BOOKS

The Supernatural Life
By Cindy Jacobs, Regal, hardcover, 224 pages, $17.99.

Cindy Jacobs wants believers to realize that they can experience the supernatural power of God. In her latest book, The Supernatural Life: Experience the Power of God in Your Everyday Life, Jacobs shares experiences and adventures she has had with the supernatural life.

Using a simple, informal approach, Jacobs teaches about speaking in tongues, healing and miracles, laying hands on the sick, testing the spirits (but, she warns, “Don’t go overboard and think there’s a demon behind every bush”), the gift of discernment, words of knowledge, and a phrase she coined, “prophetic evangelism,” or reaching others through a word of knowledge. This book is for those who have never experienced the supernatural life firsthand or those in the Pentecostal-charismatic movement who want to return to their first love, Christ.

The anecdotal style and examples from the lives of past charismatic leaders, such as Smith Wigglesworth and Aimee Semple McPherson, help demonstrate that the supernatural life is available to all believers.
Tracee N. Mason

Losers and Winners Saints and Sinners
By Greg Laurie, Warner Faith, hardcover, 336 pages, $18.99.

In his latest book, the founder of Harvest Crusades weaves lessons from the lives of familiar biblical characters with modern-day vignettes to sound the call for Christians to remain faithful.

Subtitled How to Finish Strong in the Spiritual Race, the book shows how faithful men kept going after they stumbled. Such perseverance makes the difference between those who finish life well and dropouts who crash and burn.

In a world of relativism that is blunting the church’s impact, this book is a dynamic reminder that our actions matter. As Laurie notes, too many people excuse their participation in sinful activities by shrugging, “God will forgive me.”

With 22 chapters, this book is a bit long for a weekly study. But by combining multiple chapters on one character, it can be shortened for use in cell groups, home churches and Bible classes.
Ken Walker

CollegeBound
By Thomas A. Shaw, Moody Publishers,
softcover, 224 pages, $12.99.

For more than 20 years, Thomas A. Shaw has been involved in Christian higher education as an administrator and as a parent. Now, as an author, he hopes to pass along an informed perspective to other parents.

In his book Collegebound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping Their Kids Choose a College, Shaw covers topics such as determining whether college is right for your child, choosing a major and understanding the different types of schools. Perhaps the most important aspect Shaw discusses with parents is striking a balance between being either too controlling or too uninvolved in the choices. It is important to stay between these two extremes because kids need both their parents’ input and to be respected as young adults who take ownership for the direction of their lives.

This book is a helpful resource for parents and teens in finding the best environment not only for career preparation, but for the development of their faith walk as well.
Deborah L. Delk

God@Work, Vol. 2
By Rich Marshall with Ken Walker,
Destiny Image, softcover, 192 pages, $13.99.

The world seeks evidence that Christians will bring practical solutions to problems they face. In his book God @ Work, Vol. 2, Rich Marshall details how “marketplace ministers,” business people who do the work of an evangelist, are that “evidence.”

Because God never stops seeking the lost, those He finds may not come from the aisles of a traditional church but might instead be reached in a bank lobby or on the call-in line of a late-night TV program. The author points out that God has found individuals who not only make profits but also become prophets in an increasingly global work place.

Marshall describes how these Monday-to-Friday ministers cannot afford to rely on anything other than solid foundational truths from the Bible in the fiercely competitive settings where they work. He documents some amazing signs and wonders that follow these servant leaders who pastor “congregants” on the job.
J. James Estrada

Biblical Principles for Releasing Financial Provision!
By Frank Damazio, Rich Brott; City Christian Publishing,
softcover, 439 pages, $19.99.

“Fantastic” describes this huge resource produced by pastor Frank Damazio and leadership guru Rich Brott. In this day and age of rampant materialism and self-serving doctrines that present God the Father as some divine sugar daddy, Releasing Financial Provision is a welcome relief.

The book is divided into seven “keys” for opening the heavens and obtaining the favor of God in your personal and vocational life. Biblical principles about finances bolster each key, enabling the book to read like a daily devotional, with each principle including specific Scriptures and a short teaching on the subject that is always practical and often pleasantly insightful. In addition to the 98 or so principles expounded upon throughout the book, there are at least 100 pages of Scripture references on everything financial, as well as an excellent bibliography of printed and electronic financial resources.

This book is a must-have for anyone who is serious about understanding and applying a biblical approach to finances.
Eric Wilbanks

SHE TEEN

By Rebecca St. James, Tyndale House,
softcover, 208 pages, $12.99.

Today’s teens face countless opportunities to make wrong choices, which seemingly are becoming the norm.

With her latest book, SHE Teen, music artist Rebecca St. James comes along as a big sister, mentor and friend to tell teen girls that they can be “safe, healthy and empowered” by allowing Christ to define their identity.

Packaged as a magazine, SHE Teen offers a fresh, culturally relevant tool for girls to acknowledge their own questions, fears and concerns. It also offers practical everyday advice on relationships and self-esteem. There’s even a recipe for “a fruit smoothie that will change your life”!

Although the style of this book might make you think it’s made for a quick, one-time read, the truth the book conveys is not sugar-coated. Mixed with the lighter segments are tough questions. One quiz helps girls analyze what their makeup communicates (harsh? lazy? seductive?). Throughout the magazine, readers are reminded by biblical truths of how beautiful and valuable they are to God.

Today’s teens respect those who speak the truth yet are vulnerable, and St. James fits that bill. As she shares her own struggles and triumphs, young women will be encourage to choose the freedom, protection and power God’s higher standard provides.
Leigh DeVore

MUSIC

Rock of Ages: Hymn & Faith
By Amy Grant, Word Entertainment.

Rock of Ages: Hymns & Faith is a follow-up to 2002’s Legacy: Hymns & Faith that showcased hymns that have had an influence in artist Amy Grant’s life. Certainly Grant has been the premier artist of Christian music for nearly three decades, having many awards and platinum records, so the idea of her returning to the hymns of her youth at this time in her career is understandable.

Produced by Grant’s husband, Vince Gill, and her longtime producer, Brown Bannister, Rock of Ages features some beautiful hymns, great studio production and lovely vocals, but it would be stronger if it were expressed by Grant with more intimacy. The hints of country, blues and Americana used in the production perhaps could have been stronger as well, which might have made the hymns come to life more.

The title track, “Rock of Ages,” is a duet with Gill, whose strong, passionate vocals are out of balance with Grant’s, which sound almost weary. The compilation “Jesus Loves Me/They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love/Helping Hand” weaves together a single thought, which helps the listener reflect on older and newer texts together.

