultural engagement at Biola University and assisting minister at Faith Community (San Diego Foursquare Church) in San Diego, Calif., has seen God perform miracles and answer numerous prayers for people through expressions of the gifts in small groups.

“I have seen divine healing take place,” she tells Foursquare.org. “I have seen interpretation of tongues, as well as given interpretation of tongues in the lives of others. I have observed, multiple times, words of wisdom, faith, knowledge [for] choices in marriage, jobs, colleges, home purchases and so on.

“So many of these experiences were met with confirmations once the decisions were made,” Doretha adds. “[People knew] the gifts of the Spirit were at work, because [the results] were above the work of a natural mind.”

There is hardly a better relational setting than home groups for believers to step out in faith to use their spiritual gifts, observes Christopher Manginelli, senior pastor of Mill Creek Foursquare Church in Lynnwood, Wash.

“I’ve often seen one person functioning in a gift spark another person toward functioning in a spiritual gift,” he notes. “It encourages people to know that they heard the Lord and can share it.”

Pastor Russell Schlecht of Living Word Fellowship (Oak Harbor II Foursquare Church) near Seattle holds a similar view.

“Small groups provide an ideal environment to speak into the lives of those present,” he says. “There is safety, established trust and a strong relational dynamic that is conducive to the gifts being implemented.”

Friendships: A Place of Miracles

Personal friendships often prove to be just the right context in which the spiritual gifts work in fresh and exciting ways to reach those who need Christ. Doretha O’Quinn recalls how the gift of faith, and words of wisdom and knowledge, combined to create a miracle in the life of a runaway girl. The teen was the daughter of one of Doretha’s friends and had not been heard from in months.

“My friend believed her child was safe. She sought the Lord for wisdom on how to pray specifically for her daughter and those of influence around her,” Doretha explains. “A group of us mothers prayed for her, and aligned our hearts and our faith with [the mother’s].”

Doretha and others joined their friend in declaring a call on the girl’s life that she would minister to the same street people she ran with. Her friend sought the Lord specifically to show her where her daughter was, to bring her home and to turn her life around.

“God did just that, through the gifts of the Spirit,” Doretha affirms. “There came the time of the specific place to go, where she was and where to pick her up. It was absolutely amazing. [The teen] is preparing now to do what the word of faith spoke over her: She is training in ministry at a Christian institution, preparing to minister to runaway teens.”

John Decker, a Foursquare teacher and missionary evangelist, often senses the leading of the Holy Spirit when the wellbeing of others appears to be at stake.

“Whenever I see a need materialize in the lives of others, I’m often prompted by the Holy Spirit to attempt to meet the need,” John observes. “I rely on the fact that there is a gift of the Spirit to meet every need in peoples’ lives.”

Christopher Manginelli describes a similar outworking of the Holy Spirit in his life: “The gifts have worked best in or through me when I’m simply wanting to build up others in Jesus,” he says.

When Liz Doyle invites women into her home at Christmastime to hear her personal retelling of Jesus’ birth, she prays that the Holy Spirit would grace her gift of teaching with His words and provide revelation to the hearers. Last December, 52 women attended—about half of them Muslims from the local Dearborn, Mich., Islamic neighborhoods, and their feedback was “great,” she says.

Liz, who is also co-founder with her husband, Syd, of Nations Light cross-cultural training ministry, sums up the role of the gifts in changing people’s lives: “It’s about simply allowing the Holy Spirit to use us in relationships.”

You are reading Part 2 of a three-part series.

Read Part 1: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Up Close and Personal
 

Read Part 3: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: During Church Meetings
 

Resources: Find Recommended Resources on the Holy Spirit

 

By: Jimmy Stewart, a freelance writer living in the Orlando, Fla., area
 

"And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, 'You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross' ” (Matt. 27:39-40, NKJV).

Those who ridiculed Jesus that day did not realize they were witnessing the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption, a plan of complete salvation, including physical and emotional healing.

Jesus the Messiah is our great healer; He is our chief physician. The apostle Peter said that by Jesus’ sacrifice we “were healed” (see 1 Peter 2:24), an interesting and important restatement of Isaiah’s prophecy, “By His stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:5).