Other highlights are “Abide With Me” and “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”—which includes Grant’s sisters singing harmony and her father doing a speaking part—”I Surrender All” and “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” which has an upbeat and simplistic arrangement that allows the true nature of the hymn to emerge.

Although this disc could have delved further to find common ground with a younger audience, Rock of Ages: Hymns & Faith is soothing and uplifting.
Debbie Gibboney

Reflection of Something
By Todd Agnew, Ardent Records.

The latest CD from Todd Agnew is a guitar-driven and edgy mix of blues, rock, gospel and contemporary sound.

His flexibility is highlighted on such cuts as “New Name,” with its blues feel and sassy guitar sound and the slow, soft ballad “Blood on My Hands.”

Agnew tackles trials of faith such as battered self-esteem and doubts. His rugged sound reveals some of his musical influences, such as Led Zeppelin and Memphis blues. On Agnew’s second CD, his background as a worship leader comes through on songs such as “Unchanging One.”

Reflection of Something will satisfy the most devoted of Agnew’s fans and likely bring in new ones.

Tracee N. Mason

Rescue
By New Song, Integrity Music

Although NewSong is a veteran to the music industry, Rescue is the group’s first worship album and live recording. Yet, this award-winning band still displays the fresh sound listeners expect and enjoy.

Rescue’s 12 tracks combine several well-known worship songs such as “How Great Thou Art” and “You Are Holy” with new songs and a new version of a NewSong classic, “Arise My Love.”

“You Are Holy” is a fun, fast, call-and-response song while “Blessed Be Your Name” is soothing and mellow. The title cut is a modern, worshipful love song to Jesus that stands out as an anthem, and “I’ll Rise” is inspirational and romantic.

If NewSong’s 16th album is any indication, the band shows no signs of slowing down in delivering powerful music, and they have found a comfortable fit with their first worship CD.
Tracee N. Mason

Movies

Aimee Semple McPherson
By Richard Rossi Productions, $29.95.

The new movie Aimee Semple McPherson (currently on DVD) is as provocative as it is touching and explores the human side of one of America’s towering spiritual icons.

Get past the shoestring production values by former minister turned producer Richard Rossi and you’ll find a sensitive script, ample acting and a story that portrays the Pentecostal woman, who, like the rest of us, lived in a skin of real flesh.

In Sister Aimee’s acutely dichotomous world, she founded the International
Church of the Foursquare Gospel and the first Christian radio station and used illustrated sermons. Thousands were healed at her crusades, and millions came to Christ through her ministry.

Sister Aimee, played by screen newcomer Mimi Michaels, was friend to the famous and a provider to the poor. Yet her ministry was rife with controversy. History records arguments with her mother, church-leader shake-ups, lawsuits, court appearances, a kidnapping by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and two divorces.

A study in contrasts, she is seen as a creative genius who was vulnerable, often melancholy and most of all lonely. “A lot of leaders anointed by God with spiritual gifts feel they have to hide their despair because they would be considered unfit for leadership,” Rossi says. “Healers, especially, pour out into everyone else and come to find out they are depleted.”

In a life that was as amazing as plagued, the movie is fairly accurate historically. Critically, the film is middle-of-the-road. The viewer must decide its merits.

The movie traces Sister Aimee’s early life as daughter of Canadian farmer James Kennedy, portrayed by Ron Howard’s father, Rance, and her shrewd, strong-willed mother, Minnie, played by Teres Byrne.

Her conversion, aided by traveling evangelist and future husband Robert Semple, and her husband’s death on the China mission field are treated with sensitivity. She returns, pregnant with daughter Roberta, and soon marries Harold McPherson, a kind man who does not fully understand her call to preach and leaves her evangelistic tent.

Yet the movie best explores Sister Aimee’s aching earthliness through her short third marriage to former Angelus Temple singer David Hutton, her strange 39-day disappearance and her death by an accidental overdose of barbiturates.

On May 18, 1926, three years after she opened Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, Sister Aimee walked into the surf at nearby Ocean Park for a swim and disappeared. Many thought she had drowned. But 39 days later she walked in from the desert near Douglas, Arizona.

Newspaper writers and the local district attorney, Asa Keyes, alleged she had spent at least some of that missing time in a cottage with her married audio-engineer Kenneth Ormiston. Sister Aimee insisted she was kidnapped by the KKK. Hundreds of journalists and two courts of law spent five years and more than a half-million dollars, but never proved otherwise.

In 1931, she married singer David Hutton, who may have been slightly less of a scoundrel than the movie indicates. Her second divorce in 1934 was especially painful, and the movie touches on her well-documented bouts with depression. It ends in 1944 with her unusual death from an overdose of barbiturates.

Because the movie explores both sides of her disappearance and her bipolarlike personality, controversy will likely hound it as it did her ministry. Yet, the movie as well as Sister Aimee’s life adds a dynamic dimension when draped with frail flesh.

“In a sense, we’re all wounded soldiers,” Rossi says. “She was a powerful conduit for the Holy Spirit, yet she struggled. It’s ironic that a lot of churches today would reject her because she was divorced twice. But hers is a story of grace, and it’s grace that gives all us sinners hope.”

After she won the legal battle regarding her disappearance in the movie, her father tells her, “But whether you’ve done something wrong or … something right [Christ] is there for forgiveness.”

And that is the proper way to view Sister Aimee’s life and this movie. If you can believe that Christian legends still wear skin that longs to be touched, this movie is a must-see. Rossi says he believes depicting her humanness will attract non-Christian viewers. And he hopes church leaders, especially those in her denomination, will view the movie with objectivity.

The film will be in select theaters this fall. The DVD is now available. For a copy send a donation of $29.95 or more to Eternal Grace, 5030 Whitsett Ave., #1, Valley Village, CA 91607. Movie-related news can be found at www.aimeesemple mcphersonmovie.com.
E.C. Donnally

More than 240,000 believers and seekers endured 90-degree weather to hear evangelist Billy Graham speak at his final mass crusade June 24-26.

The crowd at the Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens was a mosaic of colors, ages and ethnic backgrounds. Many came to see Graham in person for the first and last time. “I have listened to Billy Graham all my life and read his books,” said Gail Yawn, a member of Shirley Hills Baptist Church who traveled from Warner Robins, Ga., to hear Graham. “I know he’s a man anointed of God. I felt led to be a part of [the crusade]. I felt the Spirit of the Lord moving.”