Our Foursquare family was founded on the principles of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Baptizer With the Holy Spirit and Soon-Coming King. Let’s return to our roots and proclaim the fullness of God’s redemption—including the promise to be healed.

We live in the afterglow of Calvary. An afterglow is that which remains after a light has disappeared; it is the pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced or achieved; it is a lingering impression of a past glory or success.

Jesus, the light of the world, is no longer physically here; but there remains the afterglow of what He accomplished on Calvary, and there should exist in the church a lingering, pleasant effect of His redemptive work. We are to be the expressed glory and success of what our Lord and Savior purchased on Calvary’s cross.

As Jesus hung on the cross, every part of His being had been or was bruised for our redemption. God left no stone unturned; He dotted every “i” and crossed every “t”. In a thoroughness that only God can produce, He placed on Jesus the sins of man. God exacted a price that only the Spotless Lamb could pay, and Jesus paid it all, including the cost of our healing.

Over 2,000 years later, the power of Calvary is just as strong today as it was on that dark, gloomy day. But thanks be to God that out of gross darkness came forth the light of the world, and that light is Jesus, our Healer.

Go forth in the name of Jesus, proclaiming God’s goodness, and as you go, be healed in the name of the Lord.  

By: Huey Hudson, senior pastor of Restoration (Huntsville Foursquare) in Madison, Ala.

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

The words “to the ends of the earth” are power-packed and reveal, first, the heart of God our Father and His unrelenting reach to this world. Passionately, the Lord has called His people to be His witnesses, to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Second, these words reveal to us that we have been given a mandate—to live in communion with Him commands our allegiance and our obedience.

To that end, the 2012 Global Summit has been planned for June 1–3 in Phoenix. Out of a call to obedience and with the love of God poured into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit, the global leadership of The Foursquare Church has set aside these three days in June to seek the will of our Father, who has called us to become truly “one” in our identity, focus and passion to “go into all the world.”

Representatives from our U.S churches, districts, the board of directors, missions committee, Foursquare Foundation and Foursquare Missions International will join national leaders and global influencers from around the world, with the following clearly defined goals, to:

1. Establish a global eldering community
2. Build together a global strategy
3. Refine and strengthen our global infrastructure
4. Help resource every nation to evangelize, disciple, multiply and send

The themes for each of the three days will help to identify the following vital items:

1. Friday: “Our Foursquare Distinctives”
2. Saturday: “Our Current Realities” and “Our Opportunities”
3. Sunday: “A Plan and Strategy Going Forward”

Global presenters from 15 nations will speak to us about current realities and opportunities within the context of their long-term ministry experience, including presentations on laity, leadership development, church planting, nation planting, holistic ministries, cities, global eldering networking partnerships, and emerging leaders, to name a few. Papers are being written and shared with all participants to better equip and prepare us for significant missiological conversations.

Also joining us for this strategic time are two globally respected leaders and prolific authors. We are honored to have Ed Stetzer, Vice President of Research and Ministry Development for LifeWay Christian Resources, and Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and the Emeritus Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University.

MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium (edited by Ed Stetzer and David Hesselgrave) and The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (by Philip Jenkins) are being used as resources in preparation for this event.

We will also discover together the journey that the U.S. Foursquare Church has been on as we move from pioneers, to parents, to partners in the 21st century. Above all, we will allow significant time for relationship building, networking, prayer and prophetic gifts to operate within our global family.

I envision this event to be a watershed moment in the history of our movement. It has been 25 years since our denomination has had such an opportunity as this. I believe it is right on time—in tune with the move and call of the Holy Spirit and out of which a unified vision will emerge to accelerate the gospel “to the ends of the earth.”

To learn more about the 2012 Global Summit and how to pray, log on to the Global Summit website. You will find weekly devotionals written by our world leaders as well as the Global Summit Promo Video. Of particular importance is the first post on January 9, 2012, by Leslie Keegel, national leader of The Foursquare Church Sri Lanka, in which he describes a prophetic word from the Lord about this event.