“God uses Billy Graham in a tremendous way,” said Patrick Necerato of Jackson, N.J. “You get encouraged in the Lord. I’m blown away.”

Muddying the waters about his future, Graham, 86, told the audience at the beginning of his sermon on June 26: “This is not the end. They may think so, but I don’t.”

However, insiders report that his health problems make another mass crusade unlikely. In July he declined an invitation to hold a crusade in London later this year. Graham suffers from prostate cancer and hydrocephalus (water on the brain), a condition that mimics symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A frequent patient at the Mayo Clinic, he wears a hearing aid and needs a walker to get around. Graham told CNN talk-show host Larry King during a pre-crusade interview that he travels with a nurse, who also attends to his medical needs at home.

Steered to the podium by his son Franklin Graham, the evangelist appeared fit as he delivered his final sermon holding on to the podium. In a surprisingly strong voice, he warned the audience of 90,000 about the approaching end of the world system and the return of Jesus Christ. “I believe today that God is warning the United States,” he said.

“When he began to share God’s word I saw such power and the anointing come over his frail body, ” said Jimmy Jack, director of Long Island Teen Challenge. “God took over. He doesn’t preach as fast as he used to, but it’s more clear.”

Thousands crammed the platform area each night when Graham invited seekers to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Counselors fanned out, assisting seekers in 20 languages. The crusade generated 9,445 decisions for Christ, half of which were said to be first-time conversions. “God is saving,” said prayer counselor Mary Roacher. “It’s incredible what He does.”

About 1,400 churches representing 82 denominations backed the crusade with 11,000 volunteers, prayer and help in raising the $6.8 million budget. A.R. Bernard, senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn and chairman of the crusade executive committee, said the event coalesced both charismatic and non-charismatic evangelicals in metro New York—a trend that he believes will continue. “The crusade brought diverse evangelical groups to the forefront,” he said.
Peter K. Johnson in Queens, N.Y.

The statistics are alarming: Fewer teenagers attend church today than ever. If we don’t reach them soon, we will face a spiritual crisis.
On the way home from church one Sunday several years ago my brother, Ralph, became an unassuming hero. He pulled out of the church parking lot, following a car with two teenage girls in it. About a mile down the road, a pick-up truck ran a stop sign and slammed into the side of the girls’ car.

Instantly, the car exploded. The driver, 16-year-old Ashley, was thrown from the vehicle and killed. The other girl, 14-year-old Amy Cifranic, was trapped inside the burning vehicle.

Ralph jumped from his car and pried open the door of the burning vehicle. He grabbed Amy by the belt loop and managed to drag her from the car. Soon the paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital.

When I called to congratulate my brother on the rescue, I asked him: “What were you thinking? I mean, what was going through your mind as you approached the car?” I still remember his response.

“I didn’t do anything that anyone else in my position would not have done. When the car is on fire, you do whatever you have to do to get the girl out!”

If we saw a car explode in front of us, the shock of what we had just seen would stun us. Few among us would simply drive by and act as if nothing had happened. Yet many Christians are standing by watching flames engulf our teens and doing nothing to rescue them.

I’m here to tell you, the car is on fire-and it’s up to us to do something about it.

Nation at a Crossroads

I’m not writing just to move you to care a little bit. A pattern is developing right under our noses here in America that demands our attention as Christians.

It is a well-documented fact that the percentage of Bible-based believers (evangelicals) has been steadily decreasing since the Builder generation. In his book The Bridger Generation, Thom S. Rainer gives the following statistics:

SPOTLIGHT

Man on Fire

Day of Fire’s Josh Brown (front) says he’s been witnessing miracles after concerts

Day of Fire vocalist Josh Brown knows the truth. If it weren’t for Christ, he would still be lost in a world of sex, drugs and hopelessness. “I was definitely chosen,” he said. “I was on such a terrible path. God uses people like me to show the world that He exists.”

In 1998, all of Brown’s dreams had come true. He had money and fame. He was on MTV with his band Full Devil Jacket (FDJ), playing Woodstock ’99, and touring with bands such as Creed. He was also addicted to every drug he could find. In 2001, after a heroin overdose, Brown accepted Christ and quit FDJ to wash dishes at a retirement home. “I had to hit rock bottom before I would listen to [the Holy Spirit’s] voice,” he recalled.

In the last year, Brown entered Christian music and has seen his band Day of Fire score several chart hits and play in front of thousands of fans. Still, it’s the one-on-one contact that he savors most. “I’ve had the opportunity to pray with people stricken with drugs, alcohol, schizophrenia, whatever,” he said. “There was a woman I met who heard voices for years. At that moment, faith rose up inside of me and I began to pray. She said that for the first time in three years the voices stopped. I’ve seen God move on people. His desire is to set His people free from the chains and weight of sin.”
Steven Douglas Losey

Stirring the Pot

Exodus International created a stir in Orlando, Fla., when it began posting billboards asserting that homosexuals can change. The ads are to be featured for six months in Orlando, where Exodus is based, and a similar sign is posted in Houston. Exodus, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, has more than 125 member ministries in North America that have helped some 400,000 people who contact the organization each year.

FAITH & CULTURE

Big-Screen Debut

Brandon T. Jackson has less than three months of experience in Hollywood, but already he’s landed a major role in the upcoming film Roll Bounce. The 19-year-old preacher’s kid from Detroit says it is an answer to many prayers.

Jackson appears on the big screen this month alongside teen sensation Bow Wow, who stars as X in the 1970s era roller-skating movie. Jackson depicts X’s best friend, Junior. “This [breakthrough] is something I always prayed for,” Jackson told Charisma. “I [would pray], ‘God, if You are going to use me, use me in entertainment, for Your glory.’”

Jackson’s father, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Detroit’s Great Faith Ministries International, has the church interceding for his son, and he sent one of the ministry’s young leaders to Los Angeles to be his son’s prayer partner and Bible study leader. Although the PG-13 film will stir up more hoots than hallelujahs, Jackson’s performance could position him for bigger roles and greater influence. All part of the plan, says the young actor, who once wanted to follow his father’s footsteps into the pulpit. Now he wants to preach “in a different way” and be a transforming force in Hollywood.
Steven Lawson in Hollywood

Famous Faces

Couple says God has given them a unique ministry tool

A Florida man is on a campaign to “glorify God” as a President Bush impersonator. Orlando native John Morgan, 49, is 10 years younger than George W. Bush, but he is a dead ringer for the 43rd U.S. president.

A Christian for 30 years and a longtime member of a nondenominational charismatic church in Orlando, Morgan said it was during Bush’s first presidential campaign that people told him how much he looked like the then-Texas governor. But it wasn’t until his wife of 22 years, Kathy, saw a Bush impersonator on TV in fall 2003 that Morgan entertained the thought of being a look-alike.

“She told me, ‘I’ve found you a new career,’” he recalled. “Immediately a spark of interest ignited in my heart. I spent two weeks praying. After two weeks, I was convinced the Holy Spirit spoke to me that it was His will for me to be a President Bush impersonator for five years.”

Morgan has made nearly 60 appearances as the president for corporate and birthday parties, trade shows and sales meetings in the U.S. and as far away as Mexico, Japan and the Bahamas. Morgan’s family is also in the impersonating business. His wife is a Laura Bush look-alike and Morgan’s daughter-in-law, Emily, and her cousin, Jennifer, resemble the Bush twin daughters.

Morgan said he got to meet the president in May when Bush discussed Social Security in Orlando. “I shook his hand and told him, ‘Mr. President, it’s an honor to be your look-alike,’” he recounted. “And in his self-depreciating humor, [Bush] said: ‘Well, I feel sorry for you.’”
Eric Tiansay

LEGACY

Deliverance 101

Frank Hammond has passed away, but his message lives on

Though it sparked a wave of controversy for its assertion that Christians could be demonized, Pigs in the Parlor by former Baptist pastor Frank Hammond and his wife, Ida Mae, has never been out of print since it debuted in 1973.

And though Hammond passed away March 17 at the age of 83, contemporary deliverance ministers say his work will continue to underpin modern teaching on deliverance. “The book truly had an anointing on it,” said Gene Moody, a Baton Rouge, La.-based minister known for his comprehensive Deliverance Manual. “I have given many of them away, and I still recommend it today. It was a very good beginning book.”

Though the debate over whether a Christian can have a demon still rages, with the Assemblies of God officially rejecting the idea, C. Peter Wagner of the Wagner Leadership Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., says deliverance ministry is becoming more respectable. Hoping to see the field rise to new levels, Wagner said, Hammond encouraged him to launch the International Council of Deliverance Ministers, which offers members training and accountability.

That fatherly leadership is what Kimberly Daniels, head of Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville, Fla., and author of Clean House, Strong House, remembers most about Hammond. She believes his legacy will continue to impact ministers such as herself for generations.

Eddie Smith, who leads the U.S. Prayer Center with his wife, Alice, agrees. “The book wasn’t the point; he was the point,” Smith said. “His life and his presence and his selflessness will long outlive his book.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Changed Lives

Sherron Williams’ friends say her laughter is contagious. But the 40-something mother of three hasn’t always felt like smiling. At the age of 5 she was molested by a trusted baby sitter; the same year she was burned so badly doctors weren’t sure she’d live. “I was miraculously healed physically, but the scars covering two-thirds of my body left me living in a cloud of self-loathing and destruction,” she said.

As a result, she began abusing drugs and became promiscuous, giving birth to her first child at age 15. Then at age 19, she was led into a life of prostitution.

“I wanted to stop; I just couldn’t,” she said. “I would sit in jail and wonder why I couldn’t be like my sisters who were getting married, working and raising children. I thought something happened to my brain when I almost died from the burns. I gave up, resolving to live that life and die that way. But today I know somebody was praying and God heard their prayers.”

In 1993 she was incarcerated again, but this time she says she was tired. She read the Gideon’s Bible she was given, prayed the sinner’s prayer written in the back and began attending church services. Though she received a 16-year sentence, Williams was released in 1998. Today she’s a Sunday school teacher and intercessor, and has kept the same job for seven years. “I am proud to be a Christian. No more looking over my shoulder; now I look up. God has lifted me out of the muck and the mire.”

Glenda Goodson
In Lancaster, Texas

UNSUNG HEROES

Food for Africa

Back in 2002, Africa was hardly on Rick Tunis’ radar. But when the Pennsylvania pastor came across a Charisma magazine article about a drought in Malawi that was expected to leave hundreds starving due to failed crops, he couldn’t stop reading. “It felt like God tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘I want you to do something about this,’” he said.

That something began as a fundraising campai gn in his 30-member church, Living Word Fellowship in Allentown. It has since grown into a nonprofit organization called Bread of Life International (www.breadoflifeintl.com), which he founded with his wife, Nancy, in 2003. He has teamed with Arn and Elsie Bowler of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAC) and has taken two trips to the nation, which is loacted in southern Africa.

During the first trip, in May 2003, Tunis teamed with Steve Chetepa, the general superintendent for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Malawi, to buy 20 tons of food and distribute it in the worst-hit areas. “It’s emotionally overwhelming to see people fight over food,” Tunis said, but he noted that the whole trip “was a bombardment of affirmation that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” Hundreds made decisions for Christ.

Tunis expected to return to Malawi in August, and his 16-year-old daughter, Patricia, planned to tag along. Each year, he said, his vision grows. He hopes to someday see Bread of Life assist Sudanese refugees, help feed people in nearby Zambia and partner with PAC to establish a home for AIDS orphans. “I would like to see this get much bigger,” Tunis told Charisma. “But for now, Malawi is a strong base for us.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

NOTEBOOK

The Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF) elected Bishop James D. Leggett as its new chairman on May 4. Leggett, who is general superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, is the fourth person to lead the international network of charismatic and Pentecostal ministries since its founding in 1947. The PWF convenes every three years, with its next meeting scheduled for Indonesia in July 2007.

California pastor Frederick K.C. Price of Crenshaw Christian Center was to be honored July 23-29 for more than 50 years in ministry. The weeklong celebration was also to mark the 15th anniversary of the Fellowship of Inner City Word of Faith Ministries, which Price founded. The festivities were to begin with a ceremony during which 79th Street and Vermont Avenue in Crenshaw were to be renamed Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Square.

Evangelist morris cerullo was indicted July 12 on three counts of filing false individual income tax returns, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The president of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism allegedly underreported his income by $550,000 between 1998 and 2000. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count, the Associated Press said. Cerullo planned to contest the charges.

Singer Pat Boone, 71, is ending his recording career with the release of five albums in one year, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Each project will reflect a different genre, ranging from patriotic songs to country hits to romantic ballads to R&B tunes. The gospel CD, Glory Train, is to release in September and will feature a tribute to Billy Graham that Boone recorded with U2 lead singer Bono, the AP said.