By: Glenn C. Burris Jr., president of The Foursquare Church and chair of the Global Council

But with the gifts of the Spirit, supernatural ministry does exist—and becomes profoundly effective. People are transformed through miracles, healing, deliverance, life-changing words of prophecy and more.

Spirit-led ministry leads to changed lives, because God does significant things through the gifts He makes available by the Holy Spirit.

In this first part of our three-part series on “Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” we asked Foursquare leaders how the gifts work personally in their lives, how they model the gifts for their congregations, and why the gifts are vital in our churches today.

How the Gifts Are Personal

“The gifts are how I see nutrients to the natural body, which assure healthy operation for everyday life, for a healthy spiritual walk,” says Doretha O’Quinn, vice provost of multiethnic and cross-cultural engagement at Biola University, and assisting minister at Faith Community (San Diego Foursquare Church) in San Diego, Calif.

As an administrator, Doretha says she constantly needs wisdom and “the mind of Christ” for the decisions she has to make concerning administrative duties or people. When those situations arise, she prays a simple conversational prayer and asks God to give her what she needs.

“I know that the gifts of the Spirit are for my life; therefore, I ask the Lord at those times for manifestation,” she explains. “Living in the Spirit is often taught as something that is mystical and uniquely experienced. That is not how I see it.”

Bill Gross has been a pastor, but today he is missional development coach/consultant with the National Church Office, where he serves districts, helping them unpack, facilitate and implement the Foursquare vision. His desire to fuel their hunger for God stirs his apostolic gift into action—he works to ensure Foursquare leaders are cared for and have the resources to help them fulfill God’s calling on their lives.

“How we bless leaders, guide emerging leaders and know how the Holy Spirit is leading: that is our constant conversation,” he says.

The simple gift of praying in tongues, or praying “in the Spirit,” as it’s called, makes a huge difference in Jerry Stott’s ministry. As Foursquare’s South Pacific area missionary, Jerry oversees 22,000 churches spread across 12 countries. Just finding extra minutes in his day for quality prayer time can be challenging. So he exercises his prayer language—often.

“Wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I pray in the Spirit,” he tells Foursquare.org. “Sometimes, as pastors, we feel like we’re so busy that there isn’t even time to pray. I don’t have the ability to do all this, but the Holy Spirit does what I can’t do.”

Regularly praying in tongues is also one way Russell Schlecht taps into the gifts of the Spirit in his life and ministry. The pastor of Living Word Fellowship (Oak Harbor II Foursquare Church) near Seattle prays privately in the Spirit, but watches God work publicly through other spiritual gifts in his life.

“[Though] I pray in tongues privately, I contend for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the discovery of gifts for every congregant,” he says. “I see prophecy at work in my preaching and in times of prayer for leaders. I see wisdom and discernment utilized in counseling sessions with believers and nonbelievers.”

How the Gifts Go Public

For any pastor or church leader, however, the question eventually arises over how the spiritual gifts should be expressed in public gatherings. One way Foursquare leaders are exemplifying God’s wonder-working power (minus the theatrics) is by practicing the adage, “There’s safety in numbers.”

John Decker, an ordained Foursquare teacher and missionary evangelist, says that when he is leading a corporate gathering and a questionable spiritual manifestation occurs: “I will ask fellow leaders if what just manifested was from the Lord or not. There is always safety in the abundance of counselors.”

John stresses that the gift of discernment is a key safeguard needed when spiritual expressions are being manifested. Sonja Decker, John’s wife and also an ordained Foursquare teacher and missionary evangelist, agrees.

“I am concerned when congregations open up to the supernatural gifts without thorough teaching on these gifts, especially discerning of spirits,” Sonja says.

The Deckers oversee a Ministry Training Institute (MTI) at their local church that uses a 72-lesson curriculum they developed, called The Ambassador Series. Part of the nine-month coursework includes modeling how to operate in the supernatural gifts.

“We are radical, but we are not weird!” Sonja emphasizes.