Considered the fastest growing church in the U.S., Without Walls International planned to finalize the $14 million deal in August
Three years after it first entertained the idea, a large charismatic church in Tampa, Fla., has purchased the property of what was once one of the largest church facilities in the world.

On June 14, Without Walls International Church (WWIC), a 22,000-member nondenominational congregation, signed a contract to buy Carpenter’s Home Church (CHC) in suburban Lakeland, which is about 45 minutes east of Tampa.

In the $14 million agreement, CHC would receive $8 million plus a 3,000-seat auditorium in Auburndale, Fla., which was used by Without Walls Central (WWC), a satellite of the Tampa congregation. The Auburndale church has been appraised at nearly $6 million, WWIC officials said. Auburndale is located about 25 minutes east of Lakeland.

“I think it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Randy White, who pastors WWIC with his wife, Paula. “Carpenter’s Home Church gets an almost brand-new sanctuary debt-free. We get a facility that we can grow into. It’s been our dream and ambition to impact the state of Florida.”

CHC’s spokesman Greg Gillman called the sale “a great win in the kingdom of God.” CHC is affiliated with the Assemblies of God (AG). “There are many wins in this arrangement,” said Gillman, CHC’s CFO and treasurer. “First and foremost, the grounds and buildings that pastor Karl Strader have ministered on for over 20 years will continue to be used to spread the gospel, which is the legacy of our pastor.”

Under Strader, the First Assembly of God of Lakeland built a 10,000-seat sanctuary in 1985 at a cost of $12 million, renaming the church Carpenter’s Home in the process. At the time, CHC had about 5,000 members, a TV ministry and a radio station. But in 1989 about 800 members split from CHC in a dispute over Strader’s leadership and formed Victory Church.

In the early 1990s, CHC was the site of services by Rodney Howard-Browne, the South African preacher who introduced the “laughing revival” to America. But Strader’s son, Daniel, was arrested in 1994 on fraud charges and convicted the following year of swindling investors, including some church members. The congregation of Strader, 76, who has served as CHC’s pastor for the last 38 years, now attracts only about 750 people on Sundays.

In contrast, Church Growth Today, a megachurch research center, recently named WWIC the nation’s fastest growing church. White said the ministry has 15,000 members in 240 satellite congregations across the U.S. and in Europe.

WWIC was close to an agreement to buy the CHC sanctuary in 2002, but in February 2003 CHC reportedly rejected a $10 million offer from WWIC because the board was asking $12.5 million, The Tampa Tribune reported. White said CHC contacted him in the spring to see if WWIC was still interested in the 75-acre property.

“We’re extremely excited to acquire this property,” said White, 47, noting that he expected to finalize the deal on the Aug. 1 closing date. “We believe this is part of God’s plan. Several years ago, prophet Kim Clement saw Carpenter’s Home filled to capacity. He said one day we would own the property.”

The agreement calls for a one-year transition period during which CHC would continue to hold worship services in a theater on the campus. Without Walls Central will worship at the massive CHC sanctuary starting this fall.

WWC pastor Scott Thomas, 38, will lead the Lakeland congregation, White said. Launched in January 2004, WWC started with 115 members, and it now has 1,500 people attending Sunday services.

Gillman said CHC owns the property, not the AG, adding that voting members approved the sale. “Pastor Strader has notified the Assemblies of God concerning the sale of our property,” he said. “We will continue to be Assemblies of God.”

Gillman added that the sale will enable CHC to move into a new era of ministry. “Prior to the congregation approving the sale of the property, pastor Strader cast a dynamic vision of raising up young pastors and planting them in multiple locations, providing them with the wisdom of his years and the resources necessary for them to be successful,” he said. “The sale of our property will provide Carpenter’s Home the unencumbered, debt-free resources that are critical to make this vision a reality, as well as provide a beautiful campus to a congregation of like faith.”
Eric Tiansay

POPE GETS MIXED REVIEWS

Thanks for the article about Pope John Paul II and the Catholic charismatic movement (“Vicar of the Spirit,” by Stephen Mansfield, June). I thank God that when the wave of the Holy Spirit went through churches in the 1960s and 1970s, it fell on me. It messed up things in my life for the better.

When I tried to tell Baptist people, they thought I had lost my mind; they thought I had gone to the holy rollers. I was bubbling over with a new thing in my life.
Willa Dean Skaggs
Charleston, South Carolina

Your presentation of the legacy of Pope John Paul II was excellent. May we all continue to learn from his example.
Cy Herter
Highland, Indiana

I am a former Catholic from Brazil, and 80 percent of my family is Catholic. Pope John Paul II has not helped them see the truth. Catholics in Brazil pray to idols. The Bible says idolatry is a sin, and it says those who practice it will not go to heaven.
Luci Negron
Oceanside, California

I read your articles about the pope, and I noticed that he never once said Scripture was the only authority for his faith. He believed that the traditions of his church were equal to the Bible. That raises a red flag for all evangelical believers. I love the Catholic people. We should pray for them.
Leonard Ostrom
Cloquet, Minnesota

We live in a culture that works hard at legitimizing every belief system. For believers, this is a lie. Your devotion to the legacy of John Paul II appears to agree with this worldview. No amount of accolades can negate the anti-Christian doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
D.P. Williams
Fremont, Ohio

Your magazine uses the title “Vicar of the Spirit” for Pope John Paul II. What spirit are you referring to? Certainly, you do not mean the Holy Spirit! I know word meanings change with centuries, but be aware that “vicar” means “vicarious substitute.” In the Catholic Church, the vicar is a substitute for Christ!
Evangeline R. Johnson
Sebring, Florida

A missionary from Spain sent in a cruel, anti-Catholic message and requested that his name be withheld (May). I was disappointed that you would enable someone saying such things to hide his identity. Please, I implore you, require these people to sign their names.
Joy Thompson
Topeka, Kansas

Has Charisma gone Catholic? Just about everything in the June issue was about Catholics. I thought you were Pentecostals. The Catholic Church is full of paganism and witchcraft, and the pope is worshiped to some extent. You should get away from all that mess.
Woodrow Steadman
Spartanburg, South Carolina

I was saved out of the Catholic Church. Imagine my disgust when I discovered that you had put the pope on the cover of Charisma. If the head of the Jehovah’s Witnesses dies next month, will you put him on the cover?

The Catholic Church isn’t another sect of Christianity; it’s a cult. I even went to a Catholic seminary for a weekend with the intent of becoming a priest. Still, I was dead in my trespasses. Then one day Jesus saved me and filled me with His precious Holy Spirit.
Rev. Michael Autera
Tender Mercies Ministry
Dewey, Arizona

In espousing the pope as “vicar of the Spirit,” Charisma missed the point! What has the Catholic Church shown for its so-called moves of the Spirit? You shouldn’t be a champion of a worldwide ecumenical “unity” of Catholics, Pentecostals and other Protestants. Scripture warns against this.
Andrew Igene
via e-mail

I was absolutely amazed that your magazine exalted Pope John Paul II. This is not to say he was a bad person, but deception often comes cloaked in righteousness. Those allusions to him being “open to the Spirit” (and I want to ask which spirit?) are cleverly stated.
Gloria M. Vittner
Middleburg Heights, Ohio

Was the pope born again? In 1987 he said Mary was divine and sinless. Was Mother Teresa born again? In a documentary featuring her in 1986, she stated clearly that one could get to God through any religion, including Islam and Buddhism. Although some believers are Catholic, the Catholic Church has always been at enmity with the true, believing church.
John Lifflander
Battle Ground, Washington

DOLLAR SIGNS

I appreciated J. Lee Grady’s column about the excesses of prosperity preachers (“Charismatic Idols,” May). But I was disappointed to see a conference ad a few pages later declaring that God wants you to have the best in health and wealth. I would be encouraged to see Charisma editors put their money where their pens are by refusing such ads.
Mark Johnson
St. Cloud, Minnesota

Thank you for speaking the truth about the lavish lifestyles of some in ministry. God led me to give to a ministry once and the leader said that for every $100 gift he would rescue one girl from prostitution in India. I pledged $1,000 to get 10 girls out. Later this evangelist came back to my church and said, “We now have the building, and we need money to get the girls out of prostitution.” I confronted him, and his response was:” We needed the building first.” He did not speak of a building when he asked for pledges. I felt deceived.
Mary Alfred
Lafayette, Louisiana

Your article walks a fine line between preachers who scam the body of Christ and those who are truly blessed. I’m much more encouraged by preachers who walk in biblical prosperity. That is more godly than financially broke churches that say: “Give us all you can, but don’t desire too much for yourself.” That’s hogwash. Jesus did not come so that we could “have life and have it more average.”
Tyler Wright
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I rarely attend revivals anymore or listen to “guest preachers.” I hear them say things such as, “God says He wants a certain amount of people to plant a seed.” It has started at $1,000 and ended with “just bring whatever you can.” The book of Malachi says if I pay my tithes I’ll be blessed.
Rick Cunningham
Jacksonville, Florida

OVER LOOKED BIBLES

I was thrilled to see an article about finding the right Bible translation in your April issue. However, I was dismayed to see two major translations completely overlooked in your article: The New King James Version (NKJV) and the New Century Version (NCV). The NKJV is the No. 1 translation on the Christian Booksellers Association’s charts today, and the NCV is at No. 4. These translations could not have achieved the major status and growth they have received without strong consumer support.
Diane M. Crawford, publicist
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Nashville, Tennessee
Corrections: In a feature article about Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida (June), we reported that attendance at the church has declined to less than 1,000 since revival services ended. However, pastor Randy Feldschau tells Charisma that average attendance is now close to 1,600. A news article about conservative Anglicans (February) should have stated that St. Stephen’s Anglican Church is located in Oak Harbor, Washington, not Washington, D.C. A news article about spiritual revival among Navajo Indians (June) mistakenly reported that Daniel “Larry” Furcap is licensed with the Church of God. Charisma regrets the errors.

MANIFEST PRESENCE
By Jack Hayford, Chosen, hardcover, 288 pages, $19.99.

Reading this book is like peeling an onion, except you will shed tears of joy as you delve into Jack Hayford’s refreshing approach to worship in Manifest Presence: Expecting a Visitation of God’s Grace Through Worship.

The most freeing concept appears a third of the way through the book, when the author discusses how holiness springs from God’s nature within us, not by adhering to legalistic requirements that strike fear in people’s hearts.

Because of its sermonlike format, this book will find its greatest appeal among pastors and worship leaders. However, Christians hungry for a revived relationship with
the Almighty will also find it valuable for contemplation.

Part of Manifest Presence’s contribution is defining that worship is neither a formulaic style of rigid orthodoxy nor imitations of Christian concerts. Equally noteworthy: Hayford’s tips on establishing altars of worship at home.
Ken Walker

BOOKS

DELIVERED TO DESTINY
By Kimberly Daniels, Charisma House, softcover, 224 pages, $13.99.

Raised in “uptown” Jacksonville, Florida, Kimberly Daniels’ family life was filled
with gambling, violence, substance abuse and witchcraft, much of which she carried into her adult life. In Delivered to Destiny, Daniels, now ordained by Rod
Parsley, gives glory to God for redeeming her and setting her on an unexpected new path as a pastor-evangelist.

Converted by watching the movie A Thief in the Night, Daniels today effectively reaches out to warlocks, drug addicts and transsexuals. Not one to care what religious people think, she drives an RV dubbed the Demon Busters Mobile. She also writes of how God used her as a witness in the Army, where she had a distinguished career in track and field and was classified as the fastest woman in the U.S. military.

Exhorting believers to walk in their destiny as she learned to do, the author’s prophetic voice warns of such things as “nice” people under the control of witchcraft infiltrating the church.

Daniels has a captivating story that will draw charismatics and anyone who enjoys hearing grace-filled testimonies.
Christine D. Johnson

GOD’S BOLD CALL TO WOMEN
By Barbara J. Yoder, Regal, softcover, 176 pages, $12.99.

According to Barbara J. Yoder there is a fresh call from heaven for women to move into their destinies in the area of ministry. This is different from the past when a few select women responded to such a call. This call is for an army of women to rise up.

An inspiring compilation of works from several authors, including Chuck Pierce, Jane Hansen, Wanda Studdard and Jean Hodges, this book clarifies the diversity
of ways women are called, encourages women at any age to press in to fulfill
God’s purposes for their lives, and shows scriptural precedent through examples of
women in the Bible who fulfilled their callings. Yoder is a proponent of the new
apostolic movement in the church. When she speaks of the apostolic movement, she is referring to individuals and groups who pioneer new works, bring reform to
church and society, and open new areas to the infl uence of the gospel.

Yoder believes it is crucial that women and men partner together to fulfi ll the
Great Commission. This book brings a needed word of exhortation and encouragement to women in the body of Christ today.
Deborah L. Delk

THIS DAY WE FIGHT!
By Francis Frangipane, Chosen, softcover,176 pages, $12.99.