Another way to lead by example when it comes to the spiritual gifts is by learning who you are not, spiritually speaking. It is perhaps as important as knowing who you are.

“I am not a prophet,” Christopher Manginelli, senior pastor of Mill Creek Foursquare Church in Lynnwood, Wash., points out. “But I believe [in the prophetic gifting] and, therefore, function in moments of prophecy with fellow leaders, and the church, with regularity.”

Why the Gifts Are Vital

To understand why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are vital to ministry today, it helps to recognize who the Holy Spirit truly is.

“Just as we can’t live as if one believer is more important than another (the hand is not more important than the foot), so the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is as important as the role of the Father and the Son,” explains A.J. Swoboda, senior pastor of Theophilus Church (Hawthorne Foursquare Church) in Portland, Ore., and a professor of biblical studies, theology and Christian history at Life Pacific College (also known as LIFE Bible college).

The same holds true with all of the Holy Spirit’s gifts, A.J. says: “We cannot relegate Him to just one expression of His gifts. If we believe in the Holy Spirit, we believe in them all.”

Jerry Stott believes the work of the Holy Spirit is so vital to our churches today that, without Him, we will in time benefit no one.

“Eventually we will lose all if we do not allow the Holy Spirit in our churches,” he says. “People respond to what is real, and there is nothing more real than the touch of the Holy Spirit on a person.”

You are reading Part 1 of a three-part series.

Read Part 2: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: In Friendships and Groups
 

Read Part 3: Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: During Church Meetings
 

Resources: Find Recommended Resources on the Holy Spirit

 

By: Jimmy Stewart, a freelance writer living in the Orlando, Fla., area

Recently, Chantel was invited to one of our services. The person inviting her said, “You may actually be accepted there.” It was a horrible yet wonderful invitation. Chantel is a transgender who shared with us that she has never felt accepted by a church.

One year later, Chantel is still a part of our community. She has new relationships; she is growing in Christ and enjoyed a birthday party hosted by her new friends—the first ever thrown in her honor.

We recently made recovery the first value of our church. The idea is that we are all in recovery, because we are all broken, and we all have hurts, habits and hang-ups. We believe the church should be a hospital for sinners and not a hotel for saints. Adopting this value has opened our doors—created an environment where all types of people are welcomed into our church.

My observation during this past year is that when we accept that we are all broken and in need of a Savior, the playing field becomes level. When we agree that we are all in need of healing, we eliminate the shock factor when someone like Chantel walks through our doors. She doesn’t feel singled out, because not only does she need spiritual healing, we all do.

It’s just what’s happening around here. It’s what Jesus wants to do with all of us.

In Matthew 16:6 Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (NKJV); or, in other words, the “I’ve got it all together, why don’t you?” attitude. The slightest amount of this yeast can ruin a whole batch. This yeast says, “I don’t need spiritual healing, but you do.”

I don’t believe we are able to help others receive spiritual healing unless we first recognize our own need for spiritual healing. The more we are honest about our hurts, habits and hang-ups, the more the people around us will feel like they can be honest about theirs. We create a culture of spiritual healing, and it all starts with “me.”

It’s easy for us as pastors and spiritual leaders to become healers and forget about our own conditions. We hand out the medicine but don’t take it ourselves out of fear of what the “patients” might think.

But we are called to be sharers of the cure—not just distributors: “Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need. God’s kingdom belongs to them” (Matt. 5:3, ERV).

By: Jeremy Pummel, lead pastor of NorthRock Church (Thornton Foursquare Church) in Thornton, Colo.

Share your journey through the Gospels » Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you personally as the Foursquare family reads through the Gospels! Download the reading plan bookmarks for 2012, and you can also subscribe to the weekly Foursquare Leader Prayer email to receive insights and inspiration from Foursquare leaders around the world.

Tabulated together, the 70 Foursquare churches that responded to a post-Easter survey sent to all senior pastors via email reported an 80 percent increase in attendance compared to typical Sunday numbers, from 38,844 on a usual Sunday to 69,937 on Easter.