Though fans of Francis Frangipane’s former works may be somewhat disappointed
by This Day We Fight! the heart and intent of this hero of the faith is still loud and
clear. Throughout the book, Frangipane’s passionate plea to the church is to wake up from its slumber and to engage in a crusade against the rampant darkness that influences every aspect of life as we know it.

The book is divided into three sections. Unfortunately, section one lacks the kind of meaty exegesis that we’ve come to love from Frangipane and the final third of the book seems only loosely connected to the book’s overall theme.

Section two, however, “Exposing the Enemy’s Weapon,” is by far the best part of the book and has plenty of encouraging and inspirational insights for believers. It speaks directly to the issues of spiritual disappointment, discouragement
and weariness in doing good while giving believers a solid, biblically based
response pattern that is full of wisdom, faith, trust and humility.

If the entire book had been written in this manner, it would be another classic
on par with The Three Battlegrounds.
Eric Wilbanks

MUSIC

LIFT HIM UP COLLECTION
By Ron Kenoly, Integrity Music.

Dove Award-winning artist Ron Kenoly helped popularize contemporary praise and worship music worldwide for nearly two decades. His latest project, the Lift
Him Up Collection, showcases the bestknown and loved songs from eight albums
on one disc.

Kenoly sings with mastery that reveals his background as a praise and worship leader. His flexibility is highlighted on such songs as the upbeat “Lift Him Up,” the fun Calypso sound in “Mourning Into Dancing” and the soft, emotion-filled “Beauty for Ashes” duet with Crystal Lewis.

He has been called “The Professor of Praise,” and his 15 songs-in addition to the new release, “His Banner Over Me Is Love”-are familiar favorites. By capturing the heartbeat of praise in a cheerful and joyful style, Kenoly has created a work that highlights decades of praise and worship favorites.
Tracee N. Mason

THE ROCKS CRY OUT
By various artists, Spring Hill Worship

Following the release of Songs From the Bennett House, Spring Hill Worship unveils its newest project, The Rocks Cry Out, a slightly edgier worship collection. The disc is a collaborative effort, featuring Kate Miner, Elias Dummer, Cole Young, Rick Cua, Charity Von, Tom Lane, Carl Cartee and Anadara. A big plus for this series continues to be that the songs featured are all new and seem ready for radio and designed for corporate worship settings.

Highlights include the stirring “Somebody Dance”; the acoustic rock duet “Draw Near”; the Euro-pop flavor of “Your Will, My Life”; the bouncy “Alive in Me” and the bluesy rock of “In Your Presence.” Adding a world-music flavor to the mix is “Do You Hear the Sound?”

The Rocks Cry Out, though not necessarily the “rock” the title implies, will be a welcome listen for worship music lovers and leaders and fulfills the label’s mission
to introduce “new songs today … for the church tomorrow.”
DeWayne Hamby

LONG ARM OF LOVE
By Michael Olson, Rocketown Records

Rocketown Records is known for signing multitalented singersongwriters such as
Ginny Owens, Watermark and Shaun Groves. Its newest artist, Minneapolis native
Michael Olson, has a powerful and smooth voice reminiscent of artists such as Greg Long and Jonathan Pierce. Olson easily makes a memorable impression
with his vocals alone.

But he’s also an accomplished songwriter, evidenced by great tracks on this
debut.

On “Give My Life Away,” Olson offers a moving statement of faith with infectious
zeal. “New Every Morning” is an upbeat pop-rock praise offering. “So Glad” is a fun, honky-tonk-style country-blues production, and the title track also blends country and pop with the classic hymn “Blessed Assurance.”

Sandwiched in the middle, “Psalm 23”-an impressive musical Scripture rendering is the mellow “bookmark” of the record. “Waiting for You” is a romantic ode to Olson’s wife, and the tender praise of “Man of Sorrows” closes the disc.
DeWayne Hamby

Church of God in Christ Bishop P.A. Brooks says ministries have a duty to build in their communities
In a cluster of barren fields on Detroit’s east side, Bishop P.A. Brooks sees the future, for his church and people in need far beyond its doors. Soon the fields will be home to COGIC Villages, a housing and retail development of the New St. Paul Tabernacle (NSPT) Church of God in Christ.

The development is one of several projects that Brooks, New St. Paul pastor and president of the church’s nonprofit housing corporation, is orchestrating to help revitalize Detroit, a city plagued with urban blight. Churches, Brooks says, have a duty to build in their communities.

“We looked at our community and saw houses boarded up and deterioration of the community,” said Brooks, 73, who founded the 2,100-member church 52 years ago with his wife and mother-in-law. “We can’t let the community go down. We have to bring life, not just spiritual life, but practical life for other people. If we don’t help people we aren’t serving in the ministry of Jesus Christ.”

In recent months the media have been splattered with news reports about
Detroit’s $300 million budget deficit and massive layoff s. Though the city has attracted Major League Baseball’s 2005 All-Star Game, the 2006 Super Bowl and splashy new downtown developments, a recent Time magazine article ranked Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick among the worst in the country because of his management of city funds and personnel.

But while some doubt his city’s economic viability, Brooks sees opportunity. “People say Detroit is bad, but the glass is not half empty, it’s half full,” he said. Developing abandoned areas is“ how new life is given to these urban centers.”

Brooks says the New St. Paul Tabernacle Non-Profit Housing Corporation
developed a limited license corporation with Metro Educational Concepts Inc.
(MECI) to erect homes and business areas throughout the city. Their first project,
COGIC Villages, is a three-phase development all on Detroit’s east side.

Michael Bartley, executive director of MECI, a nonprofit community development
corporation, explained the project: Gratiot 24 is the first area that will have 24 two- and three-bedroom townhouses and at least 50 studio, and one- and two bedroom
garden apartments for those with low incomes, including seniors.

The second phase, Cathedral Place, targets COGIC’s Northeast Michigan Cathedral, which is the jurisdictional headquarters, and the surrounding area. Initial plans include a Cathedral face-lift and construction of 45 new homes on city-obtained land. The third phase is Eastown Residential, neighborhoods of single-family homes in which owners pay mortgages in the range of 40 percent to 60 percent of the median residential income.

Brooks said NSPT Non-Profit Housing Corporation and MECI received a $10,000 grant from a local bank to complete the application process to the state of Michigan to get approval for their plans. They also were able to obtain,
through another bank, a $3 million guarantee from bank investors who provided
monies for home mortgages.