Most important, a total of 2,913 people made first-time decisions for Christ during holiday services and outreaches conducted by the 70 churches in the survey. Additionally, 1,565 people rededicated their lives to Christ, 286 were baptized in water, and 44 were baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Senior Pastor Tim Poetzl from Stanwood Foursquare Church in Stanwood, Wash., reports 1,117 people participating in Easter services. That’s 19 percent of their town, he notes, and 3 percent of the surrounding community.

At New Life Christian Fellowship (Moreno Valley Foursquare Church) in Moreno Valley, Calif., Senior Pastor James Samples shares that they served a free breakfast on Easter to everyone, including neighbors, feeding around 200 people. In addition, more than 200 people attended dramatic musical performances and a skit by the church’s kids.

“This year we had the largest impact to families that were not a part of our church than any time prior,” James tells Foursquare.org. “That weekend, including Easter Sunday, we touched around 200 people that were not a part of our congregation.”

Many congregations worked with other churches in their areas to maximize their Easter outreaches. Senior Pastor Kenny Lee from Living Fortress (Cody Foursquare Church) in Cody, Wyo., says that for the past five years, his church has enjoyed a combined worship service on Easter with two or more other congregations. He points out that working together does something important in the community.

“This year we had an adaptation of 1 Cor. 15 read by over 12 people, and several people shared testimonies and words from the Lord,” Kenny explains. “We shared communion and worshiped together. This has become an outreach event in our community … we break down denominational walls in this special combined service.”

Abundant Life (Mooresville South Foursquare Church) in Mooresville, N.C., organized a flash mob that told the story of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, and led a group of almost 700 gathered in singing “Jesus Loves Me.” They also sponsored—for the sixth year in a row—a community Easter egg hunt. Hosting the event at an elementary school, they filled over 10,000 eggs with candy and prizes.

“Not only do we get to love our community, we also learn the value of serving as a church family,” Abundant Life’s Senior Pastor Bob Bankhead affirms. “From our preschoolers to the grandparents, we all get to help and be a part of this special ministry opportunity to our community. We are already planning for Easter 2013 and expecting an even greater response.”

Senior Pastor Clayton Robinson and his congregation, The Connection (Lake Forest Foursquare Church) in Lake Forest, Calif., made a generous gesture on Easter Sunday to help disenfranchised people in their community. For each person who attended Easter services, the church paid for a meal for a homeless person. When a check representing the total amount of meals was held up, everyone cheered—without being asked for anything, guests were helping the homeless simply by attending Easter Sunday.

For several weeks leading up to Easter, The Connection held free art classes for children in the community and also set up a table in the city’s main shopping mall to offer prayer for anyone who wanted it, which Clayton says opened up many opportunities for dialog and ministry.

On Easter Sunday, to reach the area’s children and families, the church hosted a free breakfast, an Easter egg roll, pony rides, a petting zoo and a bounce house, and served snow cones.

“To our amazement, so many people came to Christ and have now declared The Connection as their church that we no longer can fit into our worship center,” Clayton shares. “We are scrambling to catch up to what God is doing in Lake Forest!”

The Washington Post ran a cover photo that featured Capital Church's annual Lincoln Memorial sunrise Easter service. The Post reports that the Foursquare church based in Vienna, Va., that usually hosts 300 people "swells to several thousand during the outdoor Easter service."

Angelus Temple Hispanic Foursquare Church in the heart of Los Angeles is also working to keep up with how fast the Holy Spirit is working following their Easter outreach. Senior Pastor Raymundo Diaz says that it was amazing to see entire families coming to Christ all at the same time.

More than 2,000 people attended the congregation’s outreach in nearby Lincoln Park, Raymundo reports, and 617 made first-time decisions for Christ. The following Sunday, a church plant was established in the area of the outreach to help disciple new believers, and 70 people attended the first service.

“The hearts of the people were so hungry to hear the gospel,” Raymundo recalls. “Truly, the harvest is ready.”

And he reminds us all of what it takes to reap that harvest.

“We, the church,” he asserts, “must go outside our walls to reach them.”

By: Bill Shepson, a Foursquare credentialed minister and freelance writer living in Sacramento, Calif.