Henry Hagood, director of development activities for the Detroit Planning
and Development Department, says the city “fully supports Bishop Brooks. He’s
filling in the holes in the community, bringing back the housing stock. He has
a built-in market. The faith-based market can have a major impact on what we’re
doing in the city.”

Brooks is a member of the Church of God in Christ’s General Board and bishop
of the Northeast Michigan Jurisdiction, where he oversees 90 churches. His
rebuilding work has been so successful the U.S. government invited him to a policy meeting based on his“ excellent reputation and proven ability,” said Ryan Streeter, director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives.

In the last decade, Brooks has implemented several faith-based ventures, including
a 57-unit seniors complex located on the church’s grounds. In 2001, NSPT
teamed with the nonprofit Faith Community Homebuyers Program (FCHP) to
educate people about mortgages.

The Wayne County First-Time Homebuyer Program contracted Brooks’ homebuyer’s program to manage its down payment housing assistance program. And that program made all the difference in Paul Schumacher’s dream of owning a home.

“I had gone through the orientation,” said Schumacher, a licensed builder. “As
time went on I realized I was not in a position where I could buy one. I was going
through a physical and emotional crisis at the time. … Without the down payment
program I would not have been able to pursue [a home] otherwise.”

Schumacher is living testament to the impact of Brooks’ vision. “We’ve got to
improve the quality of life for other people,” Brooks said. “As Isaiah 58:12 says, we
have to build up the waste places. We have to be in on the front end of development.

The church can no longer sit and let outsiders take it. We have to get in on it. We
have the opportunity to breathe new life.”
RHONDA J. SMITH IN DETROIT

Kenneth Taylor, creator of The Living Bible and founder of Tyndale House
Publishers, died June 10 in his home in Wheaton, Ill. He was 88.

Taylor’s translation, which has sold more than 40 million copies, began
as a project to help his children understand God’s Word. And while Tyndale has become one of the largest Christian publishing houses, Taylor started it humbly, using the family’s dining room as the company’s first office.

Launched in 1962, Tyndale was named after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Taylor and his wife, Margaret, began with the publication of Living Letters, a paraphrase of the New Testament epistles.

The first printing was 2,000 copies, but when evangelist Billy Graham began to promote Taylor’s work on his television broadcasts, demand for the books dramatically increased. In 1967 the Living New Testament was published, and in 1971 the complete Living Bible was released, becoming
the best-selling book in the U.S. for the next three years.

A pastor’s son, Taylor was born May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, receiving an undergraduate degree in zoology. He also attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago in 1944.

Taylor began his 65-year career as editor of HIS magazine and later
served as director of Moody Press in Chicago. In April 1950, while working
at Moody Press, Taylor helped found the Christian Booksellers Association, an international trade association now known simply as CBA. Taylor was inducted into the CBA Hall of Honor in 1989. In 2001, he received a Visionary Industry Pioneer award from Christian Retailing, which is published by Charisma’s parent company, Strang Communications.

In 1984, he turned Tyndale over to his son Mark, but remained chairman of the board until his death. “Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father’s passion,” Mark Taylor said, adding that people have told him they became a Christian upon reading The Living Bible. “Even at 88 years old, [my father’s] enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned,” he noted.

Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series, which is published
by Tyndale, said Taylor “contributed greatly to the harvest of souls and
worldwide growth of the church that is going on in the world today.”

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, credited Taylor with
playing an integral role in helping to launch the Colorado-based ministry
in 1977. “I asked if he and Tyndale would consider underwriting our efforts, and he provided a grant of $35,000, which allowed us to get Focus under way,” Dobson said. “We may never have made it on the air if it hadn’t been for the generous support we received from him at that juncture.”

Taylor is survived by his wife, Margaret, 10 children, 28 grandchildren
and 22 great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held June 15 at
Wheaton College.
JENISE MORGAN

Through the Justice House of Prayer, young intercessors are staging silent protests on behalf of the unborn
Teens and young adults are praying for an end to abortion in what prayer leader Lou Engle says is a continuation of the movement that began in 2000 when The Call D.C. drew 400,000 youth to Washington, D.C., for a day of prayer and fasting.

“The call to fast, pray and change the history of a nation is as strong as it was five
years ago,” said Engle, founder of The Call prayer events and The Cause USA. The latter effort began in July 2004, after Engle convened thousands of youth for a prayer gathering in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“After 50 days and 50 nights of prayer, it was clear our assignment wasn’t finished,” Engle told Charisma. “Through a series of dreams and visions, God showed us [that we needed] to travel across country and plant the burning torch of intercession in Washington, D.C.”

That torch has been named the Justice House of Prayer (JHOP), where intercessors pray 24/7 in a building on Capital Hill overlooking the Supreme Court. “As soon as we walked in, we knew it was the place,” Engle said. “The room was literally shaped like an arrowhead. One could stretch a measuring line down Pennsylvania Avenue, through the Capitol building and straight toward the White House.”

Currently 66 interns, or “prayer activists” as they prefer to be called, are affiliated
with JHOP. Determined to “reverse the decree of Roe vs. Wade” through prayer,
JHOP interns arrived in Washington in October with a plan they said they received
through a dream.

Each member covered his mouth with a piece of duct tape that had the word
“life” written on it and began a “silent siege” in front of the Supreme Court
building. For five hours each day they stood silently, identifying with the silent
screams of the unborn and repenting for the silence of the church.

“We’re actually out there fighting for the very life of a generation,” said intern
Heather Harris, 32. “The Lord wants to bring forth the Deborahs … Joshuas … [and] Davids of the next generation. And right now they’re being killed in the womb.”

Just days into the siege, which is an ongoing effort, one intern suggested to
Engle that they take the “life tape” and turn it into wrist bands and start a justice
movement like that of Martin Luther King Jr. Today more than 30,000 of the
free bands have been distributed through the Web site www.bound4life.com.

“Our vision is that 10 million people will wear these bands, and every time they look at it they will pray, ‘God end abortion in America,'” Engle said.

In conjunction with its efforts to end abortion, JHOP is raising funds to help women and children in need. “There’s got to be more than just praying for the end to
abortion,” Harris said. “There’s got to be action-works added to our faith.”

In addition to praying at strategic sites in the capital, the interns plan to travel
across the country to call others to take up the Cause and launch day and night
intercession for revival and justice.

“We need to subpoena the conscience of the nation,” Engle told Charisma. “I believe a great confession season is coming in America-a season of coming clean.
There’s going to be great joy and great pain mixed together, but I believe God
wants to visit us in this nation.”
SANDRA CHAMBERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.